Guidelines for Exercise During Pregnancy
/In this blog post I’ll take you through the current guidelines for exercise during pregnancy and share some tips for how to find your sweet spot.
Current guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend that those with uncomplicated pregnancies get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week.
Does that surprise you?
Making this realistic and manageable can be challenging, but can we pause for a second to just say first and foremost that it won’t serve you or your baby to be super strict about adding up ALL the minutes ALL the time?
You deserve so many high fives 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
for growing a fricken human!!!
That being said, assuming things are going okay (read on for when problems strike)… DO try to work exercise into your routine in a way that works for you. You can divide the 150 minutes into 5 x 30-minute workouts or into smaller daily 10-minute movement snacks.
Soooo what exactly is moderate level intensity exercise? Moderate intensity activities should raise your heart rate and get you sweating. They may include whatever activity you most enjoy, brisk walking, strength training, dancing, swimming, (further along what might also feel accurate is the journey from the couch to the bathroom!), etc.
You may be wondering how you can measure intensity. There are two ways that are commonly used, described below.
Talk Test:
You can talk but you can’t sing.
I find that measuring exertion through the talk test is one of the easiest ways to gauge your intensity.
Borg Scale/ Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE):
Aim for somewhere between 12-14 or “somewhat hard” on the scale.
This amounts to ~70% of your full capacity.
💡I encourage you to find your sweet spot and know that this will vary. Your intensity is likely to be different depending on how stacked your day is, how far along you are, your pre-pregnancy fitness level, how much sleep you got, etc., but what is important is that you LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and adjust accordingly.
Signs to stop and call your OB-GYN or midwife:
Bleeding, dizziness, shortness of breath before beginning exercise, chest pain, headache, sudden muscle weakness, calf pain/swelling, contractions or leaking of vaginal fluids…
Signs to chill out and call your obstetrics trained physiotherapist:
Desire to learn how to adjust for your growing bod, pain, leaking, bulging/doming of your belly without a sense of how to manage it…
Take a look at ACOG’s Guidelines for Exercise During Pregnancy FAQ’s for more information.
I’m here for you. Please reach out if you have questions about how to modify your activity to meet your needs as you grow.
