Exercising Mamas - March

kboydbowman

How has your exercise routine been affected?

Ideas for pregnancy safe exercise?

Questions related to exercise?

whitta1015

Any recommendations for someone who literally never exercises? Terrible, I know. To be honest, (& I am not bragging) I've just been "small" all of my life and have never been someone who has really had to worry about working out. BUT I gained 40lbs with my last pregnancy, which the doctor wasn't concerned about, but I was freaking miserable. So other than watching what I eat better this time around, I would like to incorporate some type of exercise into my daily routine so I can keep the weight gain down to 20-25lbs this time. I just don't want to jump into anything since my body isn't used to it. 

lalarose22

@whitta1015 walking is a great exercise during pregnancy!! Maybe some prenatal yoga too!?

lucyg00cy

Nourish Move Love has tons of free pre-natal exercises videos on her website and YouTube. She’s literally pregnant in most of the videos too which is nice. Very relatable.

I agree with @lalarose22 - Walking is also great exercise, even if it’s just a few 10 minute walks at a time throughout the day. 

Yoga is awesome too, lots of free videos online and some paid services. I’m a certified yoga instructor and when I’m not doing my own practice I use AloMoves, they have tons of great classes from yoga to barre to Pilates and general strength. IMO it’s the best option outside of going to a true studio. 

whitta1015

Thanks ladies! It's starting to warm up here so that should be motivating for some afternoon walks!

lilienne

@whitta1015 are there prenatal yoga classes near you? I was considering trying to find one near me. My OBGYN says exercise is totally fine at this stage, so long as I don't try to push myself past what feels reasonable. Walking might be your best starting point, if you don't generally get a lot of exercise.

My two primary sources of exercise before pregnancy were horsesback riding and snowboarding, so clearly I'm going to have to find new options. I'll spend 3 days a week helping out at the barn where I ride horses when I'm not pregnant. Since I can't ride, that will mean a few hours each day lifting buckets of grain and walking around outside. When I'm not at the barn I thought I'd do some walking with the dogs - either going on a walk with them, or taking them to the dog park and walking around the perimeter. I have a 10-15 minute stretching routine I usually do every day, but I will need to modify some stretches as my body changes - touching my toes is getting harder, and bending is making me feel a little dizzy.

lalarose22

@whitta1015 same here! Going to try and incorporate a walk into my lunch break every day once it's nice out!

mokay19

I was diagnosed with a SCH at my first appt so I was put on pelvic rest and since I was nervous I stopped lifting, too. Now that I’m approaching the second trimester, I’ll start lifting again and ease back in!

mk2022x

I can’t wait for warm weather and going on more walks! I’ve been exercising consistently but since it’s my first and I used to do intense, heavy lifting workouts, I cut way back after finding out we were pregnant. I also increased my food to make sure I was getting enough nutrients and I am terrified to step on the scale at my OB on Thursday 😅 I haven’t been eating badly by any means but I feel like the combo of the two may have put me over the ~5 lb first tri gain. 

I’ve been doing cycle workouts. I have the NordicTrack bike with iFIT and it’s so nice to just get on and have someone tell me what to do haha. I still feel fit but I can tell I’ve gained weight and it’s slightly uncomfortable haha. 

babywiik

@whitta1015 I really like Mamastrong. She has video workouts for pregnancy, post partum and beyond. A new work out every day plus a bunch of "fix mes" for when you inevitably get pain somewhere. I've been doing the low back releases, stretching and she explains how to get the correct muscles to be doing their job. For example, my hip flexors often take over for my glutes causing a lot of tightness and pain in my lower back and tailbone. So first she guides through relaxing the hip flexor and then getting the gluten firing so they do their job. I've had a lot of fast results and there are a lot of hacks that are just 5 mins. So perfect for someone like me who often lacks motivation to do anything😆

theblondebump

@whitta1015 +1 for walking! 

I've been doing pilates once a week and going on a few walks every week. It's all I can really manage at the moment, energy-wise, but I hope as I progress further into the second trimester, I'll get a little more energy and feel up to pilates a few times a week.

lalarose22

I was working as a group fitness instructor when I was pregnant with DS1 and taught classes 3x/week until I was 37 weeks pregnant.. I'm a little worried about keeping up with exercising this time around when I'm not being paid to do it

lilienne

@lalarose22 this is exactly why I signed up for physical work at the barn!  Even if I slack off on the days in between, I'll have 3 days a week where someone is counting on me. Built in motivation!

lalarose22

@lilienne so smart! It can be so hard to do, but it's so important for our bodies right now!!

serenity_by_van

I’m continuing with my Peloton workouts (bike and strength), but using a lot more of Robin’s prenatal collection. I also do regular rides but scale back the intensity.

