When I was pregnant, I think I managed to go on an elliptical maybe twice? And that was before I got big. By month six, I could barely get up the stairs. So whenever I see heavily pregnant women doing strenuous exercise, I feel extra bad about myself for being such an exercise loser. Take Makenna Myler, a 28-year-old mom-to-be and new TikTok sensation. Her video of running a 5:28 mile while nine months pregnant has gone viral on TikTok.
@mikemyler Someone find whether this is a world record #pregnant #zoomies #track #mile #champion
Myler, a product trainer who lives in California, has been running five to six times a week throughout her pregnancy. “I cut back my mileage a lot and have been a lot slower, but I have been very particular with my strength training to make sure my pelvic shift and added weight didn’t/doesn’t cause any injury,” she told BuzzFeed.
Toward the beginning of her pregnancy, when exercise is easier because you’re not carrying around an increasingly larger load, Myler wondered what her running would look like when she was further along.
“To keep me motivated, [her husband] said he would give me $100 if I could break eight minutes doing the mile at nine months pregnant,” she said.
Well, Myler ran the mile in under 6 minutes. The video of her run has over 3 million views on TikTok.
So, you’re really not supposed to do extreme exercise when you’re that pregnant, but Myler said she spoke with two doctors about the risks.
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“My first doctor was all about it because he had dealt with elite athletes before,” she said. “My second doctor asked me to be a bit more cautious because he didn’t understand my background — and that was before any ultrasound. After ultrasounds showed a perfectly healthy baby, he’s been more supportive, but emphasizes the importance of getting enough calories (which, if he knew me better, he would know that’s not a problem).”
“Feeling capable is everything to me,” Makenna said. “Running has been a big outlet for me in that way. Running during pregnancy has been a beautiful process of accepting effort and patience, not forcing anything, and letting go of pace and forced mileage.”
Makenna is due on Monday, Oct. 19—and she plans to keep running until then.
“It’s funny, I kept waiting and waiting for the day when I would just be done or my body would break, but that day never came. So yeah, I’ll probably still be running by next Monday.”
Pregnant people, you do what’s right for you. If that’s laying in bed propped up on many pillows and whining, you do it. You don’t have to prove anything when you’re about to pop a human out of your body.
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