Hi and congratulations on your pregnancy. What a special time in you life.
Sheila Watkins is our pregnancy/prenatal/postpartum exercise expert on this forum. What I have done to help you is take pieces of her responses that she has answered others with to bring you up to date on what the new guidelines are. Lots of luck to you.
Sheila writes........
It is normal to feel breathless in early pregnancy. In fact, that can be one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. Without getting too technical, the progesterone in your system actually has an effect on the respiratory centers in the brain. It's actually a protective mechanism.
Now as for your heartrate................ In 1994 the American College of Obstretrics and Gynecology (ACOG) changed their guidelines regarding measuring exercise intensity during pregnancy. THEY ELIMINATED THE ORIGINAL 140 MAXIMUM HEARTRATE GUIDELINE ISSUED IN 1985!!!!!!!! (ACOG Bulletin #189, Feb 4, 1994). Human research had proven that taking one's heartrate was not a valid indicator of intensity during pregnancy due to the dramatic physiological changes in both the cardiovascular and respiratory system during this time. Two very valid ways of measuring exercise intensity during pregnancy are"Perceived Exertion" (i.e. on a scale of 1-10 if 1 is lying in bed and 10 is running up the Washington Monument with twins on your back) you want to be working at a 5-6 which correlated to "fairly light to somewhat hard." Research on very fit pregnant moms has shown that they can take it up "one more notch" to "hard." This as long as you listen to your body and make sure that you are drinking a lot while working out.) and the "Talk Test," which I like the best. If you can say sentences that are 2-5 words in length while working out, you are okay and the baby is getting adequate oxygen.
So, give the heartrate monitor a rest for the remainder of your pregnancy!
It is very important that you stay hydrated and listen to your body for ANY discomfort while exercising during both cardiovascular and strength training. You said that you stop when you are “gasping” while working with weights. You should not even get to that point while working out. You may need to drop the poundage or sets a bit to keep that from happening.
With these tips in mind, you can safely continue to work out. Give yourself permission to slow down if you need to. Remember, this is only a “season in your life.”
Below, I have copied a previous post that Erin F, a fellow poster, has posted in the past. She gives a breakdown of "Expecting Fitness". This book will be a good source for exercise modifications. Good Luck!
Erin states:
I recently found and bought a wonderful book that was just published in October of 1999. No, I'm not pregnant, but I went through about 2 1/2 weeks absolutely positive that I was, hence my hasty purchase. BUT, this is the best book on the subject I've ever seen! I haven't read the Dr. Clapp book, but he is quoted several times, so you know the author subscribes to the same philosophy. It's called Expecting Fitness, by Birgitta Gallo. She's the trainer who worked with Jane Seymore during her pregnancy with twins a few years ago. Here's a rundown of what you'll find in this book:
Chapter 1: The Pregnancy/Exercise Connection: It talks about all of the benefits to exercise during pregnancy and how a pregnant body reacts to exercise as compared to the nonpregnant body. For ex. You burn more calories doing the same exercise while pregnant than when you're not.
Chapter 2: Pregnancy Basics and Q & As
Chapter3: Guidelines for Exercising during Pregnancy: I found it very reassuring to have something written down that DIDN'T use the pre 1994 ACOG recommendations, but was up to date with the current ones.
Chapter 4: How to Modify Sports and Activities for Pregnancy: This chapter impressed me the most. It covered every sport and activity I ever thought of and some I hadn't( step, kickboxing, sliding, rowing, skiing, snorkeling, Pilates, etc. ) and how it can be modified during pregnancy. there's even a couple of handy charts of exercises you should avoid, which are fine, and which can or can't be started as novice exercisers.
Chapter 5: The Exercises: All kinds of exercises that can/should be done during pregnancy, with emphasis on the lower back and abs.
Chapter 6: Exercises for High-Risk and Bed-Rest Pregnancies: I've never had a pregnancy that required me to stay in bed, but if I did I would feel a lot better knowing I could keep from turning into a total marshmellow using the exercises she shows here. Plus I think it would help me to keep from going stir crazy by giving me something to do!
Back to Sheila again, Sheila writes this regarding abdominal work.........
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology(ACOG)guideline regarding supine (on your back) exercise states that "Women should avoid exercise in the supine position after the First Trimester." That translates to after the 13th week of pregnancy. Hope this helps.
Please post again if you have any further questions!
Cathe
