Exercising While Pregnant (3rd Trimester): Tips from a Sports Chiropractor

Are you newly pregnant, pregnant for the first time, or know someone who is? Here is my guide of helpful tips to use during the third trimester. I would like to preface this by saying this is not medical advice. I am taking what I have learned during my time being pregnant and viewing it through my specialty lens of movement and performance. Everyone’s background and journey are different, so please do your best to use this as a guide and not compare yourself to mine or anyone else’s journey. This is exercising while pregnant (3rd trimester). 

37 Weeks Along

At the time of writing this article, I am currently 37 weeks along in my first pregnancy, which is now technically full term as I approach the full 40 weeks. I am a swimmer, sprint triathlete, and occasional half marathoner. My fitness goal for my pregnancy is to try to maintain as much of my current level of fitness while being okay with the inevitable decrease in fitness. 

Throughout this wild ride I have come to terms that even daily tasks could become physical feats that should be celebrated: talking to patients, rolling over on the couch, and even walking up the stairs. So, when I exercise, I can acknowledge how amazing my body is, that it can grow a human at the same time while still crushing a workout. 

Tip #1: Be Prepared that Your Belly Will Get in the Way

With swimming, I stopped doing flip turns at week 32. They were getting too slow and inefficient so that open turns were less cumbersome. With cycling, I had to keep raising my handlebars with pillows and eventually had my last ride at 32 weeks. With running, my dog, Hope, was not a fan that I had to keep slowing my pace and adding in more walking. I also had my last official jog/trot at 31 weeks. With strength training, I have mainly just had to widen my stance with squats and deadlifts and do less exercises on a flat bench, everything else has been somewhat done as prescribed. 

Tip #2: Be Prepared for the Fatigue to Ramp Up Again

If you were like me in the first trimester where I was experiencing a lot of fatigue, don’t be alarmed when it returns. I noticed at 32 weeks my body started to actually feel more uncomfortable, and it clearly showed with my workout modifications and trends. As I approached 34 weeks, I made a shift to doing the workouts that felt the best and that were more enjoyable, which was strength training and swimming.  It might sound cliché but listen to your body; if you are tired from work or just growing that little human, you don’t have to force that workout. My ideal goal was to get 4 workouts in during the week, but I was completely happy if I only got 1 or 2. There have been studies that show your metabolism while pregnant is similar to running a marathon, every day. 

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Like Training for an Ironman

Growing a human is no joke and takes a lot of physical and mental energy. I have found that coming up with a plan and being open to necessary changes and pivots along the way has been beneficial to my overall physical and mental stability during this entire process. Things happen and we need to be able to adapt and change course if needed, like on race day when you get a flat or you forget your fuel. You trained for the race, and you are there, but you need to come up with Plan B and make it work. Being pregnant is like training for an Ironman: it takes most of the year, it’s exhausting, but instead of a finisher’s medal you get a baby, and I hear it’s totally worth it. 

If you want to follow my exercise and pregnancy journey, follow me on Instagram (@motion_sports_chiro). You can find most of my workouts documented and the modifications I made, and you can incorporate while still trying to maintain fitness through your pregnancy as an athlete. This is exercising while pregnant (3rd trimester). 

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