Admittedly, I love working out. I always have for a lot of different reasons, but these days it’s my “me time,” my she-power part of my day. Fitness when not pregnant versus pregnant is completely different. And it has taken me three times to figure out what works for me. When pregnant, I don’t work out to lose weight, or get in better shape, or to look good in a bikini (expanding by the second here!). Having a regular fitness routine during these 40ish weeks gives me energy, allows for a quicker recovery, makes me feel good, and gives me guilt-free Hostess cake indulgences (seriously, I can throw those things down).
My workouts change from trimester to trimester, and like I said, this time I have really found a good groove that has worked. I thought I would share what has worked in case any of you other expecting (or those trying to or planning to be expecting) were curious. As a working mama, there is only one tiny window to get this done, and for me, that’s over lunch. If I miss that time, it’s not happening.
FIRST TRIMESTER –
PREGNANT? WHO’S PREGNANT?
I’m the annoying pregnant person who does not get sick…like, at all. So this trimester is basically the trimester where everything goes on as is. And for us, with this UNEXPECTED surprise, we definitely spent the first twelve weeks in a fog of denial. So basically everything in my life (minus my love for a weekend cocktail or two) went on as is. Keeping my workouts pretty much the same helped with fatigue as well!
Weeks 1-12
- Run 2 times a week (usually 2-3 miles)
- Cybex or Elliptical 1 day a week (Usually 20 minutes)
- Upper Body on Mondays
- Lower Body on Tuesdays
- Machine Day on Wednesdays
- Thursdays Off
- Upper and Lower on Fridays
SECOND TRIMESTER –
PUSH THROUGH OR THROW IN THE TOWEL!
This is the trimester for most where the sickness disappears and a boost of energy suddenly appears. For me, it’s when I finally start to feel the pregnancy creeping up on me. I’m not as tired, but I start to slow down a bit, and towards the end is when I start to put on some weight, which changes my workouts. It’s amazing what an extra 10 lbs even does to change how you feel doing things you did before. This is also the trimester where if I lose momentum and slack off, there’s no coming back. If I can push through this second trimester (which until this pregnancy I was unable to do), I am in it for the long haul.
Weeks 13-27
- Run 2 x week slower (20 minutes)
- Cybex 1 x a week for 20 minutes
- Upper Body Day
- Lower Body Day
- Wild Card Day – Whatever floats my boat. This is usually Friday.
THIRD TRIMESTER –
HOME STRETCH….POSSIBLE WHALE SITING!
It’s inevitable that you will either BE or FEEL like Large Marge at some point during this trimester. At about 30 weeks is when my body really starts to “talk” to me and let me know whether something is ok or if it definitely is not. There have been days when I can jog and do the things I was doing in the second trimester, and there are days I have to do lower intensity things. Spin class has become my friend this trimester, and I plan on doing that up until baby day or until my body allows. Because I am currently in this trimester, I can give you an exact workout I just did this past week between my 30th and 31st week.
Weeks 28-36 weeks
- Monday: Spin Class
- Tuesday:
Treadmill – 20 minutes = 1 min walk, 3 minute run x 5;
Upper Body – Dumbbell Work (Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps, Lat Pull Downs) 8-10 reps x 3.
- Wednesday: Spin Class
- Thursday: OFF
- Friday:
12 minutes Treadmill (1 min walk; 2 minute run x 4);
12 minutes Cybex (Interval work);
Dumbbell flys;
Dumbbell 7-7-7;
Dumbbell out, in, up, down;
Dumbbell bent over flys for back;
Lat Pulldown machine;
Medicine Ball squat routine – This is a favorite and BURNS! Pictures below. Each rep consists of four squats all while holding a medicine ball. Front squat, turn right and squat, front squat, turn left and squat=1 rep. I do this 8-10 times x 2 sets.
- FRIDAY SMOOTHIE (My treat to myself!)
36 weeks* – Baby Day =
SWIMMING, SWIMMING, SWIMMING!
*(or when I can no longer do the third trimester workouts)
This is something you can do throughout your pregnancy and is so good for you and low impact. I swam competitively through high school and really enjoy this, so am looking forward to getting in the pool in a few weeks. At the end I will swim and walk, and that’s about it until this little nugget decides to make his/her debut.
So there you have it. With Jimmer, I did work out the first few weeks then went to mostly walking through the first and second trimester, and the third trimester–a whole lotta nothing. With Jordy, I had just come off of 3 early miscarriages in a row and was a nervous wreck to do much of anything the first trimester. I worked out off and on the second trimester, and again phased to little to nothing during the third. I should point out that with both of those pregnancies I was tired, and swollen, and just didn’t feel super great or have a lot of energy. This time around by sticking with it, I feel better than I ever have while pregnant. I have good and bad days, but for the most part I feel pretty good. On Fridays I work from home, and Nick and I are able to workout together which I love. And that’s the day I allow myself an amazing fruit smoothie at the MAC (DELICIOUS). Stay tuned for if this diligence helped with recovery/post pregnancy!
Disclaimer: Obviously talking to your Doctor about what you can and cannot do is first and foremost. Every pregnancy is different, so getting the green light from them needs to happen before attempting any work outs.
