QuestionI have only jogged about 10 times since I gave birth to my son, who is now 14 months old. I probably haven't jogged in about 2-3 weeks. I am about 8 weeks pregnant. Should I try to jog now or wait until after birth?
AnswerSince you are not currently acclimated to jogging, I'd suggest that you start back into cardio conditioning by combining fitness walking and jogging.
Start with fitness walking for about 5 minutes. Walk quickly and take a slightly larger stride than your normal walk. Transition into a slow jog for 1 minute, then fitness walk for 4 minutes. Keep this pattern going for 30 minutes.
If this routine is too tiring, or if your ankles or knees start to hurt, or if you begin to pant, reduce the jog time to 30 second intervals once every 5 minutes.
If this routine is too easy for you, increase the jog time to 2 minutes of jogging and 2 minutes of fitness walking.
If you do this routine 3 or 4 times a week you can slowly increase your aerobic endurance level, by doing more jogging and less walking, until you are about 20 weeks along. After 20 weeks you should slowly begin to taper off the intensity of your workouts. As your baby grows and demands more oxygen, the perceived intensity of your workouts will increase. Always stay in a zone that you consider "somewhat difficult." Never get to the point where you're huffing and puffing as this means that you've' crossed your anaerobic threshold.
If you workout only once or twice a week, you will progress slowly. But even if it is hard for you to be consistent with your sessions, do whatever you can. Some aerobic exercise during pregnancy is substantially better than none.
Try to jog on soft surfaces such as a track, dirt, or treadmill. Avoid jogging solely on concrete, especially after 20 weeks, and don't run downhill as it's too hard on the knees.
