Although we have come far with our knowledge in exercise during pregnancy, there is still a lot of “what-ifs”, “not-sures” and “but my doctor saids” to make anyone second guess themselves about what is considered safe when it comes to exercising while pregnant.
First off, we have to remember why we exercise at all. I was at a lecture at a fitness conference a few years back and the woman said that we exercise to avoid death. Done. The benefits of heart health (cardiovascular), strength training (bone health and muscle mass) and mental health have proven to increase quality of life on a whole in comparison to sedentary lifestyles. So is this is true, why on earth would anyone even consider not exercising during one of the most important times in ones life?
The most recent published guidelines that were originally developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gyneocologists (ACOG) and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) are from (get this) 1994. And doctors everywhere are still following these rules 10 years later. Scary. However there is a lot of updated information through different trusted sources (such as Dr. James Clapp II) that assures us that as long as we are having a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy, we can pretty much do what we can (within reason).
So what would that be? Well instead of immediately cutting back and having our finger on our pulse every minute, instead we would be able to continue doing what we feel is right. i.e. running (if you are a runner), spinning (this one freaks a lot of people out), weight training (a must!!) or even trying something new like water aerobics, low impact aerobics class, yoga etc.
Although ACOG hasn’t yet officially developed new “guidelines”, in 2003, they have updated their information on this subject. For example, instead of giving the 140 bpm heart rate rule, now they do not even mention heart rate as a measure of intensity. Why? Because just as each woman’s body responds differently to pregnancy, so she does with exercise. You cannot have the same rules for a previously sedentary women and an athlete. Women are pretty good gauges of how they feel and will naturally scale back once they feel that they are doing too much. And this is what is now recommended; RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion. Doing the talk test (being able to carry on a conversation) and working at a “somewhat hard” degree or between 12-14 on a 6-20 scale.
Women are also worried about the impact of exercise, increasing core temperature and the possible effects on the fetus. Although during pregnancy, your maternal core temperature definitely increases, pregnant women’s bodies are very efficient at dissipating heat and cooling the body down, even better than a non-pregnant woman! It’s nature’s way of protecting mom and baby. Furthermore, in a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, it was concluded that moderate exercise could be performed right through the duration of pregnancy without any affect on gestational age or preterm labour. Br J Sport Med 2008 42: 674-678 In other words, other than added weight gain and general fatigue that tends to set in later in pregnancy, there is no other reason to stop your exercise regime if it is a healthy pregnancy.
Now although I have known this information for a long time and so do a lot of other fitness professionals that specialize in pre and postnatal exercise and health, doctors are still recommending outdated standards simply because they don’t know. This, in turn, frustrates a lot of women who want to exercise but are afraid because of the “unknown” which is actually just misinformation.
So with that, I am on a mission to inform doctors, OBGYN’s and other medical professionals that pregnancy is not an illness – my mantra, I would say. And bless them for encouraging women to get and stay active during pregnancy, as that is a significant shift from just 10+ years ago. However, not giving the whole picture and empowering women to make their own choices often deters them from exercise all together and this can increase their chances of developing so many other pregnancy related conditions as a result. Because you have to remember as old as the guidelines are, it is now considered a risk factor to NOT exercise during pregnancy.
