**Updated to reflect 2015 tools**
When you're an active pregnant woman, knowing your heart rate is a key component to working out safely throughout pregnancy.
About ten years ago, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) used to advise pregnant women against elevating the heart rate above 140 beats per minute during pregnancy. In fact, some doctors (my own included), still adhere to this advice. Since that time, however, ACOG has officially shifted away from a defined heart rate, and now recommends the perceived exertion rate as a gauge of a pregnant woman's heart rate during exercise. On a scale of 1-10, pregnant ladies should be in the 5 to 8 range during pregnancy work outs, and never to the point of exhaustion. The adjustment was made to acknowledge that everyone has a different fitness level, and subsequently, a different resting heart rate.
That said, the PER is subjective. If you're not a workout fiend, you may perceive yourself to be very exerted after very little effort. In turn you shy away from putting forth the effort required to reap the benefits of an effective cardio workout, which you should strive to accomplish on most days, for at least 30 minutes. How you spend that time is of course up to you, but it can include brisk walking, running, spinning, the elliptical machine, the rowing machine, or swimming.
By the same token, pregnant moms whose pre-pregnancy lives involved endurance sports like marathon running or distance cycling or swimming are trained to beat fatigue against all odds. Though their heart rate may actually be above an optimal level for pregnancy, they may perceive themselves to be less exerted than they actually are.
For this reason, I recommend a heart rate monitor to pregnant women of all fitness levels, whether you take advantage of an app by way of your smartphone, or a wearable, like the FitBit Charge. It allows you to customize the heart rate reading based on your trimester in pregnancy, and is also a great way to track just how "active" of a day you've had, by steps, stairs, and calories.
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When you're an active pregnant woman, knowing your heart rate is a key component to working out safely throughout pregnancy.
About ten years ago, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) used to advise pregnant women against elevating the heart rate above 140 beats per minute during pregnancy. In fact, some doctors (my own included), still adhere to this advice. Since that time, however, ACOG has officially shifted away from a defined heart rate, and now recommends the perceived exertion rate as a gauge of a pregnant woman's heart rate during exercise. On a scale of 1-10, pregnant ladies should be in the 5 to 8 range during pregnancy work outs, and never to the point of exhaustion. The adjustment was made to acknowledge that everyone has a different fitness level, and subsequently, a different resting heart rate.
That said, the PER is subjective. If you're not a workout fiend, you may perceive yourself to be very exerted after very little effort. In turn you shy away from putting forth the effort required to reap the benefits of an effective cardio workout, which you should strive to accomplish on most days, for at least 30 minutes. How you spend that time is of course up to you, but it can include brisk walking, running, spinning, the elliptical machine, the rowing machine, or swimming.
By the same token, pregnant moms whose pre-pregnancy lives involved endurance sports like marathon running or distance cycling or swimming are trained to beat fatigue against all odds. Though their heart rate may actually be above an optimal level for pregnancy, they may perceive themselves to be less exerted than they actually are.
For this reason, I recommend a heart rate monitor to pregnant women of all fitness levels, whether you take advantage of an app by way of your smartphone, or a wearable, like the FitBit Charge. It allows you to customize the heart rate reading based on your trimester in pregnancy, and is also a great way to track just how "active" of a day you've had, by steps, stairs, and calories.
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Prenatal exercise for a placental boost
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Exercising in the heat while pregnant