Avery Publishing Group. Aerobic exercise during pregnancy. Taking the rather general and simplistic view that the body as a whole is designed to be active rather than inactive, the negative effects of a deficiency of exercise are not too difficult to arrive at. Unless the amount of carbohydrate and fat in the diet is reduced to a level comparable with the degree of inactivity obesity becomes a possibility. This is particularly likely in a well-developed, affluent, country where access to food and pressure from advertising can also fuel temptation.
Obesity places a strain particularly on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems.
This can ultimately lead to further inactivity as the effort and energy involved in moving makes inactivity the easier option, and increases the risk of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Regular exercise tones the cardiovascular system and the heart, which is a muscular pump, becomes more efficient. Blood flow through the blood vessels speeds up as the heart rate increases. The supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, particularly voluntary muscles, is improved and the waste products of metabolism are more rapidly removed. Ultimately a healthy, and therefore fit, person has a greater cardiopulmonary reserve.