Ok so when I was trying to figure out if I could play soccer while still in the early days of pregnancy, I read all kinds of conflicting things. Some said that it was okay to continue any form of exercise you were doing before pregnancy, as long as you felt comfortable doing it. Others said that it was too risky because it's a contact sport, and who knows what could happen... okay, fair enough. Then there was all this controversy about getting your heart rate up to high, or your body overheating. Ok well finally I decided I was good to play as long as I felt up to it, and I was a little extra cautious going in to tackles and things like that. And after I finished the season, I felt proud of myself that I made it all the way through!
Ok so now, at 14 weeks pregnant, I know there is potential for serious weight gain in the future, which is totally expected, BUT, I want to make sure I'm staying healthy and active and in decent shape. So I did a little reading, to find out some good exercises and activities to do while pregnant... seems like yoga is pretty popular, but there is no way I'm doing that. I'm not a yoga person, AT ALL. Swimming was another one, but I don't even know where there is a pool nearby, and I don't want to pay for it. All other forms of exercise require a gym membership, which we just can't really afford at the moment.
Ok so, what's left? Running and walking. After a little internet research, I found some info about how you shouldn't let your heart rate get too high while exercising. Something about 140 or 150 beats per minute. Ok sure, no problem. A long time ago when I was super serious about my fitness, I used to run with a heart rate monitor, and I knew my resting heart rate, my max, and would work out in certain heart rate zones. WELL, today I went for a run with Mark with the heart rate monitor strapped on, just to see. Well my heart rate was 110 before I even walked out the door. Uh oh. Within minutes of jogging s-l-o-w-l-y I was up to 145...150...155...160.... ummmm. By the time we got to the first hill, my heart rate shot up to 180, and Mark was able to walk, that's how slowly I was jogging. Hmmmm. Then we went to kick a soccer ball around, a fairly light activity, and my heart rate was about 140-160 the entire time. So much for this 14o max heart rate while pregnant. That's basically going to be a fast walk. So I guess that's why people have yoga as their pregnancy exercise of choice. Luckily for me, there are plenty of people that say that max of 140 rule is old and that "over 70 studies show there is clearly NO evidence to suggest that you shouldn't get your heart rate over 140." Nice. Otherwise, looks like I would not be exercising for the next 6 months, and that can just not happen. Oh well, slow jogs will be my friend for a while... very, very slow.
Ok so now, at 14 weeks pregnant, I know there is potential for serious weight gain in the future, which is totally expected, BUT, I want to make sure I'm staying healthy and active and in decent shape. So I did a little reading, to find out some good exercises and activities to do while pregnant... seems like yoga is pretty popular, but there is no way I'm doing that. I'm not a yoga person, AT ALL. Swimming was another one, but I don't even know where there is a pool nearby, and I don't want to pay for it. All other forms of exercise require a gym membership, which we just can't really afford at the moment.
Ok so, what's left? Running and walking. After a little internet research, I found some info about how you shouldn't let your heart rate get too high while exercising. Something about 140 or 150 beats per minute. Ok sure, no problem. A long time ago when I was super serious about my fitness, I used to run with a heart rate monitor, and I knew my resting heart rate, my max, and would work out in certain heart rate zones. WELL, today I went for a run with Mark with the heart rate monitor strapped on, just to see. Well my heart rate was 110 before I even walked out the door. Uh oh. Within minutes of jogging s-l-o-w-l-y I was up to 145...150...155...160.... ummmm. By the time we got to the first hill, my heart rate shot up to 180, and Mark was able to walk, that's how slowly I was jogging. Hmmmm. Then we went to kick a soccer ball around, a fairly light activity, and my heart rate was about 140-160 the entire time. So much for this 14o max heart rate while pregnant. That's basically going to be a fast walk. So I guess that's why people have yoga as their pregnancy exercise of choice. Luckily for me, there are plenty of people that say that max of 140 rule is old and that "over 70 studies show there is clearly NO evidence to suggest that you shouldn't get your heart rate over 140." Nice. Otherwise, looks like I would not be exercising for the next 6 months, and that can just not happen. Oh well, slow jogs will be my friend for a while... very, very slow.
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