exercise tolerance as pregnancy progresses

[Anonymous]

I'm 20 weeks along and hoping to continue my usual exercise routine through this pregnancy. I'm noticing that my heart rate is going up more easily and I'm getting winded more easily. Will this get a lot more pronounced? Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.

[Anonymous]

I was able to run until about 26 weeks, and then it just got to hard. I was hot, out of breath, and started to feel crampy. Because of feel so uncomfortable, the only way I can feel like I can actually get a good workout now is swimming.

[Anonymous]

Your baby is making extra demands on your circulatory system, it's completely normal to have a lower fitness threshold at this point. Don't push past where it's comfortable. I pretty much stopped being able to exercise 'regularly' after 30 weeks. Everything I do now is more focused on staying limber and not injuring myself! Cardio is pretty much unnecessary because my heartrate gets going just walking up the stairs in my house "Swimming" (more like floating/stretching/easy breastroke), pelvic floor excercises, easy walks, and some very easy yoga moves.

[Anonymous]

I had to cut back on my cardio and strength training exercises at 30 weeks. It just go too difficult. Listen to your body and if exercise is becoming too hard modify or switch to a different routine.

I really love Jennifer Gianni's Fusion Pilates for Pregnancy, it is really great for keeping limber and helping to avoid/eliminate pregnancy aches and pains.

[Anonymous]

I did the elliptical every work day while I was pregnant both times. I gradually had to lower the level as my pregnancies progressed, but was still able to manage at least 30 minutes/day Monday-Friday. And I walked into work. I did get slower, sure, but was definitely still up for the exercise. I think the research re: increased heart rate is outdated. I believe (according to my OB and midwives) that the concern is curtailing exercise that elevates your core temperature or, obviously, one that puts you in pain.

[sybersus]

I still exercise regularly, but I've really cut down on what I do. Whereas before I could do a level 8 on the elliptical, now I'm down to a five, and I'm sure by the time the baby comes I'll be lucky to not be in negative level territory! I also do a lot of walking but have to move much more slowly, especially up hills. My friend couldn't believe that I was winded walking slowly on a hill on 19th street the other day, as I used to run that hill with her, but c'est la vie. I think exercise remains important throughout the pregnancy in order to prepare for labor, but it doesn't take much to get my heart-rate up these days.

[Anonymous]

I found I hit a second wind, so to speak, around 6-7 months. Maybe it was just because it finally cooled off then. But I did some of my best (pregnancy) running in the early 3rd tri.

[Anonymous]

My endurance stayed high, but my power/speed diminished a lot. I was only a casual runner pre-pg, and pretty much gave it up by 20 weeks. However, I walked instead, an hour a day all the way until 42w. Also, I found that I HATED going up stairs, even slowly. Walking up an incline, fine (slooooowly), but having to haul my suddenly-huger self up steps exhausted me, so I became that annoying person who takes the elevator one floor.

[Anonymous]

I didn't have issues with heart rate speeding up. I did have issues with gaining too much weight (54 lbs on a 140-lb frame) and feeling like a giant whale. For me, my running tapered off a lot in the late 7th/early 8th month due to feeling too much pressure on my bladder and having to pee every 10 minutes. Before that, I ran pretty well. My weight-lifting didn't really change during the pregnancy; neither did my cardio on the arc trainer/elliptical. I had to switch from a very intense power yoga class in my 7th month, and then stopped yoga altogether (and stopped running at all) early in the 9th month.

if you can keep exercising throughout the pregnancy, though, you'll be happier in the long run. I was able to pick up all my activities pretty easily after I gave birth, and I lost the weight pretty quickly afterward.

[Anonymous]

I am 21 weeks. I haven't noticed any heart rate changes but I find that I get exhausted/sore more quickly. I think part of it is that I work out after work. On the weekend I don't seem to have the exhaustion issues. I figure as long as I am moving it is still better than sitting on the couch eating potato chips ha ha

[Anonymous]

Keep exercising -- you will be happy you did at the delivery. I exercised everyday with #1 and I only pushed for 15 minutes (9 pound baby!). Drs. think this is b/c of my exercise regimine.

[Anonymous]

Keep exercising - definitely! I found that it took me longer to warm up as I got further along, but I could still do (for the most part) what I wanted. You do have to listen to your body, but staying active is so worth the effort. Makes the post-partum period much more manageable.

[Anonymous]

Your HR response to aerobic exercise is normal.
At 20 weeks gestation the placenta stops growing. This means that its ability to transfer oxygen is capped. When you engage in aerobic activity, your baby's HR also increases, and needs more oxygen too, so your heart must work that much harder to meet this increased demand. So not only does your HR increase for any given exercise intensity, but your level of perceived exertion increases too. As your baby gets bigger, you'll find that your rate of perceived exertion for all your activities will increase.
Some women can continue with strenuous aerobic exercise in the latter half of pregnancy without over doing it, while other women need to lower the intensity of their workouts sooner. In order to make sure that your baby always has enough oxygen, and that you do not over-stress your own body, always stay in a moderate training zone. This means that your level of perceived exertion will never go beyond what you feel is "somewhat difficult." Never get to the the point of panting, or where you can not hold a normal conversation while exercising.
Many women find that by the last trimester, that fitness walking, rather than jogging, is best.
BeFit-Mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your HR response to aerobic exercise is normal.
At 20 weeks gestation the placenta stops growing. This means that its ability to transfer oxygen is capped. When you engage in aerobic activity, your baby's HR also increases, and needs more oxygen too, so your heart must work that much harder to meet this increased demand. So not only does your HR increase for any given exercise intensity, but your level of perceived exertion increases too. As your baby gets bigger, you'll find that your rate of perceived exertion for all your activities will increase.
Some women can continue with strenuous aerobic exercise in the latter half of pregnancy without over doing it, while other women need to lower the intensity of their workouts sooner. In order to make sure that your baby always has enough oxygen, and that you do not over-stress your own body, always stay in a moderate training zone. This means that your level of perceived exertion will never go beyond what you feel is "somewhat difficult." Never get to the the point of panting, or where you can not hold a normal conversation while exercising.
Many women find that by the last trimester, that fitness walking, rather than jogging, is best.
BeFit-Mom

That's what 3 different OBs told me. All of them said to keep HR below 140. I got a monitor and was surprised at how easily it went up when expecting.

[Anonymous]

I think this is one of those issues that varies so much from one woman to the next that it's extraordinarily difficult to generalize. Heart rate has been less of an issue for me, but round ligament pain put an end to running/rigorous walking early on and, more recently, the awkward position of my big baby in my little body + heartburn has made most of my usual yoga routine impossible too. Like others, I focus on stretching, the few calisthenics/weight exercises I can still manage, and relaxed swimming. Mostly, I just try to keep moving every day. Good luck!