Prenatal Exercise Myths, Debunked

Don’t let outdated advice keep you from staying active during pregnancy.

I've worked with a lot of pregnant moms, and many of them sought me out because they feared they were going to do the wrong thing. The fear of exercise during pregnancy has many roots, but with a lot of the moms I worked with, it started with guidance that is outdated, incomplete, or simply never made it to them in the first place. Let’s set the record straight on three of the most common myths about exercise during pregnancy.

Myth 1: If You Didn't Exercise Before Pregnancy, You Shouldn't Start Now

This is not true. If you began your pregnancy already exercising, you should continue those healthy habits. But if you weren't active before becoming pregnant, now is actually an ideal time to start. Current clinical guidance is clear: even previously sedentary women are encouraged to begin an exercise program early in pregnancy. The risk of staying inactive is well-documented. Physical inactivity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy are risk factors for gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, and other complications. If you haven’t been told you have an unhealthy pregnancy or contraindications, do yourself and your baby a favor by getting and staying active.

Myth 2: Your Heart Rate Shouldn't Go Above 140 BPM

The 140 bpm rule is one of the most persistent pieces of outdated pregnancy advice still circulating today. It originated from an American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) guideline published in 1985, was removed in 1994, and yet more than half of OB/GYNs still recommend some form of heart rate limit to their pregnant patients. It happened to me when I asked about exercising during my first trimester. This is a prime example of updated research not reaching the people who need to be aware of it (and why I wrote the book Active Mom).

Current ACOG guidance does not specify a maximum heart rate. Instead, it recommends monitoring intensity through perceived exertion. Two practical ways to do this are thetalk test and the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale. With the talk test, you should be able to carry on a conversation during exercise but not sing. That range, feeling "fairly light to somewhat hard," is where most pregnant women should be working. If your provider recommends a heart rate cap, it is worth questioning whether that recommendation reflects current guidelines or your specific risk factors.

Myth 3: Kegels Are the Best Way to Train Your Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy

Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor, the group of muscles that support the bladder, uterus, rectum, and small intestine. I’ve had moms come to me saying they know they should do kegels, or they do kegels, but they’re not sure they’re doing them right. They tell me they want to strengthen the muscles to avoid leaking.

Although I’m always happy they’re aware of the need for a healthy pelvic floor, it’s clear that only one piece of advice around pelvic floor training is mainstream. When performing kegels, you’re probably focusing on the contraction, just like you would during most exercises when your goal is increasing strength. What I’d like for you to consider is that it’s important to be able to relax your pelvic floor as well, especially during labor and delivery. If all you’re doing is squeezing and not also learning how to relax, you’re doing yourself a disservice. In fact, many moms that I’ve worked with who had incontinence due to pelvic floor dysfunction found out after seeing a pelvic floor pt that their muscles actually weren’t weak, they were too tight, and doing a bunch of kegels was not what they needed.

Beyond that, kegels alone don't address the full scope of what pregnancy demands from your body. Your entire pelvis shifts during pregnancy, which affects the 40-plus muscles attached to it. Focusing only on the pelvic floor is not enough to support those changes. A comprehensive approach integrates pelvic floor work into your broader core training rather than treating it as a standalone exercise. One of my favorite ways to train the pelvic floor is awareness during strength exercises like squats or deadlifts, or adding it to abdominal exercises.

If you’re looking to strengthen your pelvic floor and want to learn more about integrating it into your routine, consider my prenatal core training course to find out which exercises are right for you as you move through each trimester.

How to Set SMART Fitness Goals That Actually Stick

How do you set fitness goals?

Only about 8% of people who make New Year's resolutions actually achieve them. I'd guess the number is even lower for fitness resolutions specifically, and not because people don't care. Most of us are ready to stop the indulging that started somewhere around Halloween candy and carried straight through New Year's Eve. Our motivation is real. The problem is our plan.

Why Do Most Fitness Resolutions Fail by February?

Most fitness resolutions fail because they aren't goals, they're wishes. "Get in shape," "exercise more," "be more active" sound like a plan, but they're too vague to follow through on. We fail not because we're not good enough or capable, but because we don't have the proper plan or support in place. If you're serious about your resolution, it needs to be a specific goal with a clear plan behind it. That's exactly what we're going to build right now, together, using the SMART goal method.

