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October 2023 Moms
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Working out while pregnant

Knottie1434493851Knottie1434493851 member
in October 2023 Moms
I’m frustrated with the advice on pregnancy workouts. The recommendations I see on this app and many others are light free weights and body weight exercises and walking. 

I’ve worked out for years (running, sports, biking, and heavy lifting).  

Does anyone have any resources for fit pregnant people?
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Re: Working out while pregnant

  • lindz42lindz42 member
    I know people who have continued cycling and dancing while pregnant. I myself continued with day hikes during my last pregnancy (nothing crazy, but we did hike some small mountains). Perhaps search for resources that focus on women's fitness in general and see if they have subtopics focus on pregnancy? You might also just get some decent information if you search for things like "cycling while pregnant" that could give you advice. Selene Yeager is someone who has written about her own experience cycling while pregnant. 
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  • 00kim0000kim00 member
    I'm not in your birth month, but I thought this may be helpful...

    I'm surprised you're seeing recommendations against exercise. Did your doctor tell you to stop with your exercises? The general recommendations I saw were that if you were active before, you could continue doing what you were doing, with some safety exceptions, as long as you felt up to it. If you weren't active before, get active but don't overdo it; walking and yoga should be the goal, not marathons and CrossFit. But if you were already running, go ahead and run! Safety exceptions were generally anything that may cause a blow to the abdomen (boxing, soccer, etc.), risk of falling (skiing, horseback riding, cycling), or some specialized risks (like scuba diving, I think due to the pressure changes).

    Personally, I kept up my daily cardio on the elliptical until the day before I went to the hospital.(with some shorter workouts in 1st trimester due to fatigue, and adding a support belt in 3rd trimester). I also continued hiking (avoiding the more precarious trails), kayaking, SUPing, and rock climbing (top rope only, with maternity harness), and added in yoga. Towards the end of my second trimester, I pulled a muscle in my abdomen while kayaking. My midwife explained that the ab muscles are stretched so thin over the growing baby bump that they're very susceptible to damage, so she told me to stop with core-heavy exercises at that time and I stopped kayaking and climbing. Throughout the pregnancy, I intentionally avoided cycling, horseback riding, waterskiing, ice skating, skiing, etc.

    So check with your doctor, but I'd think you could continue running and lifting, stop cycling, and evaluate the sport and how likely you'd be exposed to risks (I'd think tennis and ultimate frisbee would be fine, for example, football and basketball maybe not).. Good luck! I felt great throughout my pregnancy, and I think being active daily probably contributed to that!
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  • knottie094b05cf0ea6b2e1knottie094b05cf0ea6b2e1 member
    My OB told me that it depends on how active you were before pregnancy.  Basically you can maintain the level of exercise you did before, you just don't want to drastically change your type of exercise. She said if you didn't exercise much before,  week 12 is a good time to start a new light exercise routine, and just avoid things that could result in high impact to the belly (skiing, mountain biking,  or other sports where you could fall). Ask your OB if you're not sure 😀
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  • chani84chani84 member
    I’m very active, I love working out and all the doctors who have been treating me (IVF, OB, high risk pregnancy dr) said I can keep doing what I was doing before pregnancy (except for horseback riding), just listen to my body and watch the heart rate. I’ve been told different things on heart rate, it seems like most people say to not pass 150, but the real test is being able to talk while working out. So I talk to myself here and there while working out ( and look a little weird 😅) when I feel my heart pumping just to make sure I’m still in a good place. 
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  • atebbanoatebbano member
    Yes! I’m still weight lifting and have started using a prenatal fitness app to help guide my workouts by trimester. The app is from @fitstagram.michelle on instagram. She has a link to her program there. I’ve really been liking it so far. She’s pregnant as well so it helps to see the exercises on a pregnant body. The workouts are geared toward keeping you strong, building lean muscle and getting your body ready for not only labor but caring for a baby as well. All this to say, you can definitely lift weights if that’s what you had been doing before getting pregnant and just listen to your body. If you’re lifting too heavy, drop down in weight. If the moves are too easy, lift heavier. For what it’s worth, I’m currently 15 weeks and 2 days. Hope this helps!
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  • knottiec12b4359b6ed8707knottiec12b4359b6ed8707 member
    I would double check with your doctor, especially having been active before! I've been lifting for years and recently had started crossfit before finding out I was pregnant. My OB just advised me to be more careful given your joints are "stretchier" but otherwise told me to go ahead with whatever I'm still up for, including lifting.
    I took a prenatal exercise education class last week which talked a lot about engaging your pelvic floor and transverse abdominus. Things like that become more important as you progress, but I'd say do what you're comfortable doing right now.
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  • knottief4210e6eca72daafknottief4210e6eca72daaf member
    I highly recommend Nourish Move Love with Lindsey Bomgren. I love her prenatal workouts. 

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