Check your heart rate!

At my last OBGYN appointment, my Dr. told me that I needed to keep my heart rate under 140 beats per minute (bpm). At first I balked at this new requirement because I thought it was old and basically an old wives tale. But then I remembered that when you exercise, especially exercise intensely, the blood is pulled away from your core to your legs or other engaged extremities. Therefore, I suppose it does make sense that if you exercise regularly and intensely, you might want to watch your heart rate so that your baby and inner workings of your pregnancy are not left bloodless/oxegyn-less.


If you are used to checking your heart rate, whether when exercising or just for fun, you might have noticed that since you've been pregnant your heart rate is significantly faster than it was pre-pregnancy. In fact, my own resting heart rate used to be a cool 46 bpm and now it's up to 70! Needless to say, getting up to 140 bpm now doesn't required a sprint, in fact, it might just happen when quickly walking up a hill. Therefore, a heart rate monitor is a great investment for the active pregnant woman.


I just got mine in the mail. I ordered the black Polar F4 from amazon.com (pictured above). It is a Polar F4 and is totally easy. I bought it for $69 but it retails for $99...and I got free shipping...hurray for Amazon!

It's super easy to set up if you follow the instructions. You wear a strap around your chest (right below your bra) and the strap sends the signal to the watch unit. This particular model reads your heart rate continuously plus measures your calorie burn based on your height, weight, gender and energy expenditure (heart rate). It's a nifty little tool that I have been wearing when I go on walks, teach fitness classes and lift weights.


Please note that doctors have different opinions on how exercise should be handled while your pregnant. My Dr. has insisted that I keep my heart rate below 140 bpm because of how often I'm active. Others will say that heart rate doesn't matter. So do what your Dr. tells you to do; they know best! :)