So uncertain - first trimester and exercise
 

I'm only about 3 weeks pregnant. Before, I was used to a very high level of exercise - 30 Day Shred, Insanity, p90X. The nurse told me that if I did it before, it should be fine to do now, as a rule of thumb. I definitely won't be doing p90x Plyometrics or anything, but why isn't anyone saying "modify" or take it easy?

I've been working out sporadically for the past couple of weeks now. Level 1 30 Day Shred and 1 mile of Walk Away the Pounds. I know it sounds selfish, but they are so boring and easy. There's no way I can maintain fitness like this. I'm not saying I want to be a pregnant superbody, but my arms and legs were strong before.

I'm scared to do situps, and my stomach is already mushy. I thought you were supposed to strengthen abs - I'm terrified to even do crunches!

Husband keeps cautioning me - he doesn't want me to try and lose or maintain weight during my first trimester. By the time I give birth, I am going to be a pile of jello! I'm already more tired and weaker from the lack of activity.

Yet, whenever I do something slightly higher intensity, of course, I feel like I'm being selfish and hurting the baby.

I read a journal article that shows a correlation between high intensity exercise, birth defects before 8 or 12 weeks of pregnancy. Ugh.

I keep reading how it's bad to do jumping jacks or jarring motions, yet how the **** can running 15 miles per day be good, either (if the person was used to it before, then can apparently climb Mount Everest :)?

Can't you ask your doc? Is this your first pregnancy? If not, what did you do your first pregnancy?
I dunno if this will post, but here goes:

http://www.healthline.com/yodoconten...e-fitness.html

That might help.

You can continue what you were doing before. You just shouldn't try to improve or increase intensity. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to gain the first trimester. The baby doesn't get going with weight gain until 4 - 5 months. Right now he/she is working on developing organs, not on weight gain.

As long as you are not straining or doing anything painful, you should be fine. Weight-lifting may be a no-no. Lifting heavy objects puts a lot of strain on your internal organs.

Everything I have read and been told by my Dr. while I was PG was that exercise is GOOD while you are PG. It is GREAT that you want to stay in shape. I read that when you exercise, so does the baby and babies with mom's who exercise tend to have stronger hearts.

Ab work will get tough. You may have to modify or stop ab work. That you should ask your dr about.

I have had 4 children, so though I have experience, I am not a professional. But, I maintained my same level of exercise throughout my pregnancies for as long as I could. There will come a point when you just can't do some things any more - like sit-ups or anything involving laying on your stomach. But your body will let you know when that time comes. I think the key is listening to your body.

I also work at a gym, where I have gotten to see many pregnant women keep up their exercise. We have aerobics instructors who continued their high intensity cardio workouts right up until the VERY end, just modifying where necessary.

If you feel more comfortable, lower your exercise intensity, but whatever you do, don't quit exercising. It will really help you be prepared for birth, which is a huge workout in itself!

LabMonkeyGirl,

Prior to my pregnancy, I was doing powerlifting (ie. finished P90x a few years ago and was doing 200lb+ deadlifts).

While doctors say "you can do what you did before", very few women actually do a high level of exercise or weight training (ie. P90X). The average medical professional doesn't have any clue what Ab Ripper X entails :)

Your body will tell you when it is time to modify. After the first trimester, you need to stay off your back (You can do about 35 min of Stretch X without being on your back). Even after 4 months, pullups caused a very strange uncomfortable pain in my tummy. After around 5-6 months, full pushups will be very difficult. After 6-7 months, you will have a lot of trouble doing basic squats, etc. just because the belly is in the way. Just modify as you go along.

Personally, I did NOT do any abdominal exercises during my pregnancy. I would recommend against it because there is an increased risk of separated abs after pregnancy, which makes the recovery a lot worse.

Last but not least, enjoy the ride :) You will gain weight, you will lose your flat belly, your bum will jiggle, but it's ok! I went from powerlifting to being proud of walking 5 miles at 37 weeks pregnant. Most pregnant women don't even leave their house. You don't have to be superwoman, and you'll be amazed at how fast it goes by.

