Exercising in the First Trimester

Hello, hope you’re having a nice Tuesday. I wanted to write about exercise today, and what I’ve been doing to keep moving over the last few months.

Exercise has been the one thing that hasn’t returned to normal now that I’ve moved out of the first tri and into the second. Although some people still don’t regain their energy for a few more weeks, the second tri is supposed to be your most energetic. I, however, took a 90 minute nap on Sunday and go to bed at 9:45 p.m. each night.

The whole idea of exercising while pregnant is to be mindful, don’t get out of breath, don’t go out to set records, and listen to your body. It is important to stay active while pregnant to help your muscles and joints stay flexible. There are also benefits of staying healthy and not gaining too much weight, and having a healthy baby. All good reasons to find an exercise routine that works.

One thing I didn’t expect was that my body works much differently no matter what I tell it we’re doing. I stopped going to CrossFit in the middle of July because I started valuing sleep more, and the mornings felt a little woozy. It also just didn’t sound good to do such high impact activities, but mostly, I wanted the sleep. I also had problems walking outside in the heat. I would get very lightheaded and dizzy from high temperatures.

I still really like CrossFit, but I’m not sure if it’s a good workout for me while pregnant. There are definitely ways to modify everything, I am deciding if/when I’ll go back.

I also kept up swimming through July and backed off in August. It was surprisingly harder to catch my breath in the pool, but the water felt nice in the heat.

In August, I mostly walked on the treadmill. The goal was four times a week of just moving. I struggled with when to exercise since weekday mornings were for sleeping and going to work. I went in the mid afternoon 1-2 days per week and was just happy with what I did. I also tried to keep up light weights on the weekends, but notice my muscle mass has definitely decreased already. That’s been sad, I worked a long time to build muscles at CrossFit!

Now that I’m into the second tri, my goal is still four days per week of 45-60 minutes of exercise. That is what my doctor recommends, so that is my goal. She definitely recommended cutting back on the 6-7 days of exercise. I hope to do more walking in the early mornings with cooler temperatures on the way, mixed with light weights at a gym or studio.

If you are wondering about running, I stopped that long ago! April was probably the last time I jogged. I didn’t plan to run outside in the summertime, and I was still getting minor IT Band pains on my right leg. I hope a long break will cure those pains, although I’ll be starting over next Spring with building up running. I do not plan to jog while pregnant, but many people do.

Anything surprise you? What exercises do you think would be best?