Remember that labor, with or without drugs is hard and you will need endurance and strength to

get through it. The more fit your heart is, the more energy and endurance you’ll have for you and

your baby’s big event! So…how do you get a more fit heart?

Cardiovascular fitness, of course! A strong heart is better able to supply your hardworking

muscles with freshly oxygenated blood, which keeps them primed for action. And, if you want to

go straight to the heart of the issue, women in the real world have testified to the fact that being

fit helped them tolerate labor pain better and increased their stamina to endure the whole labor,

pain AND pushing!

There is no single way to get in good cardiovascular fitness. There are many ways! Remember

to consider your fitness level first and foremost and then the Borg Scaled of Perceived Exertion.

You should stay around a 2 to 4 for your cardiovascular work.  If you cannot talk while you

are working out, you are probably at too high of an intensity.

You can also switch it up, walking one day, swimming the next or any combination you want.

You should try to get in 2 to 3 days of cardiovascular work depending on how you are feeling!