Exercise and the First Trimester
Congrats! You’ve recently found out that you’re pregnant. This is an exciting time.
I get a lot of women that want to stay active during their pregnancy but don’t feel like they have much guidance on what to do. There is a lot of noise out there on social media - do this, don’t do this - I can see where the confusion lies.
The first trimester extends from weeks 0-12. Like I mentioned, this can be an exciting time, but it can also be very tough. Morning sickness is experienced by 80% of women, with some degree of nausea and vomiting. Women often feel extremely fatigued and notice their energy levels are depleted.
Nausea, vomiting, fatigue - tough, right!? I t can be really hard to continue with your normal exercise routine during this time.
Overall, in terms of exercise, the first trimester will be similar to pre-pregnancy. You can resume with most/all the activities you were doing before. If you like to run, keep running. If you like to lift and strength train - please continue! ACOG recommends the same amount of activity during pregnancy as pre-pregnancy: 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. This should be discussed and cleared with your OB-GYN. In 2017, the Journal of American Obstetrics and Gynecology published that the benefits of exercise during your pregnancy include a higher incidence of vaginal birth, and a lower incidence of gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, preterm birth, lower birth weight, and cesarean birth.
However, the mindset of your workouts should change. First, give yourself permission to modify exercise in consideration of fatigue and energy levels. There is no shame in modifying whatsoever. If you have to interval walk/run instead of solely running, that is A-OK. Understand that this is not you being out of shape or weak, but your body’s physiological requirements to support a growing baby.
Second, start to implement piston breathing into your workouts. Your body learns to use breath for improved core stability and proper pressure management in your abdomen. This strategy helps protect your pelvic floor, prevents issues like pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence, and helps with treating/managing diastasis recti. It is an incredibly useful tool with exercise during pregnancy and postpartum.
Third, start to implement “Can I vs. Should I?”. There is a TON of social pressure to be a fit mom and have a fit pregnancy. There will be many times you will think to yourself “I bet I could do that”. And the answer is - you probably can! But, there may come a time where reducing load volumes, modifying movements, decreasing impact and intensity can occur. Much of this boils down to risk vs. reward.
Hope this information is helpful as you start the journey over the next several months. If you experience abnormal symptoms, including pelvic pain, pelvic floor heaviness, urinary incontinence, etc., reach out to a pelvic floor PT in your area. They can often point you in the right direction and provide a ton of guidance during an uncertain time.
