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A Perfectly Fit Pregnancy

Staying Fit the Safe Way

By Teri Brown

Chipko warns that studies have shown that excessive exercise could be harmful and compromise fetal well-being. He also strongly suggests that no pregnant woman begin an exercise program without a medical evaluation.

"Exercise should consist of moderate intensity physical activity," says Chipko. "Appropriate activities include walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics and jogging. Intensity of exercise should be moderate, which means your heart rate should be below 150 beats per minute. Exercise sessions should be restricted to less than 30 minutes, three times per week. In general, pregnancy calls for moderate, sensible levels of exercise. High intensity, competitive exercise may do damage to the fetus as well as increase the risk of injury to the mother."

Chipko also says it's important for the breasts to be supported during exercise. "During running, the movement of unsupported breasts against the chest creates between 50 to 100 pounds of force," he says. "Prolonged periods of training without adequate breast support could result in inflamed nipples and eventually lead to sagging breast tissue."

Dr. Michael A. Schwartz, an orthopedics and sports medicine specialist, says women should not be anxious about exercise during pregnancy as long as they use common sense and listen to their bodies. It's especially important that they do not allow themselves to become overheated.

"To prevent overheating, women should take frequent breaks, drink plenty of fluids and, most importantly, avoid running in extremely hot weather," says Dr. Schwartz. Also, it's important not to exercise to the point of exhaustion, as this could jeopardize the amount of oxygen being delivered to the fetus, according to Dr. Schwartz.

Experts believe there is some evidence that an elevated maternal temperature of higher than 102 degrees F for even brief periods of time can lead to fetal distress with any type of fitness routine, so it's important that expectant mothers monitor their temperatures faithfully during exercise. This is one of the reasons swimming is such a good sport for moms-to-be: It's low impact and keeps your body temperature down.

Another risk many women don't take into consideration is the change in their center of gravity, which increases the risk of falling while running, jogging or walking. This is one reason why sports, such as skiing and horseback riding, should be avoided, even by experts.

"Any contact sports or other activities with higher injury potential should be avoided during pregnancy," says Dr. Schwartz. "Even the most expert skier is at potential risk for injury, as often these injuries occur secondary to other, usually more careless, skiers or snowboarders on the slopes."

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• Talk about it!