I’m definitely interested in adding some prenatal yoga and Pilates to the mix!

wiseh

@whitta1015 walking is really, really good exercise for pregnant women. It can also help to do some stretching and stuff too. You can try yoga but if you've never done it before you may find it quite challenging, particularly being pregnant (I suck at yoga. You actually have to be really strong to get into and hold a lot of the positions). 

I have been so sick this pregnancy I have not felt like exercising at all. I am starting to feel slightly better so hoping to get back into the gym in the next couple of weeks and have booked in a PT session with my coach so he can see where I'm currently at and set my program going forward. Very much looking forward to feeling myself again but I am conscious that I have to adjust my expectations on what I consider a "good work out".

dsmith211

All I’ve really been able to keep up with so far is walking. I plan on adding some stretches/light yoga back in as I can and hopefully next week my pool will be back in swimmable shape and I can swim again!

lilienne

I finished my first day of helping out at the barn and I'm exhausted! I know it's good for me and it's nice to know I can be useful, but my goodness that was a lot of walking and bending and lifting, even with help for the heaviest parts. I thought I'd drop in and send a "drink extra water when you exercise" reminder, in case I'm not the only one at risk of making that mistake.  My coworker kindly reminded me to take a break midway through and catch up on hydration, or I might really have ended up feeling lousy.

lalarose22

Found a yoga studio that has pregnancy and postpartum friendly classes! Going to my first class tonight!

JRae2015

I haven’t been working out as much as I would like to!  The best time for me is early morning like 5am and I just haven’t been able to get up. I’ve been doing thirty min bike rides (peloton) a few times per week. I’m hoping to get more consistent and also work in some strength classes and prenatal yoga. Any other peloton users here also do the power zone training? I may start that back up next week but all the classes are 45-60+ minutes .  I’m worried it would be too big of a jump after not doing that long of workouts for the last 8 weeks…

x_tina729

For the most part I have been keeping up with my same exercise routine since before pregnancy. I have been very lucky in that I feel physically ok. I did have to stop hot yoga and hot pilates which I miss a lot! I notice that I am getting winded easier and my muscles feel weaker? I am just listening to my body and stopping if it doesn't feel right.

I am doing some yoga still at home and I will say that's been pretty helpful with helping my lower back which always has seemed to bother me and is even more so now. I definitely feel less flexible so I do want to get better with stretching/doing yoga more than just 1-2x per week.

x_tina729

@JRae2015 wow 5:00 am!! I was also envious of people that could get up and work out before work but I simply cannot do it lol.

nikolar

I broke my hand a few weeks ago and am in a cast for 4 more weeks. I had been hard to do any exercises/stretching. I’ve also been low energy. I’m hopeful that my second trimester will bring more energy. 

kboydbowman

Hi @nikolar.  Please stop by the introductions thread and introduce yourself.

bird_lady

Its been prenatal yoga and walking for me. Thank goodness the weather is getting warmer too, love the sun and warmth! I am trying to get into a routine of yoga in morning and walking during my hour lunch and then a short time after work. 

I really regret not continuing running during my first trimester. I didn't run much before, just like 30 minutes 3X's a week. But my whole first trimester I was so sick and had no energy at all so I didn't do like anything. Just slept. And now I feel its too late to get back into running. My legs and cardio suck now lol
So for now I'm just easing back into walking. Probably won't run again until after the baby is born though to be honest. 

I do want to start doing some very light lifting though. Get me muscles prepared for giving birth! lol

lucyg00cy

I’ve been doing a lot of strength training (3-4x week), yoga, long walks, and have been spending time on our exercise bike. So far my routine hasn’t really been affected. I’ve just stopped doing any core work that requires you to lay on your back so lots of planks instead! 

