Exercising While Pregnant (1st and 2nd 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 first and second trimesters. I would like to preface this by no means medical advice, I am only 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.

At the time of writing this article, I am currently 27 weeks and 5 days along in my first pregnancy journey, which is the last few days of the second trimester. 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. 

Tip #1: Accept that your metrics and stats will change

Your body is currently making a human being, and that takes a lot of involuntary energy. During my first trimester I was lucky if I got one workout during the week. I was so fatigued that I did not have the energy to get off the couch some days. When you do manage to workout, be okay with not feeling and performing at your best. Anytime I was able to exercise, I would be happy to be able to move my body in a way other than rolling over on the couch. Luckily Garmin has a pregnancy setting and it turns your performance metrics off so that you don’t get upset that it looks like you are drastically out of shape.

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Tip #2: Listen to your body, especially your lungs 

I know it sounds cliché, but your training during this time should not be ‘no pain, no gain’. You have extra blood pumping, extra weight in your abdomen (and the rest of your body), and your lung capacity is shrinking due to the space and energy being taken up by your growing baby. Things will make you short of breath that would normally be a breeze. So, make sure you take extra rest between sets and/or make your sets or workouts shorter. 

Tip #3:  Not getting all your planned workouts in for the week

I have put racing on hold for now, so I am not concerned if I miss a workout or two. My goal during the first trimester was to take my dog on daily walks and do 1-2 workouts a week.  However, there were some weeks where my schedule and body said otherwise, and I had to rest in order to honor my body’s current energy levels.  During the second trimester my weekly goal was to do one of each: swim, bike, run, strength. I didn’t accomplish this every week, but I had significantly more energy and willingness to workout than the first trimester. During the third trimester, my goal will be to complete the same number of workouts but knowing I will make significant modifications or just cutting workouts short. I am prioritizing exercise during my entire pregnancy so that I can recover easier post-partum. I understand it will be difficult, but I believe preparing now will benefit in the future. 

Give Yourself Grace

As endurance athletes, we always want to train to the max and push our bodies to the limit. But being pregnant, we must remember our body is trying to complete a 40ish week ultra marathon.  Give yourself grace knowing that your body is doing some amazing things even though you can’t accurately track your stats. If you want to follow my exercise and pregnancy journey, follow me on Instagram (@motion_sports_chiro), There you can find most of my workouts documented and the modifications I made, and you can make while still trying to maintain fitness through your pregnancy as an athlete.  This is exercising while pregnant. 

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