Exercise During Pregnancy: Listen to your body!

By Nicole Tweedie, Instructor/Trainer, NETA, AFAA, SPINNING, and PREGNANT : )

Exercising during pregnancy is a very different experience for every woman, depending on the level of fitness from whence they came and whether or not there are any contraindications during her pregnancy. The ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week during pregnancy, for those women experiencing a safe and healthy one. As a fitness professional, my experience as a pregnant exercise enthusiast and instructor looks quite different from others. I am currently 8 months along and continue to get frequent comments, warnings, and questions about my routine. It is apparent that there is a significant amount of confusion and many myths to dispel when it comes to exercise during pregnancy. For many years, pregnant women were warned to ensure their aerobic heart rate did not exceed 145 bpm. While this target heart rate still very well applies to some women during pregnancy, it is on the lower side for women who are recreational or competitive athletes and therefore conditioned to be able to safely work at a higher intensity during pregnancy.

During my first pregnancy, I was diligent about checking my heart rate especially while instructing Spinning classes and H.I.I.T. classes. If my monitor registered at 146 bpm, I would panic and back it off immediately to allow my heart rate to come back down.  Although I was given clearance to maintain a similar routine to what I was doing pre-pregnancy, I was nervous due to a history of miscarriages, so I played things very conservatively and abided by the 145 bpm rule of thumb. However, research has shown that women who experience safe and healthy pregnancies and are not “high risk” as deemed by their OBGYN, are safe to workout at higher intensity, within safe parameters. It was concluded that145 beats per minute is somewhat of an arbitrary number. For the conditioned female, taking the heart rate higher during pregnancy is safe, as long as she trains in her “Target Aerobic Training Zone” and avoids becoming anaerobic. It is also critical to avoid triggering the “Valsalva Maneuver” which is holding one’s breath while straining or lifting.  

The bottom line is to listen to your body and trust in your kinesthetic awareness during pregnancy. I recommend women try a variety of exercise genres and modalities to determine what feels right to them. If something doesn’t feel “right”, it probably isn’t right. I recall straining my inguinal ligaments while power-walking at a 7.0 incline in my seventh month. I was pushing my legs and hips to operate too forcefully and quickly, and ended up in the ER in significant pain. That was my body’s way of saying, “back it down and take it easy”, as the ligaments in the pelvic area become much more lax. That led to spending more time in the pool and less time hammering out miles on the treadmill. There will be plenty of time for that post-partum after recovery.

Unfortunately, for some women, pregnancy can be a high-risk experience and continuing even a moderately intense exercise program is not recommended. Again, every woman’s body is different. The best advice I give to pregnant clients is to consult their OBGYN and once clearance has been given, do research, ask professionals such as our fitness specialists and personal trainers at the Wellness Center and most importantly, LISTEN closely to your body when exercising during pregnancy.