Okay, I know, you just found out you’re pregnant so you may not even want to think about working out right now. Right? Well, some people do, but I am sure there are a lot of women that don’t want to jump right into it without thinking a bit more about what is safe to do and what is unsafe to do while pregnant. A general guideline is that if you were working out prior to your pregnancy then you should be able to continue through your pregnancy with modifications, unless you have a high-risk pregnancy. You’re also able to start working out during pregnancy, but I would be a bit more cautious as and figure out which workouts would be best suited for you, prior to jumping into anything. Talk to you doctor in both scenarios but, keep in mind, you want to ensure your number one focus is the health of you and your babe!
My Experience:
I had been working out regularly prior to pregnancy, so my story may be a bit different than others. So, in my fourth week of pregnancy I basically just went about my usual routine but was a bit more mindful of what I was doing and how I was doing it. In general, I was teaching HIIT classes around 5-6 days per week. However, with our honeymoon and the wedding, and the change in season, we went down to three days. Week four was not too bad for me, I felt pretty good. I still had most of my energy and I was able to do my HIIT class as if I was still in wedding workout mode. BUT if you were not doing HIIT prior to the pregnancy, or even if you were, I suggest you contact your doctor to see if you should be doing these types of workouts. Generally speaking, they’re not for everyone, so I’m not just talking about pregnant women exclusively, so please keep that in mind!
I was pretty inconsistent at the beginning of pregnancy with my fitness routine, coming back from the honeymoon and getting back into the swing of working out while being more cautious than usual was a challenge. Here are some samples of the workouts I was doing around 1-2 months pregnant. I was also experiencing a lot of nausea at the time, so it was very tempting to not work out at all. It is VERY important to take breaks, as needed, and if you cannot work out that day, give your body that rest day. It is hard for me to take a break when I teach my class, which was good in some ways because it motivated me to do it and I always felt better afterwards. However, when I just knew that my body was not up for the challenge, I would simply direct the class rather than participate. If your body needs a rest, give it a rest! Just remember, you’re doing the second hardest workout of LIFE while growing a human (don’t get me started on labour, that is a WHOLE other discussion). People say it is a great excuse to not worry about working out but to me it isn’t an excuse, it is legit harder than any workout I have ever done.
Simple reminder: there are only a few times in life, sometimes only once, where you get this opportunity. You only have a few months out of your entire life to be pregnant and you don’t want to spend it feeling guilty about not working out when you already feel like crap ☺
No matter what your activity level is right now, just remember, you’re amazing Momma!
Lisha xo
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Cardio Sample Work Out
Each Exercise: 30 Seconds
4 Sets per Round
30 second break between sets
2-5 minute Rest between Rounds
Round 1:
High Knees
Push ups (modified, if needed)
30 second Break between sets
Round 2:
Jumping Jacks (modified, if needed)
Walk-outs to plank & back
30 second Break
Round 3:
Burpees (modified, if needed)
Plank Hip Dips
30 second Break
Round 4:
Squat Jumps
Plank
30 second Break
Round 5:
Mountain Climbers (in plank or standing)
Plank- Up to straight arms, down to elbows
30 second Break
Note: I modify jumps by utilizing heel lifts instead
