When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to make sure that I stayed as active as I possibly could during those 9 months. As a personal trainer, maintaining my fitness and health are of utmost importance to me. I also wanted to show my clients, the majority of them being women, that it is possible to stay active and have a healthy pregnancy.
Women who are active and continue to workout during pregnancy have been shown to experience many benefits. A healthy weight gain during pregnancy ensures the baby grows at a proper rate. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can lead to larger babies as well as more difficult deliveries and longer recovery after birth as well as other complications.
Being active during pregnancy helps women maintain their core muscles better, as well as helps to keep their endurance and stamina, which aids in delivery as well as recovery post-birth.
There are also several other benefits such as reduced nausea and mood swings, healthier eating habits, less back pain and swelling. The benefits of being active during pregnancy go on and on!
There is a very old school way of thinking that when women are pregnant, they are to spend their days on the couch, eating everything in sight and avoid all activity whatsoever. That is thankfully changing. With new studies coming out and showing that activity for women during pregnancy is not only healthy for mom but healthy for baby!
My mantra for myself during my pregnancy was “I’m pregnant, not dead!” I kept telling myself that throughout my whole pregnancy because I did not want to lose my fitness and I also wanted to make sure I stayed on track with a healthy weight gain, without going overboard.
So how did I manage to stay active and continue workout out during my pregnancy?
For myself, because I was already an active person before pregnancy, my doctor was completely confident and happy with having me carry on my activity throughout my pregnancy. I was actually told by my Dr that it was better for my health and my baby’s health to stay active (within reason).
Throughout my pregnancy, I had to adjust my workouts to fit my expanding body and baby. I found that as time went on, my stamina for workouts decreased and I got tired more easily. With the advice of my doctor and seeking help from a physiotherapist and a fellow personal trainer who specializes in pre/postpartum training, I was able to find the right fit for my workouts and adjust as needed.
The frequency of my workouts changed as the pregnancy went on. Pre-pregnancy, I worked out 4-5 days per week. On some days, I would workout a couple times a day with weight lifting in the morning and jujitsu or kickboxing in the evenings.
During my first trimester, I was able to stay on course with my normal 4-5 days per week, concentrating on only 1 workout per day, whether that was weights or martial arts training. I found my main obstacle was exhaustion and just feeling so incredibly tired. If I felt like my body really needed rest, I would rest.
The one HUGE benefit of working out I found for myself was reduced nausea. The days I worked out, I felt morning sickness did not bother me nearly as much as the days I did not work out. Even if I started my workout feeling nauseated, by the end I felt totally normal again! That alone was reason enough for me to keep going!
During the second trimester, I felt like a rock star! Something about that second trimester, I tell ya!! Morning sickness was gone, I had a surge of energy again, and I was not super big yet! I was able to do my weight lifting workouts on average of 3-4 days per week and felt really good at maintaining my strength. On other days of the week I was not working out, I stayed active with walking and other activity.
Towards the end of the second and beginning of the third was when I started to feel a change in my workouts and body. My belly was getting bigger and I was packing on the pounds quickly by that point! That was when my pelvis started hurting from the pressure of everything on my body and I found my stamina was decreasing during my workouts. With some modifications to my workouts, and allowing myself extra rest time between sets, I was still able to do 3 workouts per week along with walking and other activity.
Nearing the end of the third trimester now, I am focusing on just moving my body when I can, in any way I can. I average about 2 weight lifting workouts per week still, but with modifications and lots of walking. I find that I am less sore and feel more energized after my workouts. They also help me feel semi-normal and reduce my mood swings!!
The other thing I concentrated a lot on during my pregnancy was making sure I was eating well and giving my body as much nutrition as possible.
Pregnancy is NOT the time to start dieting, obsessive calorie counting or trying to cut body fat! But it is NOT an excuse to overeat and have nothing but ice cream and pizza for 9 months. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the extra freedom with food and allowed myself many treats! BUT I also made sure I was eating plenty of nutrient-dense foods. Thankfully one of my “cravings” during pregnancy was fruit! If you even want to call that a craving! But I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much fruit than I have in the last 9 months!
I wanted to make sure I was gaining weight properly and eating enough food, so at first, I did track my food to make sure I was eating sufficient calories. Once I had a general idea of what to eat during the days to properly fuel my body, I stopped tracking. When it came to my eating habits, I didn’t change too much. I still eat mostly the same as before I was pregnant, but I did change some things and added more calorie-dense foods, and an extra snack or two during the day to make sure I was fueling my body and growing baby!
One big change for me was my coffee consumption (gasp!) It was one of my top concerns when I first visited my doctor! How much coffee can I have?! I reduced my coffee intake to a max of 12 oz per day as per my doctor’s recommendations and eventually I did adjust!
I put a lot of research into nutrition for pregnancy to know what was good to eat and how much I should be eating. I knew I needed more calories, but I had to look into just how much more the body requires during pregnancy, especially for an active person.
During my first trimester, I mostly stuck to around maintenance calories, maybe a little more. Then the second, I added a little more (maybe an extra 200-300) and by the third, a little more again.
I made sure to drink at 2-3L of water per day, eat plenty of fruit (as already mentioned), vegetables, whole grains, lentils, healthy fats, etc. I maintained my protein intake throughout my pregnancy to keep my muscle mass and growing baby healthy.
Bear in mind, this is MY story and MY pregnancy, every woman is different. I do not want women to compare their journey to mine, I just wanted to share my story and how it worked for me.
A few more things to keep in mind for my individual story. I was already very active and worked out for years before pregnancy. I checked with my doctor along the way about my workouts and made sure I gained proper weight during pregnancy. Over these past 9 months, I have gained 30lbs, and on track to possibly gain a little more over the next couple weeks before I deliver. My stomach measurements and baby measurements have been bang on normal the whole time.
I respect every woman is different from their pregnancy experience and some women cannot be as active as I could be during pregnancy. Some women have serious complications and cannot do any activity at all! That being said, pregnancy is not a time to sit on the couch and overeat for 9 months. A healthy mom is a healthy baby!
I do have some recommendations I will give to other moms out there who are worried about losing their fitness or falling off track during pregnancy.
First, talk to your doctor! Tell them what you have been doing for activity pre-pregnancy (even if its nothing) and work with them on the best activity plan for you! Listen to what they have to say! They are the experts.
Second, double-check any supplements with your doctor! Pre-workouts/fat burners, etc are a no go during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about any other protein supplements, vitamins, etc that you are taking to see if they are ok with you continuing or not.
Third, listen to your body! If something doesn’t feel right, is painful or you aren’t sure, STOP, don’t continue! If your body is exhausted and you feel like you need the rest, then REST or reduce your workouts.
Next, don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional such as a women’s health physiotherapist, or a personal trainer who works with pregnancy/postpartum women. I would attest to and recommend both if you can! They can help you stay active by helping you with form and making sure you have a workout program suited for you and your pregnancy needs.
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| Bump Updates from first, second & third trimesters! |
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| Staying active during pregnancy helped me keep my fitness and sanity!! |
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