Pregnancy and Exercise

What You Should Do and Avoid

Exercise during pregnancy is something which has been highly debated in the past. It used to be thought that any kind of physical activity while pregnant was bad. It used to be believed that pregnant women near their due date should not even ride in a car. After time, experience, and studies, doctors and scientists have decided that (without any complications) it is safe for pregnant women to do as much as they did before becoming pregnant. However, the activities which women were able to do before they were pregnant will not necessarily be as easy while pregnant.

The amount of blood which has to be circulated increases dramatically during pregnancy. This means that your body is pumping 30 to 50 percent above normal. This is a lot of the reason for pregnant women becoming tired so easily. This also causes your heart to take longer to return to a normal rate after exercises is finished. It could actually take as long as 15 minutes longer than normal for the heart to return to normal.

Also, during pregnancy, the risk of exercise-induced injury is much higher. During this time, a the connective tissues in a woman's body are weakened. The same hormone which expands the uterus also weakens the connective tissue. This means that jumping and other jarring motions can be detrimental.

Another thing to think about while exercising if you are pregnant is your heart rate. It is unsafe to get the heart rate up too high, and it gets high easier than normal when pregnant. It is important to take your heart rate often while exercising and pregnant. The heart rate should not rise above 140 beats per minute. This is the magic number at which it becomes unsafe to your baby. At this point, the fetus is not getting the blood supply at which to sustain a good oxygen flow. The oxygen for your baby comes from your blood. At over 140 bpm, your baby is suffering.