Scientific Programme
Sports and Exercise Medicine and Health
IS-MH01 - Evidence-based paradigm shift in the use of physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum for promoting health of two generations
Date: 07.07.2026, Time: 12:00 - 13:15, Session Room: Auditorium C (STCC)
Description
Today’s challenge is breaking stereotypes and empowering pregnant and postpartum populations to embrace regular physical activity as a powerful tool for lifelong promotion of wellbeing and prevention of chronic diseases. In this session, we will present groundbreaking scientific research and development work, featuring innovative exercise interventions, advanced research methodologies, and broad international expert knowledge on pregnancy and postpartum physical activity. We will discuss maternal health benefits of participating in novel, high intensity interval training (HIIT) programs during pregnancy - at the physiological, biochemical, and proteomic levels, as well as in the context of psychosocial functioning. Further, we will explore changes in infant whole-body outcomes as well as cellular mechanisms, using umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), of how maternal exercise improves the metabolism of infants. We will highlight maternal exercise as a viable strategy to offset the intergenerational risk of obesity. Finally, we will present the world's first guideline on physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep throughout the first year postpartum, based on seven systematic reviews and meta-analyses, as well as on an international Delphi study on contraindications to postpartum physical activity. The target audience are researchers in the field of health-promoting physical activity in the reproductive age, as well as exercise and health professionals.
Chair(s)
Anna Szumilewicz
Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Department of Physical Activity for Women's Health
Poland
Speaker A
Anna Szumilewicz
Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Department of Physical Activity for Women's Health
Poland
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-MH01
High-intensity interval training in pregnancy: evidence from experimental studies on maternal adaptations and its role in preventing gestational disorders and chronic diseases
Could high-intensity interval training (HIIT) become an antidote to pregnancy complications and fetal development issues? Not long ago, this idea seemed implausible, as HIIT was widely considered unsafe during pregnancy. Today, however, growing interest among expectant mothers challenges these assumptions, although there is still a lack of reliable scientific data on the subject. In this session, we will present experimental findings on the impact of HIIT programs on selected maternal biological, functional, and psychological parameters. Results will be discussed in the context of preventing common pregnancy-related conditions and chronic diseases, including gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and musculoskeletal issues such as urinary incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunctions. We will also examine the potential of HIIT to reduce rates of depression and anxiety during pregnancy. The analysis draws on data from both animal models and human populations, including the HIIT MAMA project run in Poland. We will analyze comprehensive outcomes at the physiological, biochemical and proteomic levels, as well as in the context of psychosocial functioning. Current evidence suggests that, compared to the traditionally recommended during pregnancy moderate-intensity physical activity, HIIT provides a stronger training stimulus and more favorable effects on maternal health. Consequently, it may create better conditions for fetal development and more effectively prevent chronic diseases across two generations. Importantly, authors of studies in this area have not reported any negative impact of HIIT on pregnancy outcomes, childbirth, or neonatal parameters. Unfounded concerns about these risks have so far been the main reason for lowering exercise intensity during pregnancy. We are encouraged to widely promote HIIT during pregnancy not only by the above results and observations, but also by the opinions of the study participants. We will discuss what was most often considered to be the advantages of the HIIT programs and what was a barrier to participation. We will also present the methodology used in this type of experimental interventions. Additionally, we will share experiences from international initiatives promoting physical activity of various intensities during pregnancy and postpartum, including the first edition of the Global Active Mother’s Day and Global Educational Week for Active Pregnancy and Postpartum, initiated in 2025 with stakeholders from 4 continents. We will draw attention to cultural differences that require a different approach in selecting exercise programs during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Speaker B
Nicholas Broskey
East Carolina University, Department of Kinesiology
United States
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-MH01
Breaking the cycle: how maternal exercise and cellular insights offer a path to prevent intergenerational obesity and improve offspring metabolic health
Currently, ~35% of reproductive age women have obesity. Offspring born from mothers with obesity are at a greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, forming a vicious cycle across generations. Thus, pregnancy is a critical window of fetal development that may shape the future trajectory of offspring metabolic health. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis, postulates that offspring exposed to unfavorable environments in utero undergo adaptations that allow for survival in that unfavorable environment. However, this may contribute to the development of diseases postnatally. Considerable support for this hypothesis exists from epidemiological studies and transgenerational persistence of these adaptations in rodent models, but gaps in our understanding in other models are lacking. Recent advances in human clinical studies have elucidated key cellular mechanisms on how maternal exercise may improve fetal metabolism, particularly under conditions of sedentary lifestyle and maternal obesity. Thus, altering the intrauterine environment may present the earliest window of opportunity to intervene for health promotion. The mechanisms and potential benefits of lifestyle interventions altering the metabolism of offspring are yet to be fully understood, but one model that has potential are umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). During fetal development, MSCs are the precursors for mesodermal tissue such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. They maintain populations of progenitor cells originating from the same fetal MSC pool throughout life (e.g., skeletal muscle satellite cells). Moreover, MSCs are the primary stem cell lineage responsible for fetal myogenesis and postnatal muscle maintenance and repair. When cultured, these fetal MSCs also retain cell surface markers and differentiation capacity that is stable. Thus, ‘programmed’ cellular phenotype changes to the MSC lineage may not only alter cellular development in utero but be retained into adulthood. This translational presentation will explore changes in infant whole-body outcomes as well as cellular mechanisms, using MSCs, of how maternal exercise improves the metabolism of infants. Further, it will highlight maternal exercise as a viable strategy to offset the intergenerational risk of obesity.
Speaker C
Stephanie-May Ruchat
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières , Department of Human Kinetics
Canada
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-MH01
2025 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep throughout the First Year Postpartum
The weeks and months following birth are characterized by substantial physiological and psychological adjustments, including hormonal fluctuations and sleep disturbances, which can impede beginning or continuing to be physically active in the postpartum period. Additionally, factors such as breastfeeding demands, pelvic floor dysfunction, and vulnerability to perinatal mood disorders further contribute to uncertainty regarding the appropriate timing and nature of exercise (re)introduction in the weeks and months following childbirth. Increasingly, the postpartum period is recognized as a critical window during which those at increased risk for future chronic disease can be identified and early preventive strategies can be initiated to promote long-term health. While physical activity and adequate sleep are well-established contributors to improved health outcomes, the postpartum period presents distinct barriers to engaging in regular physical activity, including delivery-related recovery, breastfeeding, pelvic floor dysfunction, mental health challenges, and the demands of infant care, and to having adequate sleep. Using AGREE II and GRADE frameworks, this Guideline was informed by seven systematic reviews and meta-analyses, as well as an international Delphi study. The 2025 Guideline for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep throughout the First Year Postpartum was developed to bridge the gap between the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy and the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guideline for Adults aged 18–65. Including nine recommendations, seven about physical activity, one about sedentary behaviour and one about sleep, the Guideline is designed to support health and wellbeing and empower new mothers by providing evidence-based recommendations that stresses personalization, flexibility and gradual progress towards the recommendations. Although physical activity is safe and beneficial for most postpartum individuals, it remains important to identify the small number with contraindications. The Get Active Questionnaire for Postpartum is intended to identify the small subset of individuals who should obtain medical guidance before initiating or resuming physical activity after childbirth. It also aims to support most healthy postpartum individuals by addressing potential concerns and facilitating their confidence in becoming or remaining physically active. This presentation will introduce the world's first guideline on physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep throughout the first year postpartum, while providing an overview of the underpinning evidence supporting the recommendations.