You are 120 + 5'4 prior to pregnancy? You should absolutely not be losing any weight. I was 5'5 and 123, very fit. I have gained almost 40lbs. Yes, 40lbs!!! However, when you are slim, you will need to carry the weight. Baby needs it.

I promise you won't look like a pile of jello. Since we were around the same height/weight, I'll show you how jello you would look with an extra *40lbs* of baby. Here's my before baby (well, about 4 weeks pregnant) and 37 weeks.

Not so bad, is it? Don't be frightened of this journey!! Your post really stood out to me, because I swear I wrote the same thing 9 months ago..

Originally Posted by sacha:
LabMonkeyGirl,

Prior to my pregnancy, I was doing powerlifting (ie. finished P90x a few years ago and was doing 200lb+ deadlifts).

While doctors say "you can do what you did before", very few women actually do a high level of exercise or weight training (ie. P90X). The average medical professional doesn't have any clue what Ab Ripper X entails :)

Your body will tell you when it is time to modify. After the first trimester, you need to stay off your back (You can do about 35 min of Stretch X without being on your back). Even after 4 months, pullups caused a very strange uncomfortable pain in my tummy. After around 5-6 months, full pushups will be very difficult. After 6-7 months, you will have a lot of trouble doing basic squats, etc. just because the belly is in the way. Just modify as you go along.

Personally, I did NOT do any abdominal exercises during my pregnancy. I would recommend against it because there is an increased risk of separated abs after pregnancy, which makes the recovery a lot worse.

Last but not least, enjoy the ride :) You will gain weight, you will lose your flat belly, your bum will jiggle, but it's ok! I went from powerlifting to being proud of walking 5 miles at 37 weeks pregnant. Most pregnant women don't even leave their house. You don't have to be superwoman, and you'll be amazed at how fast it goes by.

You are 120 + 5'4 prior to pregnancy? You should absolutely not be losing any weight. I was 5'5 and 123, very fit. I have gained almost 40lbs. Yes, 40lbs!!! However, when you are slim, you will need to carry the weight. Baby needs it.

I promise you won't look like a pile of jello. Since we were around the same height/weight, I'll show you how jello you would look with an extra *40lbs* of baby. Here's my before baby (well, about 4 weeks pregnant) and 37 weeks.

Not so bad, is it? Don't be frightened of this journey!! Your post really stood out to me, because I swear I wrote the same thing 9 months ago..

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. You looked great! So you think abs exercises are good or bad? I couldn't tell if you recommended ab exercising or not, or warned against NOT strengthening abs.

What everyone else said! A lot of great advice. Don't just throw your workout to the wind, like I did. Or you'll end up very out of shape in 10 months.... and then you'll have to preform one of the most demanding workouts...childbirth. In my experience, facing labor out of shape is like doing a triatholon that you've never ever trained for. IMO. :)

Congratulations on the pregnancy!

I'm not that fit but had been doing boot camp class and spinning class 5 days a week for about 3 months prior to getting pregnant and have kept it up. I try to do everything but sometimes the abs just get to be too much and I wimp out. But I have been doing the hand weight stuff still. That comment about not lifting weights during pregnancy makes me wonder.

I do know that whatever muscle tone you lose will come back quickly when you can get back into it.

I am going to keep this simple, check out this blog for some answers as to how a highly active woman (trainer and author) maintained her fitness during pregnancy. Short answer? Deal with lighter activity until the second trimester, you're not very far along now but fatigue and hormonal changes will necessitate that you step your exercise up gradually again, once you are physically comfortable to do so.

http://www.cassandraforsythe.com/

You can still walk and even run long distances, or do heavier strength training, but you HAVE to listen to your body and be wise about what you undertake. Jello abs can be fixed, a placental separation or miscarriage cannot.

Originally Posted by LabMonkeyGirl:
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. You looked great! So you think abs exercises are good or bad? I couldn't tell if you recommended ab exercising or not, or warned against NOT strengthening abs.

Sorry, I am so incoherent :o

TBH I cannot say if it is a good idea or not. There are good arguments for both. I never did abs in isolation prior to pregnancy either, so there was no need for me to continue. I left my midsection alone. I know many women that continued to do them and did just fine. This is a question only you can answer ;)