Listen to your body during your pregnancy exercise program, not your heart rate. Know your RPE.

If you are an avid exerciser, or not, you may have heard of the "heart rate zones." You know that magical zone where your body is burning nothing but fat. Well good news ladies, now that you are pregnant, you can forget all about those zones and start listening to your body.

In the past the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) would recommend keeping your heart rate below 140 beats per minute. With the help of further research, in 2002 the ACOG Guidlines for Exercise recognized that every women is different and that it was not the actual heart rate value that was the potential problem, it was the level of intensity. So now they recommended a moderate level of pregnancy exercise intensity.

This is where the fun begins. I would like to introduce to you the, Rateing of Percieved Exertion or RPE scale. This is where you identify your own personal level of intensity during exercise.

The Borg RPE 10 point scale is as follows:

0 - nothing at all

1 - very light

2 - light

3 - moderate

4 - somewhat heavy

5 - heavy

6 -

7 - very heavy

8 -

9 -

10 - very, very heavy

The experts now recommend a RPE around a 4 to 8 during your exercise routine in pregnancy. The beauty of this is you can rate your intensity level during cardio, weight training, yoga or any other forms of pregnancy exercise. You should be able to talk to someone during exercise. Again, your exercise during pregnancy should be a moderate level for you.

Now, your current fitness level and exercise history will have a direct influence on your perception of intensity. The great thing about this is everyone can use it. You can find your own personal RPE level so you and your baby continue to receive the benefits of exercise during pregnancy.

So when you are working out with your friend or a Orange County personal trainer, think about your RPE.

Please view Fitness4baby's Guide to Pregnancy Fitness for all your pregnancy fitness needs.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to add them or contact us directly.

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