I haven’t shared too much workout content on here. I talked about getting back in shape after having James and my favorite at-home workouts during Covid, but to be honest, I’m not huge on group classes and trying the latest fitness fad. I really enjoy the mental and physical benefits of working out. I’m not going to pretend that I do it just for the endorphin rush (although I am always thanksful for that… after the fact) — I like that exercise helps keeps me in shape and my clothes fitting. I like leading an active lifestyle and want to pass that on to my kids, and regular workouts keep me in shape for activities like tennis, skiing, paddle, etc. that I love to do with Andrew, friends, and the eventually, the kids one day. It also makes it easier to chase after them. I do find if I skip working out for a week, my brain is foggy and I have less energy, and these days, I can’t really afford that. My approach to exercise though is really consistency. I find if I take days off or don’t schedule it in and make it turnkey, I won’t do it. I enjoy any excuse not to workout because I just don’t love it and I am really busy these days. So when it comes to a workout routine, I keep it pretty simple. When I’m not pregnant, I do a mix of running, tennis and Tracy Anderson and aim to do five mornings a week before work (or it just doesn’t get done). But I am a nervous nelly when pregnant, so I definitely alter my exercise routine and have developed a pregnancy workout plan that feels safe for me and that I’ll stick to.
Now I want to say that I’m not a doctor or expert, so you should talk to your doctor before coming up with your own pregnancy workout plan or trying to follow mine or someone else’s. And of course what works for me, may not work for you. Lots of women workout like they do pre-pregnancy without a problem, and their doctors fully support it. I underwent extremely taxing fertility treatments and have gone through miscarriages and spotting scares, so I’m extremely cautious about exercise when pregnant even though my doctor would say I could continue running and playing racquet sports as usual. It’s a personal choice, and I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with and what feels good for you and adjust as you go. But I have learned that working out during pregnancy really helps in terms of energy, delivery and losing the baby weight after. I didn’t exercise regularly when pregnant with James and I certainly felt it afterward. I was pretty consistent after the first trimester with Charlotte, and I had a much better postpartum experience. That’s just my personal experience though and every woman and pregnancy is different.
But I’ve gotten tons of questions about what I’m doing for exercise now that I’m pregnant with baby #3, so I thought I’d share my pregnancy workout plan. In general, I aim to workout five days a week, Monday through Friday and then on weekends I try to just be active with the kids. But if I miss a workout during the week, I’ll try to squeeze it in on the weekend for consistency. Regardless of what I do, I do try to move in some way every day. With that said, all bets are off when I’m feeling sick during the first trimester or on those days when the pregnancy just gets to you and you’re feeling exhausted. I prefer to go easy on myself and not push my body — it’s growing another human after all!
First Trimester
Walking
As I mentioned, I’m a nervous nelly when pregnant, especially this time around, so I switched my usual running routine to walking. I would walk the same distance I used to run. I love it as a way to get outside and I’ve gotten into some new podcasts on my run and taken calls and meetings as well, so it always feels productive. I don’t work up that same sweat, but I love feeling like I moved and got some things accomplished.
Second and Third Trimester
Walking
I try to walk for 45-60 minutes 3 days a week
Tracy Anderson Cardio Dance Workouts
I do a modified version of her 15-minute cardio dance workouts. I’ll usually do two for a total of 30 minutes and modify any of the jumping and high-impact components. These are great to do when the weather is crappy outside or I just need to slide in workouts when I can like between meetings or while the kids are occupied for a hot minute.
I have heard great things about Obe and Sculpt Society classes, so I’m thinking about trying them. Thoughts?
Elliptical
On rainy days or days I want to work while I workout or just switch it up, I’ll go to our club’s gym and do the elliptical for 30-40 minutes. I haven’t been doing it lately due to Omicron surges but our club’s gym is usually pretty empty and when it felt less risky, I tried to do the elliptical 1-2 a week depending on the weather.
Peloton
I haven’t yet invested in our own Peloton bike, and I’m usually not at all a fan of spinning. But I have gotten into it as a low-impact form of cardio that feels safe when pregnant. They have a Peloton at our gym, so when Covid feels under control and I don’t feel like doing the elliptical, I’ll do a Peloton ride — usually once a week tops. I enjoy it and find it’s great on days where I feel really tired and don’t want to do anything. I’m considering getting our own Peloton. I don’t really have a space for it right now, so might be something we do once we move, but I like the idea that I could jump on for a ride at any time — on the weekends while Char is napping, before or after the kids wake up etc. rather than having to haul it over to the gym to get my workout in, and in this Covid world, I am still unsure how I feel about the gym tbh.
Occasional Tennis or Paddle
I still don’t feel super comfortable playing like I did pre-pregnancy when I’m all about running for everything and really getting in a workout, so I haven’t been playing that much. I really mostly play with Andrew because I know he won’t mind that I’m not running for every shot and playing my heart out (or he does mind, but can’t say anything since he’s on this journey with me). I miss playing with friends and in clinics but I always feel bad being a weak link and honestly, I’ve just been scared something might go wrong, which is probably completely unfounded, but here we are and I don’t need to put myself in situations that stress me out when they are supposed to be fun.
Any workouts you love that I should add to my pregnancy workout plan?
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