If you are used to exercising then should you stop when you become pregnant? What about starting a new exercise routine during pregnancy?

After good medical care and a healthy diet, exercise during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby. However, it is important you consider your changing shape and body functioning to ensure that you can exercise safely throughout your pregnancy.

You won't be able to exercise as intensely as you could before you became pregnant but you will be able to maintain your level of fitness and improve your wellbeing during pregnancy with regular exercise.

Certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure or a history of miscarriage are contraindications for exercise, but most healthy women, under the direction of their doctor or health care provider, can exercise throughout the whole of their pregnancy right up to the time of labour.

If you are concerned about how hard you should be working out or performing an exercise routine, you can follow the advice provided by medical professionals who advise that pregnant women exercise at a heart rate no higher than 140 beats per minute.

To easily take your own heart rate, place your fingers over one of your arteries at any point where the artery comes close to the surface of your skin, such as your wrist, neck, or upper arm. You will feel your pulse beating and can then count the number of beats over a 10 second period. When the 10 seconds is up multiply the number of beats by six to get your number of beats per minute.

Measure your heart rate once during exercise and adjust your intensity accordingly if you are training over the 140 beats per minute limit. When you are almost finished exercising, take your pulse again to measure your heart rate and see if you adjusted your intensity accordingly to stay in the correct range.

Two or three minutes after exercise, your heart rate should have fallen at least three or four beats (per the 10 seconds count). If your heart rate has not dropped when you take your heart rate at the end of exercising then you've probably been working out too hard or exercising at too high a level and should therefore ease up a bit next time.

Common sense should always prevail so always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program and be sure to have your program monitored throughout pregnancy.