EBB 399 - Benefits and Safety of Exercise during Pregnancy with Ashley Reid, Exercise Physiologist and Author of "Active Mom"
Evidence Based Birth®
Rebecca Dekker
4.3 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 27 May 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Pregnancy fitness advice has changed dramatically over the last few decades, but many parents still receive outdated recommendations rooted more in fear than evidence. After receiving outdated advice during her own pregnancy, exercise physiologist and prenatal/postnatal wellness practitioner Ashley Reid was inspired to help moms stay active through every stage of motherhood. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker talks with Ashley about the latest evidence on exercise and strength training during pregnancy and postpartum.
Ashley shares why old recommendations like keeping your heart rate under 140 beats per minute are outdated, what the research actually says about lifting weights during pregnancy, and how to safely build strength in ways that support your changing body. She also explains her "Core, Function, and Fitness" framework and how to approach postpartum recovery as a gradual progression instead of a rush back to exercise.
(03:55) Outdated pregnancy exercise advice and the "140 beats per minute" rule
(06:27) Fear around heart rate monitoring and exercise intensity in pregnancy
(08:42) What the research says about exercise safety and pregnancy
(13:20) Ashley's "Core, Function, and Fitness" framework
(17:20) Why core strength matters during pregnancy
(20:47) Is lifting weights during pregnancy safe?
(25:25) Signs it may be time to modify or pause exercise
(27:23) How pregnancy exercise supports postpartum recovery
(30:01) Returning to exercise postpartum and the new 2025 guidelines
(36:27) Ashley shares what readers will learn in her book Active Mom
(37:56) Sample workout progressions and making exercise work for you
Resources
Learn more about Active Mom Fitness: activemomfitness.com/
Get your copy of Ashley's Book, "Active Mom": activemomfitness.com/books
For more information about Evidence Based Birth and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, everyone. On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Ashley Reed about exercise and strength |
| 0:06.2 | training during pregnancy. Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. My name is Rebecca Decker, |
| 0:15.5 | and I'm a nurse with my PhD and the founder of evidence-based birth. Join me each week as we work together to get |
| 0:22.6 | evidence-based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world. |
| 0:28.1 | As a reminder, this information is not medical advice. See eBbirth.com slash disclaimer for more |
| 0:34.9 | details. Hi, everyone, and welcome to today's episode of the Evidence-Based Birth Podcast. |
| 0:41.6 | Today I'm so excited that we get a chance to talk with Ashley Reed. |
| 0:45.6 | Ashley is an exercise physiologist, a prenatal and postnatal wellness practitioner, |
| 0:51.3 | and author of the newly published Active Mom, published by Bloomsbury in April |
| 0:57.3 | 2026. Using her trademarked core function and fitness framework, Ashley has helped hundreds of |
| 1:03.0 | moms stay active through their due dates, return to exercise after having their baby, |
| 1:08.1 | and meet the physical demands of motherhood. |
| 1:15.3 | Ashley lives in Philadelphia with her daughter, who has deeply shaped Ashley's commitment to maternal exercise. |
| 1:17.3 | Ashley, we're so excited to have you. |
| 1:18.8 | Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. |
| 1:21.1 | Well, thank you for having me. |
| 1:22.1 | I'm extremely excited to be here. |
| 1:24.7 | Can you tell us a little bit about, you know, what got you fascinated by and focused |
| 1:30.8 | on exercise during pregnancy and postpartum? I mean, I've always been in awe just what exercise |
| 1:37.8 | can do for the body, whether that's decreased injury or increased performance for athletes. And so my background is exercise science. |
| 1:47.1 | And I've always been in fitness in various situations and certified, you know, American College |
| 1:53.7 | of Sports Medicine, Strength and conditioning specialists. So kind of the top certifications there. |
... |
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