I recently saw an article about Working Out While Pregnant and because I am a runner, I was curious to find out more about running while pregnant. No, I am not thinking of becoming pregnant anytime in the near future and no, the following pieces of advice do not come from real life experiences. I marvel at women who run and are clearly pregnant and I wonder what the difference would be besides having extra weight in your belly. Is there a different mindset about a workout? Is there a point at which it becomes too difficult to carry around a baby while running?

Once you are pregnant, you should no longer carry the mentality of needing to train for something. Racing and improving your times should no longer be your point of focus and instead, you should be keeping you and your baby healthy. Speaking of keeping your baby healthy, it has been shown that running does not cause, and may in fact reduce, the chance of pre-term labor, miscarriage, or other similar problems. Running with your baby will not harm your baby unless you do not run properly.

One thing to pay attention to is stretching. You must be very careful when you stretch because a woman’s ligaments become softer when she is pregnant. Perhaps the most important tip for running while pregnant is to stay hydrated. You should always have a bottle of water on you because dehydration actually can cause pre-term labor.

As far as changes in your body and how they affect your running, there are plenty of changes that will occur that will change the way and the speed that you run. These changes are different for everyone and it is hard to generalize a formula for all pregnant women runners, but you must embrace these changes. Realize that your feet will probably get bigger– don’t be afraid to buy a new pair of shoes that fit your feet! Also, support your breasts.

Make sure to stop running when you are no longer comfortable. It may be hard to give up your passion, but after a few months you can get right back into it!