If anyone is interested in free workouts check out Nourish Move Love on YouTube and/or her website. She has tons of prenatal workout videos and workout plans. 

maple1422

I have completely stopped going to the gym, but we're working on renovating our living room, kitchen, hall, and the landing downstairs, so there have been plenty of active nights installing electrical and sheetrock, hauling out scrap and cleaning up sawdust. Now that we're seeing warmer weather I've started taking walks again on my lunch breaks. It might be time to save that $50/month. Think of all the cute baby stuff it could be buying instead of wasting away on the idea that I'll use the elliptical after I drop DS off at school instead of driving straight home. I really enjoy yoga when I make the time for it and that's one of my goals over the next month - to find a prenatal yoga set that I enjoy. A couple of you mentioned Nourish Move Love and I also saw Mamastrong mentioned, so now I have a couple good leads to get me started! Thanks!

lilienne

Bending at the waist is proving tricky for me, I get really out of breath and my back gets twinge-y. Outside of that, I'm doing okay with all the walking and lifting at the barn. I know it's cliché, but I really do feel like I am benefiting from spending time outdoors, moving around, at least a few times a week.

kboydbowman

@lilienne
I hear that about the bending - feeding the cats in the morning sucks for that reason!

lilienne

@kboydbowman yeah, no kidding! If I try to do the "bend at the knee, not at the hip" thing I feel like I'm going to get stuck, but if I bend at the waist I can't breathe...and I'm not all that far along yet! I dread thinking how much worse it might get. 

kboydbowman

@lilienne - do you want a white lie, or the truth?

lilienne

@kboydbowman I always prefer the truth! And I know it's going to get worse...I'm just not sure how I'm going to keep doing my job as it continues to get worse. I'm helping to prepare grain for the horses in our barn, which means measuring scoops of grain out of a large bin on the floor and then dumping it into feed buckets. I'm already having issues with the nearly-empty bins, because it's a long way to bend down and then back up with two 2-4 lb scoops full of feed. I'm okay as long as I can still lift 50 lbs, because I can just fill the bins as they get empty, but at some point this is going to get tough.

pangolindrome

I’ve been walking two miles/day instead of even my three because of the antibiotics, and I’m really looking forward to being done with them. I took the last one today. Yesterday, I walked FOUR MILES because I had a good day! Still nothing like pre-pregnancy, but it felt really good.
I’m really hopeful for spring break + entering second trimester + going off antibiotics allowing me to walk more and maybe, just maybe, get to enjoy it again.

runsonoatmeal

Today I ran a local 5K race! Not to go all out but just to get some sunshine, be out in the community, and celebrate feeling so much better this trimester. I was pretty moody this morning and almost skipped out but I’m so glad I didn’t. And I wasn’t even close to last place so that’s something. First of what I hope will be many (stroller) races with baby  

kboydbowman

@runsonoatmeal good for you!  The only runs I have usually involve unfortunate bathroom trips

babywiik

@kboydbowman 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@runsonoatmeal congrats! It's sounds amazing

runsonoatmeal

@kboydbowman oh I have plenty of those runs too 😂! Need to time what I eat and drink very carefully before my runs or plan a loop that stays near my house until the park restrooms open up for the season …

pangolindrome

runsonoatmeal said:

@kboydbowman oh I have plenty of those runs too 😂! Need to time what I eat and drink very carefully before my runs or plan a loop that stays near my house until the park restrooms open up for the season …

When I trained for a half marathon, I had no choice but to utilize a space behind a rock and cross my fingers there wasn’t a rattlesnake around. I lived in the middle of nowhere, North Central Oregon high desert. Timing and eating the right food is EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Before running, I thought portapotties were gross. Ever since, I see them as a saving grace 😂 even if some of them are DEFINITELY gross.

lilienne

@pangolindrome my opinion of portapotties changed after years of Burning Man - different motivation, same result! You runners amaze me, it clearly takes some sort of personality trait that I simply don't have!  I did walk up the hill at the barn yesterday with a rider on a horse, which was pretty decent exercise. It's fairly steep, and the horse can walk quite a bit faster than me, but we had a good time.

pangolindrome

I’m officially enjoying my walks again! Instead of just struggling for 1-1.5 miles I am THRIVING (by preggo standards) for two whole miles! In the morning AND afternoon!!!!
It takes a lot of effort to get going on the afternoon walk, but even in the current rain, I have felt SO GOOD being out there. The second mile is nicer because it’s downhill, but I feel like I’ve regained a friend I lost for a while. I can enjoy the woods instead of spending the entire time wishing I was done.

Still not having my pre-pregnancy stamina but at this point, I don’t even care. I’m too busy being happy. I might even try for a three-mile walk one of these days… fully prepared for only having energy for one mile in the afternoon, but I would love to get further into the woods again.

melyrae

@pangolindrome good for you!!! I’m starting to feel better about walking too, finally. 

Does anyone know any good YouTube free prenatal yoga/workouts ? I’m usually a die hard “yoga with adriene” fan but she doesn’t have any prenatal and I don’t want to think about modifying. I just want someone to tell me what to safely do.