Kathy Smith's Pregnancy Workout

I became pregnant for the second time when my daughter was only five months old. I hadn't worked out at all during the first pregnancy and had paid the price--I'd gained forty pounds. Since my daughter's birth, I had been working out regularly and had begun to lose weight and feel better about myself.

When I became pregnant, I wasn't ready to give up exercise again, but I was still worried about the impact of exercise on the baby. So I bought pregnancy tapes. Lots of pregnancy tapes. And with few exceptions, I was bored stiff.

This workout was not one of the exceptions. For one thing, it is outdated. The ACOG guidelines that Kathy Smith follows in this workout were changed in 1994. Instead of the pulse count guidelines that Smith follows, the new test for overexertion is the "talk" test--if you can form a complete sentence while working out without being out of breath, then you are okay. This guideline is less restrictive and allows for differences in women's bodies, as well as for the cardiovascular changes that come with pregnancy. In most cases, if you are accustomed to working out and if your doctor gives you the okay, the "talk" test is a more accurate indicator of overexertion than the pulse count guidelines used in this tape.

The workout itself is fine, with relatively interesting choreography. I would have liked to have seen more variety in the appearances of the background exercisers ("Are you sure they're pregnant?" my husband asked), but this is a problem I have with almost all exercise videos. I also found the strength routine at the end to be minimal at best.

The other problem I have with this, and most other pregnancy tapes, is the unfortunate impulse to be cute. Everywhere you see alphabet blocks and teddy bears. Worst of all, in my opinion, is the "pregnancy rap" that Smith and the background exercisers perform in the middle of the tape, complete with sunglasses and baseball caps worn backwards. Maybe some pregnant women enjoy this stuff; I just find it irritating. I spend hours every day with my baby and getting ready for the new baby, and I'd prefer to be treated like an adult when I'm working out.

I am now doing standard exercise videos--some Reebok step tapes and some of Kathy Smith's and Karen Voight's workouts. My experience has been that if your doctor gives you the okay, and you don't have any pain or discomfort, it's better to continue your normal exercise routine, modifying it as necessary (no high-impact aerobics, keep one foot on the floor or step at all times, and drink lots and lots of water while working out). If you are not used to working out but you want to avoid the weight gain, then tapes like this one may be very useful. I do think that Kathy Smith is a good instructor--I have some of her other tapes--and she does her best to keep this workout interesting while following the very restrictive guidelines of the time.

I should add that I am keeping this tape around for the time being instead of trading or selling it. I am about 5 to 5 1/2 months along at this point, and I think it is possible that by the ninth month my energy may begin to wane a little bit. At that point some easier tapes may come in handy.