Is an hour of brisk walking good exercise for a

You had a question about exercise during pregnancy, and you wanted to know if brisk walking outdoors is considered moderately intense exercise. The American Heart Association recommends that people of all ages (and pregnant or not) get about 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise on most days of the week, or about 25 minutes of vigorous exercise on at least 3 days of the week – and sometimes you can combine the two. So during pregnancy, it’s no exception – you should still be exercising unless your doctor has told you otherwise. And really, studies have shown that in uncomplicated pregnancies, the risks of exercising are very minimal, but the benefits are huge for you and your baby.

So when you’re talking about activities that are moderately intense versus vigorous, you can use a scale called the rating of perceived exertion, or RPE. And basically, this is a scale form 0 to 20, and 20 is like the most intense activity you could do – your heart rate is really high, you’re breathing hard, you’re sweating a lot, and your muscles feel really tired. So think about what you’re doing, and a moderately intense activity would be like an 11 to 14 on that scale. And a vigorous activity would be like 17 to 19 or 20. So it’s all about how you feel when you’re doing it. And it’s a very subjective scale, because people are at different stages in life. Age may affect your ability to exercise, and it also affects what your target heart rate would be. Your overall fitness level will also play into it, and so while you’re performing the activity, see how you feel while you’re doing it, and if it’s in that 11 to 14 range, then it’s a moderately intense activity, and so brisk walking could definitely qualify as that.

If (at any time while you’re exercising) you start to cramp or bleed, stop what you’re doing and let your doctor know. Or if you have any questions about what types of activities are appropriate for you during pregnancy, talk with your OB provider. And if you have more questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/IntermountainMoms, and recommend us to your friends and family too.

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