Staying active in the first trimester of pregnancy
Staying active in the first trimester…
Is hell. Every women is incredibly different but for almost all women the first trimester is some version of torture whether she admits it or not. Maybe we don’t admit it because we are too busy hiding how icky we feel or maybe we don’t admit it because that will make it worse(this is my case!). If someone is feeling sorry for me I am more likely to feel sorry for myself and feel worse. Fake it till ya make it I guess. Good or bad but this is me.
Either way staying active through the first trimester sets the rest of your pregnancy and continued activity up for success. For some this may mean daily walks and for some this may mean strength training 3 times a week and a cardio routine. Neither end of this spectrum is wrong and neither is right. You have to do what you can do and push through a little of what you think you can’t push through if all you want to do is sit on the couch.
Whether it is your 1 st or 5 th there are always fears of what if I do to much and what if I do to little and what if, what if, what if! Clearing your mind of these what ifs can be tricky but necessary for your sanity. Mindset really does matter for your health and babies health. A great way to start this is by doing a five minute body scan. Take a few minutes in a quiet space and focus on all parts of your body one at a time. Focus on removing negative thoughts, focus on pains, strains and normal. From here you can build your plan with a clean mind. Does your back hurt? A walk will likely help loosen that up. Do you feel relatively A ok minus some nausea? A strength workout slightly toned back from your normal will likely make you feel improved. It won’t magically make your nausea go away but if you feel like puking anyway why not make your body and brain feel good from being active!
Next comes the wonder and fear of what can I do safely. The longer a couple spends trying to conceive seems to dictate how big this concern and fear is. During the first trimester there is no activities that are off limits or going to harm your baby if you are a healthy person but please read on for a few considerations.
There are a lot of safer activities in later pregnancy but in a low risk first trimester things are mostly the same. If you are unsure be sure to talk to your midwife or doctor and a certified personal trainer that has prenatal experience. As much as advice from well meaning moms is great their advice is based on personal experience and you will learn over the next few months that your personal experience is going to be a lot different than others. Be sure to dress in layers so you don’t overheat, use a fan for comfort, if you have previous high blood pressure concerns don’t lift anything overhead. Other than that do what feels tolerable and do your best not to beat yourself up when you can’t lift the same amount of weight as you could a month ago or you don’t feel like doing burpees anymore.