First Trimester Workouts

Can you workout during your first trimester? How do your workouts need to change when you’re pregnant? Do you need to follow a prenatal workout plan? Can you exercise during pregnancy? What exercises should you avoid during pregnancy?

These are only a few of the questions I’ve received in the last month since we announced that we’re expecting in April.

Cute right? Yeah. We thought so too. =D

The short answer is yes. Yes, you can and should workout during pregnancy.

Now, the long answer.

First and foremost, listen to your body.

The rule of thumb when it comes to the first trimester is that anything you were doing pre-pregnancy you can continue doing. What that means is that if you were running, strength training, and doing power yoga you can continue running, strength training and doing power yoga.

However, it’s generally recommended that you do drop contact sports, so this isn’t the best time to take up rugby or roller derby.

While working out while you’re pregnant is not only safe, but highly recommended*, after you find out you’re pregnant is not the time to start an intense brand new workout plan. This doesn’t you get a free pass to not workout during your pregnancy if you weren’t working out before (girlfriend, giving birth is a seriously physical thing, you need to be in shape!). What it does mean, is that you need to go about starting your new fitness routine differently than if you were starting a routine and weren’t pregnant.

Okay, so now that we’ve covered the basics (you were working out before you got pregnant or you weren’t), let’s get into the details.

You Didn’t Work Out Pre-Pregnancy

 Okay, so you didn’t workout pre-baby. First thing I want you to do, is be proud of yourself for deciding you want to workout now. As I mentioned earlier, giving birth is physical, no matter how you do it, so it’s important to get in the best shape you can over the next several months.

I took this screenshot a couple weeks ago when this poll came up in my BabyCenter app. I literally COULDN'T BELIEVE how many people don’t work out at all, especially while PREGNANT. Yes,there are always EXCEPTIONS but in general, IF you have worked out yet- don’t be afraid of getting started. Even a walking workout routine will help you throughout the pregnancy, birth, and afterwards… to keep up with baby! If you are able to move, Do it!***

Next, don’t you dare shame yourself for not starting earlier. I’ve worked with women who have gone down the “I should have,” “I could have,” “I wish I would have” route, and guess what? It does absolutely nothing for you except make you feel guilty and hold you back. Let go and move on. Thank the woman you were and are, and get excited for the woman you are about to become.

Since you haven’t worked out before, I highly recommend that you talk to your doctor about the workouts that are appropriate for you. Your doctor may give you a recommended heart rate range (it’ll most likely be below 140 for sure, but might be lower depending on your current health and fitness) and/or recommended activities.

To get started, walk. It’s amazing what walking several times a week will do for you. The length and time you will be able to walk will completely depend on your currently ability, so I can’t give you any specific starting out ranges. You may start at 10 minutes, maybe 20, or maybe you can go for an hour. Whatever you do to start out with, make sure that you keep yourself hydrated, don’t get overheated, and don’t overdo it. Start slow and work your way up.

You can also start right away with some gentle stretching. As you move along in your pregnancy, your hips will be shifting, and working on mobility and flexibility will be helpful in the long run. On the other hand, as you move into the third trimester you’ll need to be more careful with stretching because your body is “loosening up” in preparation for childbirth. However, right now- you may feel stiff and tight (especially as you start walking more!), so this is a great time to start stretching.

Once you’ve had the chance to talk to your doctor and you get the all clear to start doing something more than walking, I highly recommend you work with a fitness professional to create a workout plan that is right for you. Even a few sessions is better than nothing. After all, keeping yourself and your baby safe is priority and a professional can help you do that.

Your doctor also may recommend water workouts as another great way to start your workout program. Get in the pool and get swimming. Or just walk in the pool. Or take a class. Water-aerobics isn’t just for older people! It’s a great way to take some pressure off your joints when you’re getting started. Just remember, talk to your doctor, and if you’re taking a class, make sure your instructor knows so she can give you modifications if needed.

Moral of the story, start slow and work your way up. You should be able to have a conversation with someone the entire time you are working out. As you move through your pregnancy, continue to work with your health professionals (doctors and fitness professionals) to personalize your plan to work for you and your unique pregnancy.

You Worked Out Pre-Pregnancy

 As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the rule of thumb when it comes to the first trimester is that anything you were doing pre-pregnancy you can continue doing.

