The New York City marathon is over, but the debate about exercise and pregnancy most certainly is not. When Paula Radcliffe, the British distance runner who holds the world record in the women’s marathon, crossed the finish line on November 4th for the win—nine months after giving birth to her son—people started talking. Numerous articles have since appeared in various journals, including a few in The New York Times, discussing the ongoing debate: how much is too much when it comes to exercise and pregnancy? Obviously, Paula continued to run during her pregnancy and transitioned into training mode just days after giving birth.

My babies are young adults now, but I recall that uniquely special time period when I was pregnant as though it were yesterday. It was an exciting experience and like many expecting moms, I happily responded to my cravings and listened to the signals my body was giving me (none of which called for running a marathon within a year!). For instance, when my fist daughter, Katie, was in my belly, I got the strongest craving for classic BLTs (bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches). While this might not seem strange to you, I hadn’t eaten bacon in 15 years! I could sit down and eat not one but two BLTs at a single meal. My doctor assured me that the craving was normal, and perhaps I needed a little more salt in my diet. (After Katie was born, this hankering vanished.)

Pregnancy should be a time for nourishment and nurturing yourself, but this doesn’t mean you should give up exercise entirely and avoid paying attention to your diet. Much to the contrary, it should be a time when you do what you can to focus on high-quality foods (yes, I give you permission to respond to those cravings), and maintain at least some fitness routine that feels comfortable for you. And that’s the key: do what feels best for you. Unlike other areas in the OB field, exercise and pregnancy is still a largely understudied field, and unfortunately the guidelines given to moms-to-be are very general, and don’t take into consideration the huge cross-section of women’s physical abilities.

Even though Paula Radcliffe appears to have tested her body’s limits, remember that she’s an elite athlete with years of experience as a runner. As such, she was probably careful about staying very much in tune with her body during—and after—her pregnancy. In the future, we may learn more about exactly what those limits are for pregnant women. But even then, the guidelines will be general and each woman will have to be her own decision-maker (as it should be). The point is, there’s something to be said for continuing to take care of your body as you would normally. You just have to make the necessary modifications to meet your (literally) growing needs. I cycled through the vineyards of France while pregnant with Katie, but she let me know when it was time to rest.

Plenty of anecdotal evidence shows that fit moms-to-be tend to fare better than their unfit counterparts during pregnancy. They have more energy, gain less weight overall, and reduce their risk for complications like gestational diabetes. If you need some help in choosing a safe exercise program or to mix up your current regimen, try my Pregnancy Workout program. It will give you a complete pre-natal and post-natal routine that will keep your body up to speed—and ready to be a busy mom. You can also add in a basic walking program (try my LeanWalk System or Walking Easy Workout). The real payoff? If you keep up with a program like this, you’ll see your own body come back into shape once your new bundle of joy has arrived!

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