How to approach exercise in the first trimester
The first trimester welcomes many profound physical and emotional changes. During this time there may be no visible signs that you’re pregnant, aside from a little tummy bloat. However energy levels, fatigue, breathlessness, nausea and generally not feeling like yourself may affect your desire to exercise.
In addition to the physical symptoms, you may be feeling particularly sensitive or overwhelmed. It’s easy for others to tell you “don’t worry, it’s normal” and this is so true. Your hormones are all over the place as your body prepares for the journey ahead. Whilst I won’t tell you not to worry - because you probably will anyway - I will say this: try not to feel guilty. You cannot control how your body responds to pregnancy. Acknowledge and accept how you feel. If you’re tired and don’t want to workout, try to embrace this and rest, then see how you feel the following day. If you’re apprehensive about what you can do in terms of exercise then do your research or reach out to a specialist trainer who will guide you through the next 9 months or more.
If you’re reading this post then I’m assuming you are now doing your research and I hope that this information puts your mind at ease in terms of how to approach exercise in your first trimester (weeks 1-13).
You may be surprised but ultimately pleased to learn that there isn’t all too much that you can’t do during the first trimester. Now is more about how you feel as this is all new and morning sickness is a demon when it comes to finding the motivation to workout.
Before we get into what you can do, it’s important to outline the circumstances when exercise is absolutely not recommended. You should know if you have one of these conditions from discussions with your doctor:
Intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR)
Incompetent cervix
Pre eclampsia toxaemia
Severe anaemia
Continued vaginal bleeding (see below)
Placenta praevia
History of pre term labour
Rupture of membranes
There are also circumstances when exercise should be stopped and medical advice sought before continuing, these include:
Vaginal bleeding
High blood pressure
Severe persistent headache and/ or visual disturbances
Fainting
Swelling, pain and redness in one calf (DVT)
Abdominal pain
Contractions (including Braxton Hicks)
Poor general health
Excessive fatigue
Finally, whilst most activities are safe to continue during pregnancy, the following are not given their increased risk of injury to you and/or the baby:
Activities where the risk of falling is high.
This includes sports such as rock climbing, gymnastics, skiing, snowboarding and to some extent horse riding.Activites that cause you to overheat.
Including hot yoga. This extends to use of the sauna and steam room which may be a part of your postworkout routine.
Exercise at high altitudes (over 2,500 metres).
This means high-level hiking and mountain climbing and extends to sports such as skydiving. On the flip side, scuba diving is also off-limits during pregnancy.
Heavy contact sports.
Including sports such as boxing, rugby, ice hockey, basketball and vigorous racket sports such as squash.
So now what you can do…?
As above there are few, if any, outward signs of pregnancy in the first trimester so you are safe to continue as you were. Trust that your body will tell you when you are pushing to far and start working on your mindset as the next 9 months aren’t about hitting new PB’s or signing up for wacky physical challenges. Instead, now is the time to focus on building a strong body that can cope with the demands of growing, carrying and delivering a baby. Now is the time to think about maintaining your fitness to continue being and feeling healthy. It’s about building stamina as you know you’re going to need that in labour.
The most common question I’m asked by women in their first trimester is whether they can still do core exercises. The answer is yes, you can! In fact, now is the time to really focus on it! Instead of your traditional crunches and sit ups, I urge you to focus on your deep core - made up of the pelvic floor, transverse (inner) muscles and diaphragm. These are super important for preventing back pain, limiting the extent of diastasis recti (abdominal separation), maintaining good pelvic floor function, and easing other pregnancy-related aches and pains. Abdominal breathing, dead bugs, birddogs, planks and side planks are just some examples of these deep core exercises.
Another question I am asked is whether or not you can run during any trimester of pregnancy. Again, the answer is yes! If you ran consistently prior to getting pregnant then as long as you feel comfortable, you can continue. From talking to clients it does seem that low energy and nausea may mean that you are less consistent, or you take a break from it, but on the days you feel up to it or after these symptoms subside, if you want to run, then run. My caveat is that you eat a little something before, stay hydrated, pace yourself, avoid getting too hot or breathless and listen to your body.
If you’ve never ran before but are keen to focus on your health and fitness during pregnancy then I would suggest that you take it really steadily or stick to other more low-impact forms of cardio exercises such as swimming or brisk walking. Running puts a lot of pressure on the body and isn’t the best activity to start right now.
A final topic I get asked about is weight/resistance training during pregnancy. I absolutely recommend this form of exercise as it’s important to build strength and maintain good posture at all times, especially when your body is facing the demands of pregnancy. If you’re seasoned in the gym then start to think about transitioning to a maintenance programme and as always, listen to your body. There are a lot of internal changes taking place and dizziness and/or breathlessness isn’t uncommon so heavy lifting may not be suitable and extra breaks may be needed.
If you’re pregnant and haven’t lifted weights before I highly suggest you invest in yourself and get a prenatal trainer, whether you receive 1:1 sessions or follow a plan is up to you but instruction as to technique and how to formulate a safe but effective workout is priceless! Alternatively, there are lots of prenatal workout programmes available - just make sure you do some background research and chose a trainer that is a specialist in this area.
Current guidelines recommend 150 minutes of exercise per week during pregnancy. This amounts to just 30 minutes, 5 times per week. There are SO many benefits to exercising during pregnancy (see here to read about them!) so try to do what you can but don’t beat yourself up if all you want to do it sleep or relax on the sofa. Nausea and fatigue usually subside as you enter the second trimester so you can reassess and hopefully get into some sort of routine then. Remember that every pregnancy is different so don’t compare yourself to others, stay in your own lane and do what you can, when you can.
If you’d like to read and learn more about prenatal exercise then I have a full ebook to download. With information on all physical and physiological aspects, there is advice to get you through and understand how and when to adapt during each trimester. This practical guide answers your questions and delivers the information, exercises, and workouts you need to build and maintain your personal fitness. It’s aim is to give you the reassurance and confidence to do what is best in the way of movement and exercise so you can enjoy peace of mind.