So, last night at CF, I made the mistake of saying my doctor suggested I not let my heart rate get over 140. BIG mistake! There are a couple of doctors that go to my gym, and well...they are trying to help. I know this! They are my friends! They are concerned for my safety and the safety of my baby. One of my friends that is currently in medical school - actually I think he's a resident - said "You should buy a heart rate monitor. If your doctor says 140, then you need to do what your doctor tells you!" I didn't have the heart to tell him that I think that most (NOT all!) doctors are motivated more by money than concern for my well-being. (Sorry doctor friends....just my opinion...not ALL doctors are like that.)
So I got to thinking this morning. And I started to doubt myself! I started to doubt everything I had read and everyone I had gotten advice from. Even after all of the other research I have done, it never crossed my mind to get to the bottom of this "heart rate not the exceed 140" stuff. The first time I ever even heard it, I thought it was crap. Why 140!? What happens if it gets to be 141? What about 145? I mean, heck, the last time I did Fran at max capacity, there is NO TELLING what my heart rate got up to. (Pre-pregnancy, mind you.) I mean, if I walk briskly through the mall, I could get to 140. And one time at the beginning of my pregnancy, in the middle of the night, my heartrate got over 120 - AND I WAS SLEEPING! (That is another story for another day)
But, as I said above, I got to thinking...and doubting...and I thought "well maybe he's right...." So I did a little research this morning, and like my gut told me, I am correct! There is absolutely no scientific evidence supporting the "fact" that pregnant women should not let their heart rate exceed 140 bpm, Here is an exerpt from a published article by ACOG, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology:
"Dr. Artal urged his colleagues to drop, once and for all, the notion that a pregnant woman's maximal heart rate should not go above 140 beats per minute. This widely circulated idea originally appeared in a 1984 ACOG-produced video developed by Dr. Artal and several other ob.gyns. interested in exercise. The ACOG guidelines of 1994 did not mention this idea.
" 'There is no science to support this,' he said, explaining that the idea came out of the fact that target heart rates were commonly used when speaking about exercise in nonpregnant women. 'We had to come up with a guideline in a short period of time. Nobody had data on pregnancy so we guesstimated.' "
See article below if you're interested in reading the entire version.
I really appreciate everyone's concern and suggestions. I really do. There are so many things to learn about being pregnant! It's all very overwhelming...but I sometimes feel judged, you know? I promise, I am not doing anything to harm my baby. I would never put crossfit or my fitness over the well-being of my child. And the thing is, my body will tell me what to do. So far, it hasn't failed me yet. I will continue listening...to my inner voice and to suggestions of my friends (I just might do a little research first). :)
Erik L. Goldman "ACOG releases new guidelines on exercise: 30 minutes per day in pregnancy". OB/GYN News. FindArticles.com. 31 Jan, 2009. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYD/is_2_37/ai_82393730
Oh yeah....and an update from yesterday: I won the Paleo one-day challenge. Ha! I think I'm going to make it a 30 day challenge! Wonder what I can win after 30 days if I won a massage after the one day challenge.....hm....
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