Before I begin this post, I want to just mention that every body is different, and that this is just my own experience, and what has worked for me. I would always check with your doctor before beginning any workout routine when pregnant, and always listen to your body. If there was a day where I was crampy, or a certain move felt off, I’d stop right away, or modify it.
During my pregnancy with Hudson, I worked out 4-5 times per week, and felt like it SAVED my life. It mentally helped me out a lot, and also helped with my recovery as well. I can’t speak for this pregnancy yet (still pregnant here!) on whether it will help in my recovery, but with Hudson I felt like it made a HUGE difference in getting back into shape postpartum and shedding the baby weight. Before I got pregnant this time around, I made a huge effort to get myself back into running shape, which to me always feels like the best shape I could be in. I was a few lbs up from the renovation stress, and missing gym days, so I began to run a 5K a few times a week, and worked toward getting my body to feel strong before trying to get pregnant. By the time I got pregnant last summer, I felt really good, which was amazing because it kept me on an active path right from the beginning!
First trimester:
During my first trimester, I suffered from vertigo, which made it hard to stay active. On weeks when I felt very dizzy, I would take breaks, but once the vertigo passed, I always made an effort to get back to the gym. During my first trimester, I didn’t modify my workouts at all. Because I exercised prior, my doctor said it was fine to continue my workouts. I continued to run, workout on the elliptical, use Youtube workout videos (I love fitness blender and PopSugar Fitness) and workout with light weights. I found it the hardest to stay active during the first trimester because of sickness, and general exhaustion, so I’d say GO EASY ON YOURSELF, but also, try not to fall off the wagon. It’s easy to get into the mentality of “I am pregnant, so it’s okay to be inactive” but at the end of the day, I always felt BETTER when I would move my body. Even if it meant just going on a 15-minute walk, just getting up and moving always felt good for me. I know it is different for everyone, but if you stay in your typical routine, there’s more of a chance that you continue on with it throughout the pregnancy.
Second Trimester:
The second trimester is when I found I had to start modifying my workouts a bit. Once that bump pops, everything changes! I continued to run until about 23/24 weeks, and then it started to cause cramping and I would feel uncomfortable, which is when I knew I needed to stop. A great alternative to running is walking uphill on a treadmill – I usually will put the incline to about 9.0-12.0 and walk at a speed of around 2.8 MPH. It definitely gives you that same kind of runners high when you’re done. I also love the elliptical, and continued to do Youtube workout videos, but would just follow the modified version of the workouts. Anything that required abs, or for me to be on my back was an instant no, but I kept up with most of my lower body and leg workouts, as well as arm workouts with light 5-8lb weights.
I get a lot of questions about frequency of workouts as well. On most weeks I’d make it to the gym about 3-4 days. I usually devote about 30 minutes to cardio, and then about 20 minutes to weight training. I think it’s important to find a time of day that works for you. For me, I know that if I don’t make it in the morning, I am probably going to skip that day.
Third Trimester:
During my third trimester, my cardio basically becomes solely walking + the elliptical. I try to walk, walk walk, because I’ve heard it helps in getting labor going. Around 36 weeks is when I really feel like walking a lot does get my body into having more Braxton Hicks contractions, and helps to get the baby more into place. I also find that at about 36 weeks, my desire to be active increases! The same happened with my pregnancy with Hudson! Exercise becomes not just something I do, but an absolute necessity for me to ward off back pain, and to stay somewhat capable in completing daily tasks. The less I do, the less I continue to do, if that makes any sense. At this point, especially since I am mostly wrapped up on work projects, I’ve been working out closer to 5-6 days a week, and that involves long walks of about 45 minutes to an hour each day. I’ll either put a show on Netflix on the treadmill at the gym, or on nicer days I’ll get outside. I do feel like the only reason I can still walk a few miles at 40 weeks pregnant is because I continued to be active during the duration of my pregnancy.
On that note, I just want to say that taking care of our bodies and our mental health is SO important! I am so proud to have continued to be active for all 40 weeks of this pregnancy, and I hope that if you’re feeling like you can’t do it, or you’re anxious to workout during pregnancy, that this inspires you in some way, shape or form!
Here’s a few of my staples that I’ve worn or used to workout during this pregnancy. The pants are not maternity, but I sized up one size to a M and they were sooo comfortable over the bump.
