Myths of Pregnancy and Fitness

It's funny how often I hear old myths of fitness and pregnancy that never seem to go away. Some of them come from well meaning grandmothers-to-be and mothers-in-law who really shouldn't be giving fitness advice. Others come from doctors who need to stick to medical advice or update their fitness knowledge; or better yet, make a referral to a qualified fitness professional. (Many doctors do give up-to-date fitness and preganancy advice, but some don't.)

I'm going to lay out each myth and then the reality of pregnancy and fitness.

MYTH: You're eating for two.
REALITY: You're eating for 1.2. Only an extra 300 calories are required to support the nutrition needs of a growing fetus. Pregnancy is no license to overeat and proper nutrition could never be more important.

MYTH: Keep your heart rate under 140 beats per minute.
REALITY: Listen to your body. There are too many variables in each person to accurately lay out a single limit for heart rate. For some 140 bpm is too intense for others, it isn't tough enough. Clothing is made in many sizes for a reason.

MYTH: Exercising intensely (or at all) will harm the fetus.
REALITY: The only thing that will harm the fetus while exercising is over-heating. So if you wear cool, comfortable clothing, drink plenty of water, and exercise in an appropriate temperature environment, there's no problem. Your body temp. is about a half a degree higher during the pregnancy, and water keeps it cooler. Drink about 6-8 ounces every 15 minutes during exercise.

MYTH: Never lie on your back to exercise.
REALITY: Everyone is different (this is a common response to many exercise and fitness myths). The risk is that while on your back, the fetus will roll onto the inferior vena cava and as a result limit or prevent blood from returning from your lower extremities. This is a big problem for some people, no problem for others, and for some, is only a problem if they stay in the position for too long. Listen to your body, and you can't go wrong.

MYTH: You shouldn't exercise while pregnant.
REALITY: If this were true, humans would be extinct by now. It's only in recent human history that we've been so cozy and comfortable that we can get away with pampering ourselves for 9 months. During the first tri-mester, there's not much you need to modify. However, due to morning sickness, you may not feel like it. In the second tri-mester, that's when modifications begin and should best be done under the guidance of a qualified fitness professional (male or her female) skilled in handling pregnancy training.

Recommended reading for further info:
"Exercising Through Your Pregnancy" by James Clapp (This is probably THE definitive book on exercise and pregnancy. Dr. Clapp is a workhorse of research)
"Exercising After Pregnancy" by Helene Byrne

One last thing: Please be kind to yourself. We've all heard stories of women who have run marathons two days before/after delivering a baby. :) Seriously, please don't put pressure on yourself to be a superhero immediately after delivering. Everyone is different - and this also applies to each individuals ability to physically recover from a pregnancy. This is a major physical alteration of normal and everyone experiences pregnancy differently and bounces back afterwards differently. And, you can't have four kids and have the exact same body you had before. Be realistic and fair in what you expect from yourself.

Jonathan Ross
National Body Challenge Fitness Expert
www.AionFitness.com
http://blogs.discovery.com/jonathan_ross/
Everyday Fitness Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Everyday-Fitness-with-Jonathan-Ros s/58299828177?ref=ts

By Kasper10779
Posted June 8, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Report post

Thank you, Jonathan!! While I am not a fitness pro, I have been spouting that very information to anyone who will listen, right down to the extinct part, lol. My sister took it to heart when the doctor told her to not lift anything heavy, and gained so much weight her toes looked like stuffed sausages. While I am not pregnant at this time, I do know that I refuse to be a blob once I am.

By grigsbymomof2
Posted June 8, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Report post

lol... I know most of all of this i was told to excercise from my dr's and only eat when your hungry. Don't think your eating for two... I just ahd my second and exercised 5 days a week up to pre labour and did fine. My sister in law says her fat but can't even go to the grocery store... lol but she's a lazy person so that is expected but her mother who i walked 4 miles a day / until i was 30 wks believe's the idiot. She has already went from a size large to 1x in maternity clothes bc of her eating for two theory... But some like to use that for excuses........ And I just ahd my second kid and after each pregnancy at about 6 months post i got my body back from working out....

By animalnut26
Posted July 11, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Report post

I just did two triathlons - the last at 5 1/2 months. I wear a heart monitor, slow my usual pace and make sure to stay hydrated. My Dr says as long as I feel good, I was ok to race. Of course I was very careful to go slower. Now I am a little more uncomfortable, the bike is awkward and running hurts the bladder, but I can still swim, jog a little and speed walk. I want to be an active mom, so I want to keep in shape during pregnancy as much as possible.

By arandis
Posted October 5, 2009 at 1:52 am
Report post

Thanks Jonathan for clearing up the pregnancy myths. I had my son early, 33 1/2 weeks about 3 years ago.
I was exercising throughout, ellipitical, spinning and pilates.
I am now 34 weeks pregnant with my second child, am almost 41 years old. Anyway, I was told my my OB, to refrain from exercise to prevent a premature delivery. I've been only doing Yoga, light elliptical and taking an Aquatic class and wearing a heart rate monitor. What are your thoughts on going against the doctor's orders?

By JonathanRoss
Posted October 5, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Report post

I certainly can't say yes/no when it comes to going against doctors orders. When doctors are in their field of expertise (medicine), I have to defer to them. But when they try to dispense exercise advice, they are just as outside their scope of practice as I would were I to provide medical advice.

Exercise program design is not a formal part of medical education so beyond a general knowledge of the benefits of exercise, unless a doctor takes the time to learn the finer points, they will be ill-equipped to speak to the topic of exercise.

When a client of mine has a medical question, I refer them to a doctor. Similarly, when a patient of a doctor has an exercise question, they should refer to a competent exercise professional. But this rarely happens for a number of reasons beyond the scope of this reply.

So to summarize, I'd ask your doctor a lot of questions about their knowledge of exercise and if they have educated themselves in that area and have current, up-to-date guidance (especially in relation to pregnancy which is a rapidly changing area of exercise recommendations) then follow what they say. However, if you hear many of the myths above, it's a safe bet that you can put their advice in it's appropriate place - standard textbook recommendations that have little bearing on your unique situation.

Good luck to you!

Jonathan Ross
National Body Challenge Fitness Expert
www.AionFitness.com
http://blogs.discovery.com/jonathan_ross/
Everyday Fitness Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Everyday-Fitness-with-Jonathan-Ros s/58299828177?ref=ts

By arandis
Posted October 6, 2009 at 8:36 am
Report post

Thanks for your prompt response, Jonathan. At this time, I won't "push" myself as I always have and do what feels right to me. I find that even light exercise enables me to sleep better in the evenings. When I was on the elliptical this weekend, I felt a bit "winded" and slowed down. The Aquatics class that I take is basically how much one puts into it and seems to be working for me. I have also signed up for a Prenatal Yoga class once a week.

Welcome to Inspire!

Explore topics in this journal entry and replies:

7 replies

Add to the discussion

You