Early in pregnancy, I decided running wasn’t for me (If you missed that post read: Why I’m Not Running Through Pregnancy). What I didn’t know at the time was just how little I would workout throughout my entire pregnancy. I never thought I would forgo my favorite workouts while growing a human and I most certainly didn’t think I’d be so laid back about it either.
I feel zero guilt and have zero regrets at this point, but ask me this again in the spring or summer when I’m trying to get back into shape!
This is what my workouts looked like by trimester:
1st Trimester:
Once I decided running wasn’t for me, I wasn’t feeling good enough for my typical workouts. I couldn’t fathom the idea of being in a barre class for a full hour or sweating away in a hot spin studio during the summer months. Therefore, I set what seemed like a simple goal – to walk 10,000 steps a day and do 2-3 quick strength training workouts at home. This was much easier said than done! While my 1st trimester could have been worse, I felt sick, nauseous and rather fatigued on most days. There were quite a few days I just couldn’t manage to pull myself off the couch and into the heat, so I stayed put and caught up on the last few seasons of Orange is the New Black.
One of the best parts, fitness-wise about this time period is I could still fit into all my regular workout clothes.
2nd Trimester:
Everyone says the second trimester is bliss, but that wasn’t the case for me. I finally started to feel better around 17 weeks. I had a few glorious weeks of feeling more like myself. I took advantage of this time period since I knew the good feelings wouldn’t last. I put on my running shoes and headed to Central Park to power-walk Cat Hill repeats whenever the weather permitted.
Around 23 weeks, that bliss faded quickly. I was battling a bit of insomnia one night and got out of bed around 4:30am when my husband gets up for work. I told him I wasn’t feeling well and seconds later I passed out on the kitchen floor.
So, that was fun and scary. I spent half a day on the Labor and Delivery unit at the hospital where I’ll be giving birth. Everything was fine with both me and the baby. Apparently, some women are prone to dizziness and fainting during the second trimester. Who knew?!
Luckily, I haven’t fainted again, but I did feel dizzy on most days of the week. My doctors warned me that it could happen again if I wasn’t careful, but it would go away once I reached the third trimester. I counted down the weeks until the dizziness would go away. Like clockwork it went away right when I hit the third trimester.
I spent a lot of this time feeling anxious about fainting again, so I stopped doing hill repeats. I still went for a few long walks, but only occasionally and with a friend. I mostly stuck with online barre workouts.
3rd Trimester:
Thank goodness, my doctors were right about the dizziness fading in the third trimester! I quickly became bored with the online barre subscription and kinda just threw in the towel. There was a stretch of 5 days when it was freezing cold outside and I did not leave my apartment and only wore pajamas. It was a lovely time period, but I also went a little stir crazy.
Luckily, the weather warmed up and I’m back to getting in more steps on a regular basis. I’ve also been doing a series of body-weight lunges and squats every other day as well as a bit of lightweight upper body work.
That pretty much sums things up! If I hadn’t been so active prior to being pregnant, this amount of activity wouldn’t seem so strange. However, living in NYC, walking everywhere I go and being a runner meant I was getting a ton of physical activity outside of formal workout sessions.
Today, I’m in my eighth month of pregnancy and I’m longing for the days when I’m back to regular workouts and have a race or two on the schedule. While I’m excited for what my future workouts, I’m more excited for the changes that are ahead of me as I take on a new role as a mom. Besides, I’ve ran plenty of races throughout my lifetime and this will be my first crack at motherhood.
Good for you for listening to your body and doing what works for you and your baby. I also chose a very, very mellow approach during my pregnancy with my son. No running, no skiing, nothing that didn’t feel great to my body. He’s 20 months old now, and I have to tell you that getting back into shape has been *easier* than expected. I imagine it will be the same for you—the body doesn’t forget those many years of workouts. Best of luck to you and your baby!
Do you miss exercise? For half of my pregnancy it was pretty much the same for me but luckily i was able to exercise a bit during the second half. Now i have a one month old and the stronger i get after a ton of postpartum complications, the more i crave real activity. But i know i have to take it easy for now. I hope you’re feeling well these days and that you’ll be racing again in no time.
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Thank you Jess for sharing MY PRE-NATAL WORKOUTS WEREN’T WHAT I EXPECTED THEM TO BE post. Its so relatable. I remember missing my pre-bump body and wishing I could exercise often.
What exercise are you looking forward to most after you deliver?
It’s not exactly the right moment to push your limits now 😛 I’m also training for a half marathon (but I’m not pregnant) with SportMe marathon trainer which calculates all the run details, including elevation and calories burned.
Hello Jess, thanks for the very informative post! I always try to follow your blog. Advanced congratulations to you and your baby!
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The Back exercises, such as acupuncture, using gym and fitness equipment exercise, massage therapy, chiropractic, osteopathic care and certain other physical exercises are safer ways of treating back pain. We are Working out with associates that are at about the same level as yourself will always inspire you to push tougher in the gym setup.
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Congratulations! Thank you for sharing this. I wish I could do this too. Quick question. Do I need to talk to my doctor first before beginning any exercise program?
Even if you did no exercise before you got pregnant, it’s important to exercise now for a healthy pregnancy. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences.
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Absolutely! Also before you continue your old exercise routine or begin a new one, you should talk to your doctor about exercising while you’re pregnant.
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