Missing the runs, tan & feast

Gone were the days when we did extremely long runs on weekends or whenever we could afford the time. I actually miss those runs and the hard earn feast thereafter. The best reward was the sense of achievement; the feeling of a good workout and a guaranteed good night's sleep for that day.

Lately, I had to refrain myself and capped the distance at 8km due to the little bump. Doc said that it was perfectly fine for me to continue with my run since I've been so regular before. If missing out on those good stuff about running mentioned earlier is not bad enough, how about getting comment from mere onlooker who used his own yardstick to measure what I was doing and in turn imply I was a brainless weight watcher who exercise excessively?

How would you ever convince these pregnancy police or even clueless accuser that exercise is safe and beneficial for both the mother and child instead of getting those usual frowns and accusation?

Clearance from my gynae was first obtained. I did my reading up which was why I was so confident of continuing to run.

According to a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, healthy, well-conditioned women who exercised before pregnancy may continue to do so throughout pregnancy without compromising their baby's health or development. Researchers from the University of Oslo, Norway, studied 42 pregnant women who exercised six times per week at either a high or medium intensity. When the researchers compared the women's length of labour, maternal weight gain, and the baby's birth weight, they found no differences between the two groups of exercisers.

Just to mention some but non-exhaustive list of benefits of regular exercise for mom-to-be:

1) Boosting energy level. It seems paradoxical but getting too much rest makes one even more tired.
2)Improved sleep. Regular exercise allows one to sleep better and wake up up more rested.
3)Endorphin is released during workout, meaning mood is improved.
4) Exercise stretches tensed muscles which is even more important when pregnant women tend to have cramps.
5) An active body encourages active bowels.
6)Moms who exercise tend to have shorter labour.
7) The more fit one stays during pregnancy, the faster the recovery will be after childbirth.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, for the baby:
1) Babies tend to be more fit given healthier weight.
2) Smarter. Research shows that babies of moms who exercise throughout pregnancy score higher, on average, on general intelligence test by age 5.
3) Babies of pregnant exercisers are easier to handle in that they sleep through the night sooner and less prone to colic.