That being said, as one fit mama-to-be to another I want to remind you to give yourself grace.

I honestly was only about to keep with my normal workout routine until about week 6ish (I’ve actually got a video of me doing hypertrophy squats at week 5 on my Instagram). After that I was too sick/tired to do anything much but walk and teach my classes.

I was consistently nauseous and wasn’t able to fuel myself to do my typical workouts (I seriously lived on bagels and toast for about two and a half weeks) and on top of that I wasn’t able to sleep. These are not great conditions for workouts in general. Let alone if you add a pregnancy on top of it.

So instead of my typical heavy strength training, kickboxing, etc. I did a lot of walking.

beach hike on on week 15. Way more energy and less morning sickness makes workout in the 2nd Trimester MUCh easier!

That’s right, we’re back to walking. You don’t need to kill yourself with cardio (I actually talked about that about a month ago as part of my 13 Reasons You Aren’t Seeing Results series). If all else fails, walk when you can, as much as you can. You can walk at a faster pace, and feel free to add in hills as well. Just listen to your body, stay hydrated, and don’t let yourself get overheated (I know, I sound like a broken record, right?).

Don’t be surprised if you feel your heart rate go up faster than it did pre-pregnancy, or if you find yourself out of breath sooner. I found that the humidity was a killer and caused me breath harder when in times when I wouldn’t have had a problem pre-pregnancy. In fact, when it was really humid out, I almost felt as “breathless” as I did at Machu Picchu (almost, but not quite).

Give yourself grace mama. Do what you can, and listen to your body.

This is also a good time to start adding in more yoga. Make sure your teacher knows that you’re pregnant so they can guide you through any modifications that are necessary. If you haven’t been doing yoga prior to your pregnancy, you may need to start with additional modifications right away. If you were doing yoga, this is a great time to remind yourself that it is a practice and instead of killing yourself, take some time to really feel your body and get into alignment.

If you were strength training before pregnancy, keep it up! But (broken record), listen to your body. I was able to do some strength training on days that I felt like I could through the first trimester but I didn’t really get back lifting more often again until probably week 12 or 13. At week 18 I’m still not lifting as often or as heavy as I did pre-pregnancy.

However, you may be able to stay consistent with your lifting schedule throughout your first trimester, and if you can, that’s great! Make sure you are fueling (eating) appropriately and staying hydrated throughout the day as well as your workouts, and keep it up. However, if anything is off (food because of morning sickness, sleep, etc.) don’t be afraid to adjust. Most woman get their energy back in the second trimester, so if you are able, keep a baseline so you can get yourself where you want to be once you start feeling better.

For Everyone

Listen to your body. (Are you sick of me saying that yet? Because I’ll probably say it again).

Try not to stay completely stationary unless you really feel unwell. Do your best to try and move as much as possible.

Get your heart rate up, but hang out in the “I can still have a conversation with you“ zone. You may want to push it harder, but until you get the “all clear” from your doctor, make sure you could have a conversation with someone throughout your entire workout. Not just talk occasional, but actually have a conversation.

When it comes to cardio, after seeing the doctor if everything looks good you can start adding in some intervals. However, you’ll probably be advised that you still don’t want your heart rate up high for long periods of time. Oh, and  remember that “high” is relative. If you’re used to intense cardio, your new “high” may be much lower than you are used it. It’s okay. You’re growing a human. It’s going to be fine.

Does this mean things are going to change? Yes. It may even be a huge change. Heck! You are getting ready for a REALLY BIG change. But it’s all good.

Most importantly, listen to your body (see, I told you I’d throw it in again). And, of course talk to your doctor. But get moving. You’ve got a pretty important event coming up, it’s time to start training for it.

*Remember. It’s ALWAYS best to check with your doctor. This advice is general rule of thumb, but every person and every pregnancy is different.

Bonus Resources

Snow Day Workouts
(2 bodyweight workouts with modifications)

Time Finding Tool
(Find time in your schedule for all the things you need to do now)

Quick Bodyweight Workouts
(4 more workouts you can do at home… with modifications)

Tabata Inspiration Cheat Sheet
(Interval Inspiration for experienced exercisers)