First myth Debunked!

This leads me to my First myth debunked!  Don’t let your heart rate get above 140 beats per minute! Again I remind you, do your own research. Do not take my word for it. This makes sense to me, but it might not to you.

Anyhow I found this article ...interesting reading

I actualy managed to find a legit professinal opinion-from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), no less- that rebukes it. Even better , the opinion came from one of the doctors originally involved in the development of the said guideline. Interesting...

First little bit of history about how it came to be believed that pregnant women should not allow their heart rate to exceed 140 beats per minute during exercise:

Back in the early 80's, when target heart rates were the gold standard for measuring exertion during exercise, Dr. Raul Artal and a group of his colleagues from the ACOG developed a vidoe on exercise during pregnancy. "We had to come up with a guideline in a short period of time," said Dr. Artal. "Nobody had any data on pregnancy so we guesstimated. There is no science to support this." In 1994, The ACOG quietly removed this recommenbdtaion from their updated guidelines for pregnancy exercise, and in 2002 they publicily rescinded it. So there you have it folks. Sadly, the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada is still proliferating recommendations based on a mere "guesstimate" that is now nmore than 7 years out of date. In their 2003 Joint Practice Guideline, Exercise in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period, thy suggest a target heart rate varying between 120-155 beats per minute, depending on maternal age. Their rationale? "There is a n increase of 10 to 15 beats per minute in resting heart rate in pregnancy. However, at maximal exercise levels, there is a blunted heart rate response as compared to the non-pregnant state."

Of course, an increased heart rate during exercise is an essential and desirable physiological response that allows the body to deliver greater quantities of oxygen-rich blood to its tissues. I extrapolate then, that the real concern about a blunted heart rate response is in fact a concern about a potential shortage of oxygen to the developing fetus. But notice that this blunted heart rate response occurs at maximal exercise levels, which the average woman never approaches.

So, how is a woman to gauge a sfae level of intensity for exercise during pregnancy? Newer guidelines suggest using the Rate of Percieved Exertion (RPE) scal, and aiming for "moderate to hard" exertion (4-6 on the 10 point scale, and 12-14 on the 20 point Borg scale).

An even easier way to think of it is that you should be working at least hard enough that you arent able to sing, but not so hard that your too winded to speak a few words.

So here a few suggestions for how to still get in a decent workout that I’ve been trying to use.

• Maintain a pace where you can still speak a few words at a time. Try to keep in mind that if you're struggling for air chances are so is your precious cargo.
• Stop the clock. Don't aim to do a workout in a set time. Don't go for Pb's. Just do the workout in whatever time it takes. No stress. Be happy that your doing something. Your in the miniority of the pregnant population.
• Rest when ever you need to. If need be force yourself to take frequent sips between rounds. Thats i what i do to keep reminding myself. Really important as it gets warmer.
• Listen to your body. Everyday is different. One day you'll feel unstoppable the next you'll have trouble tearing yourself off the couch. Don't beat yourself up and don't try to do what you think you should be able to. Been there and its no fun and really no use.
• Leave the heart rate monitor at home