A little off my normal topics ...

I exercised close to a pregnant woman today. I say "close to" because I was right next to her, and could hear her conversation with her friend, and could even join in, except that the one time I tried I was clearly rebuffed.

(Mind you, I rarely, ever, initiate conversation with strangers. She failed to realize what a gift she was being given.)

Said pregnant woman made a big deal out of exercising. She very loudly checked her heart rate every five minutes, to make sure she was not exceeding 140 bpm. She worked out for maybe 20 minutes, and topped it off with a brisk explanation to her friend about how dangerous it would be to do any abs work.

Years ago the ACOG had some truly terrible guidelines for exercise in pregnancy. This woman was following them faithfully. I still find these guidelines in pregnancy books, classes, and in the information pregnant women get from their OBs. The problem is that the guidelines have changed! In fact, I think they changed in 1994. I didn't know they had changed until 2000. And apparently, many women, and OBs, still have no idea.

If you're pregnant, or are going to become pregnant, please click on the link above and familiarize yourself with the new guidelines. The old guidelines approached pregnant exercise very cautiously, even grudgingly, afraid that we delicate pregnant women would break. The new guidelines have a much better understanding of the fact that exercise is a good thing. You don't have to keep your heart rate under 140 bpm. You have to not overdo it, and not be stupid. But pregnancy is not an illness (for most of us), and exercise is good. If you are pregnant, please exercise! You will have a better pregnancy, and a healthier baby.

By the way, you also do not need to shy away from abdominal exercises when you are pregnant. Strong abs will help you to carry the baby more comfortably. You won't be able to lie on your back and do crunches, but there are many, many other options. You can find some ideas here, You can also do modified crunches on an exercise ball. (Ask your midwife or doctor if you have a diastasis; if you do, you'll need to modify your abs exercises even more than normal.)

Don't be afraid! Instead of doing something dangerous, you are doing something healthy and beneficial for you and your baby. If your OB is overcautious about exercising, ask him about the new guidelines. Maybe he didn't get the memo.