Exercise during Pregnancy

As always, you should check with your personal physician as to whether exercise is appropriate for you. There are absolute contraindications to exercise, so make sure you consult your physician before starting any exercise program.

That being said, studies indicate that certain sensible exercises are recommended for pregnant women. In general, these can be broken down into cardiovascular exercises, strengthening exercises, and stretching or flexibility exercises. There are specific benefits to each of these categories and why they can help your pregnancy.

As for cardiovascular exercise, I know some women who have run until late into their 3^rd trimester. Personally, running didn’t feel good even early in my pregnancy. I stopped after 8 weeks. Besides, due to previous pregnancy complications, my doctor discouraged high impact exercises. Although there are no studies that indicate running can cause a miscarriage, I didn’t want to bother with the guilt or stress of possibly putting my baby at risk for anything. So, when I was pregnant, I did a lot of stairclimbing, stationary bike, and elliptical trainer. Walking and swimming can also be great exercises, however, for me it was harder to get the intensity I wanted, also I liked having a convenient bathroom near by.

In the 1^st trimester, cardiovascular exercise would help with my morning sickness. I would look forward to alleviation of my nausea. During the 2^nd trimester, it would give me energy and an “adrenaline high”. I would workout before a party or beach gathering, to give me more energy. Now, in my 3^rd trimester, I find that it loosens up my body, improves my circulation, managing any bloating, even in the hot weather we are having. I’m still waiting to out grow my wedding ring.

As for duration, it all depended on how I felt each day. My goal was 40-60 minutes/day, for 4 to 6 times a week. I tried to respect my growing belly, constantly adjusting both duration and intensity. I always had cold water with me. I would fill my water bottles ½ way and freeze it. I would than fill the rest with water on my way out the door. A good rule of thumb with intensity is you want to be able to carry on a conversation. If it takes more than a little effort, you may be working too hard.

I found using a heartrate monitor to be beneficial, as it helped me monitor my level of exertion. It was funny, some days I felt great, so I could workout harder while staying in my target heartrate zone. Yet other days I felt tired, and I had to back off. Speaking of target rate, I used the formula of 220-age to get my estimated maximum heartrate, then I exercised at 60-75% of my max HR. Again, check with your doctor for specific recommendations.

Next time, I’ll talk about strengthening exercises that has helped me.

Sandra VanGilder, DPT

Posted in Mom Talk, Health Talk |

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