How to Set SMART Fitness Goals in 5 Steps

I haven't met a person yet who hasn't heard of goal setting, so I'm not writing this to teach you something new. I'm writing this to make sure you succeed in your goal-setting. Let's build your goal right now using the SMART method. I'll use the Broad Street Run, Philadelphia's iconic 10-mile race, as our example throughout.

1. Make it SPECIFIC. A well-defined goal gives you something concrete to train for. "Get in shape" is too broad to act on. A specific goal sounds like: "I want to run the Broad Street Run." That's a real race, a real distance, a real date on the calendar. What is your specific goal?

2. Make it MEASURABLE. You should know clearly when you've achieved it. Running Broad Street is measurable on its own, but adding a time target makes it even stronger: "I want to finish Broad Street in under 1 hour and 25 minutes." Now there's no ambiguity. You either hit it or you have data to work with. If you have a race goal, a pace calculator can help you set a realistic finish time to aim for.

3. Make sure it's ACHIEVABLE. Does this goal work within your life? If training requires four mornings a week, does your schedule actually allow for that? If it affects your family's routine, is everyone on the same page? A goal that works in isolation but ignores your real life is already set up to fail.

4. Make sure it's REALISTIC. Be honest about where you are right now. Running Broad Street in under 1:25 is realistic for someone with a running base and enough lead time to train. It may not be realistic for someone starting from zero with six weeks to go. If you're unsure whether your fitness goal is realistic for your current level, that's worth a conversation with a qualified professional before you commit to a plan.

5. Make it TIME-BASED and TRACKABLE. Set a timeline and decide how you'll track progress. Broad Street is held every May, which gives a clear end date. A 12-week training plan with weekly check-ins makes progress visible and keeps you accountable along the way.

Outcome Goals vs. Process Goals: The Step Most People Skip

Here's where most SMART goal articles stop, and where I think the framework falls short if you're not careful. The SMART method is an excellent starting point, but the type of goal you set within that framework matters just as much as its specificity.

Most people default to outcome goals: finish Broad Street in under 1:25, lose 15 pounds by June, run three times a week. These are useful targets if you've set and accomplished similar goals before. But if you're setting a new fitness goal, or this one is a bit more ambitious than usual, your SMART goal should be about process, not outcome.

A process goal focuses on the actions that lead to the outcome rather than the outcome itself. A 2009 study found that exercisers assigned process goals had significantly greater adherence at both 3 and 6 months compared to those who only set outcome goals.

In practice, pairing the two looks like this:

• Outcome goal: Finish Broad Street in under 1 hour and 25 minutes.

• Process goal: Follow my 12-week training plan, completing three runs per week and logging each one.

The outcome goal gives you a milestone to celebrate and guidance for a plan. The process goal ensures you stay on track and celebrate the little wins. For a new or ambitious goal, that's the one to anchor to.

Why Accountability Is Not Optional

The last piece that makes or breaks a fitness goal is support, a specific structure that keeps you honest when motivation fades. Accountability looks different for everyone. It might be a coach, a training partner, a group fitness class you've paid for, or simply sharing your goal publicly with someone who will ask you about it. So now that you’ve written your goals, choose someone to hold you accountable and get started!

FAQ

Q: What is an example of a SMART fitness goal?

A: A SMART fitness goal is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based. Instead of "I want to get in shape," a SMART version sounds like: "I want to run the Broad Street Run in under 1 hour and 25 minutes, following a 12-week training plan starting in February." You know exactly what you're training for, how you'll measure success, and when you need to be ready.

Q: How do you make a New Year's fitness resolution actually stick?

A: Start by turning your resolution into a specific SMART goal, then decide whether an outcome goal or a process goal makes more sense for where you are. If this is a new or ambitious goal, anchor your training to the process: the specific actions you'll take each week rather than the result alone. Then build in accountability. Research consistently shows that people with a support structure, whether a coach, a training partner, or a public commitment, adhere to their exercise goals at significantly higher rates than those going it alone.