Here's an excellent article
discussing aerobic exercise such as jogging while you are pregnant. The
important points the author makes is to work out at a comfortable pace
without being out of breath or exhausted, choose your appropriate heart
rate using a monitor based on your comfort level and always check with
your doctor first before exercising during pregnancy.
Pregnancy and Heart Rate
My Personal Observations
by Christy Dafter - Staff
Writer, Howtobefit.com
I started running when I
was fourteen, so I was not new to running when I became pregnant for the
second time at thirty three. With my first pregnancy at twenty-three
and just finishing a collegiate running program, I was burned out from
running both mentally and physically and decided to walk for my form of
exercise. Plus, I had always heard that it was dangerous for a pregnant
woman to let her heart rate get too high during exercise. I had no way
to monitor my heart rate then except to stop and take my pulse, and that
just was not convenient, or accurate, for that matter. I figured
I would walk at a leisurely pace and that should be okay. Now, looking
back, I wish that I had had a heart rate monitor then. It would have made
exercising a lot easier and would have made me feel much more comfortable
being able to constantly monitor my heart rate while exercising.
During and after my second
pregnancy, I was determined to stay in shape and then to get back into
shape as quickly as possible afterwards. Once again, I was worried
about whether I was overdoing it and getting my heart rate up too high.
I read numerous articles on the subject and was told by my obstetrician
to keep my heart rate fairly low with no high intensity. The prevailing
advice was to not let your heart rate go above 140 beats per minute when
working out. That is when I knew that my Polar heart rate monitor
would be an invaluable tool to be able to check my heart rate at all times
and play it safe.
I soon found out, though,
that keeping my heart rate at 140 bpm (beats per minute) or below would
mean jogging so slowly that a fairly fast walker could keep up with me,
and it was just not any fun. Plus, I began wondering about this 140
bpm rule of thumb. How could this apply to everyone? Women
come in different sizes, shapes, ages, and levels of fitness. How
could this number work for everyone? I read many articles about women
running throughout their entire pregnancies, some of them even running
marathons. They all had healthy babies but said they ran comfortably.
I believe comfortably is the proper rule of thumb rather than a specific
number.
I decided I would find what
my comfortable heart rate zone would be. For me, it was between 150
and 160 bpm. I could still carry on a conversation and did not feel
overly fatigued or exhausted during or after my runs. I chose to
not run high mileage or tackle a marathon while pregnant. I ran 3-5
miles per day about five days per week. I did great with this. I
always wore my heart rate monitor and kept my heart rate within my comfortable
range. It made me feel safe and secure, and knew I was doing something
healthy for my baby. I was getting a workout, but not overdoing it.
About half way into my pregnancy
my belly and weight became too much for me to enjoy running anymore, so
I decided to start walking with my heart rate monitor. I would walk fast
enough to get my heart rate to between 130 and 140 bpm. If I walked
up a hill I could even get it up to 150. Some women choose to run
throughout their entire pregnancy, and that is great. For me, it just was
not fun any more and I run because it should be enjoyable. I really
enjoyed the walking and I am sure my joints did also.
What I discovered is that
there is no one magic number that fits all women for a safe maximum heart
rate while working out when pregnant. There are many numbers
and one of them will be just right for each individual. You have
to get out there and experiment to find out what your special heart rate
number is. The best way to do this is with a Polar heart rate monitor.
I find it impossible to do it the old fashioned way - stopping and
counting your heartbeat for ten seconds and multiplying by six. You
would have to stop frequently and it is not accurate like a heart rate
monitor is because every time that you stop and then try to get an accurate
pulse, your heart rate has already fallen. A heart rate monitor displays
your heart rate continuously so that you know your heart rate for the entire
workout. Mine even tells me what my average heart rate is for the
entire workout, which gives you more peace of mind.
So, all of you pregnant women
who want to continue exercising, whether it be running, walking, cycling,
swimming, aerobics or whatever else, strap on a heart rate monitor and
work out at a comfortable pace. You should never get out of breath
or feel exhausted. Find your comfortable zone and stick with it.
Your zone will probably change as you get further along in your pregnancy.
And never, ever engage in any form of physical activity without the express
permission of your doctor.
Best of luck, and remember,
keeping yourself healthy also keeps your baby healthy. That is what
we all want, a healthy, beautiful baby!
Howtobefit.com
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