Fit Pregnancy: My (imperfect) Journey

I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to remain quite active during my second trimester. I’m extremely grateful I can do as much as I do, even though I’ve had a few minor setbacks. Here’s my #fitpregnancy journey so far:

As an active fitness junkie and personal trainer, I fully expected that I would be able to continue running and working out at almost the same intensity I was used to before my pregnancy. Then life happened…

The first trimester…whoa, it knocked me out! Mild morning sickness and debilitating fatigue. If I worked out during the day, my body would start to feel close to collapsing about halfway through my evening personal training sessions. So other than my (almost) daily (very short) walks, I spent most of my workout time lying on the couch and napping. Lots of napping!

The second trimester…it’s going well so far! More energy (most of the time) and no more morning sickness means that I have been able to start exercising regularly again. Two things I noticed: First, running and jumping really started to bother my knees, and I didn’t want to bring back any old injuries. I also started to feel uncomfortable pressure on my bladder (I have very mild interstitial cystitis, which is chronic inflammation/irritation of the bladder). So I started walking and doing low-impact cardio instead. Second, what happened to my strength? I’ve taken time off of exercising before and have been able to jump back in rather quickly, but this time was different. It was most noticeable when I tried to pump out some pushups, expecting it to be effortless. Let me tell you…not effortless.

Then, at around 20 weeks, I had to completely stop exercising for a little over a week because my doctor thought there might be a problem with my cervix. After a follow-up ultrasound, I was told that everything looked great and that I could resume my normal activities. Yay!

Did I give up during any of this? Hell no! I just had to tone down my workouts (a lot!) and reprioritize my focus. It’s working! Thanks to exercising pretty regularly throughout my second trimester, I feel like my body is ready to handle the third trimester and everything that comes along with it.

My clients often ask me about my workout schedule, so I’ve decided to show the difference between my workouts before pregnancy and my current schedule.

I don’t stick to the same workout schedule month after month, but rather put myself through different phases of training. Leading up to my pregnancy, on the weeks I stuck to my workout schedule, my pre-pregnancy workouts were as follows:

*Pre-Pregnancy Workout Schedule:

Average workout time = at least 1 hour

Note: HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training

• Monday: Lower body (using heavy weights)

• Tuesday: 20-30 minute run or HIIT cardio, followed by chest, shoulders, triceps

• Wednesday: 20-30 minute run, followed by back, biceps, abs

• Thursday: Lower body plyo (using lighter weights/body weight)

• Friday: Rest/walk

• Saturday: Total body circuits (sometimes using heavy weights; sometimes using lighter weights/body weight and completing as a HIIT workout)

• Sunday: Longer run

*Approximately 3 weeks out of the month would look like this, and on the other weeks I would switch between total body resistance training and cardio for 4 or 5 days of the week.

Pregnancy Workout Schedule:

Since most my first trimester workouts looked like: 15 minute walk followed by 30-40 minute nap, I’ll skip to the second trimester pregnancy workout schedule. On good weeks my second trimester workouts are as follows:

*Second Trimester:

Average workout time = 30 - 40 minutes

• Monday: Rest day

• Tuesday: 20-30 minute walk, followed by total body circuit(s)

• Wednesday: 30-40 minute walk

• Thursday: 20-30 minute walk or low-impact cardio intervals, followed by a quick core workout

• Friday: 20-30 minute walk, followed by total body circuit(s)

• Saturday: 20-30 minute walk, followed by prenatal yoga

• Sunday: 20-30 minute walk or low-impact cardio intervals, followed by total body circuit(s), including core

*Approximately 2 to 3 weeks out of the month look like this, and on the other weeks when I feel more fatigued, I’ll take more rest and/or just walking days.

Overall, I’m really enjoying my pregnancy and love the feeling I get by staying active. On the days I’m more active, I feel less physically and emotionally drained at the end of the day. Basically, exercise puts me in a good mood and gives me more energy. That, right there, is my main motivation for staying as active as I can throughout my pregnancy.