If you are currently a runner, by all means continue running; but, remember to check in with yourself from time to time, and pay attention to how you feel. More specifically, what the literature and medical providers usually suggest is that if you have regularly exercised before you became pregnant, then you can continue that activity (i.e., rollerblading, skiing, etc.), while keeping track of how you are feeling. If you are not currently a runner (or a windsurfer, or a macarena maniac), or have not exercised pre-pregnancy, it is usually not recommended that you start a strenuous, new activity when you are pregnant. Instead, moderate exercise is recommended. In any case, as the pregnancy progresses, you may need to modify your exercise routine, or activity, as your body, energy level, and center of gravity change.

Check with a midwife, or obstetrician, about your exercise pattern, as well as effective, safe ways of meeting your need(s) for movement. S/he can be a good source of information, even more so when s/he also knows what influences your health and well-being. For instance, talk with her/him about your specific weight gain requirements that would help ensure a healthy pregnancy. Weight gain is normal during pregnancy. Avoid using exercise as a way to prevent this natural weight gain. Instead, exercise to feel better throughout your pregnancy and to ready yourself for labor, which is sometimes compared to walking for ten miles with a 40 pound weight on your back. Being in shape can help ease childbirth and recovery as well.

Alice suggests thinking about the possibility of taking a pre-natal exercise class, not just for the exercises themselves, but also for the contact with other pregnant women. You can learn a tremendous amount of important information from the "locker room talk," such as method of delivery, where to shop for baby equipment, opinions about and referrals for sitters, what baby gear is essential, and what you can do without.

Other worthy sources include the ubiquitous and authoritative , What to Expect When You Are Expecting, by Arlene Eisenberg; The Well Pregnancy Book, by Michael and Nancy Samuels; or, almost anything by Sheila Kitzinger.

Exercise is vital to your health, your baby's health, and your emotional well-being. Alice is confident that you will find a good match between the exercise method of your choice and your body's needs.

Alice