Fitness Workouts while Pregnant: Second Trimester

I am about to wrap up my second trimester of my first (so-far-successful) pregnancy. Staying physically active during pregnancy is so important for many reasons, including these:

• Maintaining your strength and flexibility, which will help throughout the pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and post-partum
• Helping you to gain weight at a steady rate to remain healthy and prevent complications such as gestational diabetes
• Promoting healthy sleep patterns which again helps baby grow!
• Helps to keep you regular! yeah, I mean that way (see my post on prunes for another way)

Check out yesterday's post on ideas for your first trimester. Today, I will discuss what I've done during my second trimester. You might hear that the second trimester is the best and so far I can confirm (mind you, I've never experienced a third...yet!) Great things happen in your second: your energy increases, hopefully your morning sickness subsides, and you get to see your baby in the ultrasound! This is the trimester to get things done and, as I've found, to increase my fitness regimen a little in preparation for the third trimester and birth!

Second Trimester - Here is what I've done during my second trimester:

• Strength Training 2-4 times per week. I have been able to increase my weights a slight amount from what I lifted during the first trimester, but I am still keeping them lower than what I lifted pre-pregnancy.
• Running 2-4 times and walking 2-4 times per week. I took a little break after my race in October, but when the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge came around, I finally used it as a kick in the Bootie to get back out running. I definitely felt much better during this trimester, but that bladder still seems so small when you start to jog! haha!
• Yoga 1-7 times per week. During the challenge, I started incorporating 20 minutes of yoga practice at home to work on my flexibility and to help release some back pain that I'd created. 
• Group Fitness/Cardio and Core classes 2-4 times per week. With the return of my energy, and the kick in the Bootie of the HBBC, I was encouraged to get to the gym for several group classes, to include BodyCombat, CXWORX (core), cycling, and dancing (Sh'Bam and Zumba)

Now, you may add all of these up and say, "Sam, there is no way you were doing 20+ classes/workouts a week." You would be right, my activity flowed from week to week, but I have managed to be pretty consistent in just staying active and I think that is key!

Considerations:

• I've had to make some modifications to my strength training (BodyPump and CXWORX):
• I have widened my squats to account for my change in balance and I also need to modify my range of motion on squats on certain days. 
• I do most of my plank work on my knees now because I started noticing more pulls in my belly and so, while trying to maintain core strength, I don't want to injure my belly either.
• Prone lying poses are out right now. When we do leg raises or belly poses, I modify to something on my knees. For leg raises, or supermans, I kneel on all fours and do leg lifts and/or arm raises to try and mimic what the actual move is and still reach similar muscles.
• Yoga  - the second trimester is where you really need to start modifying yoga to fit your pregnancy. I will post next week on body changes and modifications.
• BodyCombat/Kickboxing - I can still do the majority of BodyCombat, but I pull back on the intensity as needed. I do not do most of the plyometric moves and just choose the lower options offered of either marching in place, lightly jogging in place, or just staying on the ground when the high jumps are involved. I also do lower kicks of all varieties so as not to overstretch my hamstrings. But I can definitely still get a good sweat and strength workout in even with these modifications.
• Cycling - Last night during cycling is the first time that I felt it really affect my belly, but that is because mine is just starting through it's biggest growth spurt. During some challenging portions of the ride, I felt some pulling in my belly that was a new sensation, not like I've felt while running. Regardless, when I felt this, I just dialed back the intensity until the feeling subsided and then i jumped back into my groove.
• Utilize your resources- If you do take group fitness classes, head to class a little early and talk with your instructor about modifications that you can make throughout the class. Your instructor will work with you to make sure you are getting a good workout, but in a safe way for both you and your little one.

Always remember to consult your physician prior to engaging in a new exercise regimen while pregnant. But remember that it is your body and you know when something doesn't feel right! Moderation and balance in fitness and rest during your second trimester will reap great benefits for both you and your growing baby!

P.S. I wrote this while actually in my second trimester....and my little CAT is now 10 months old. I forgot to actually post this! Oops! Please forgive me! :)

Fitness Workouts while Pregnant: Who knows your body better than you?

Today, at the gym, I talked to a girl about working out while pregnant. She said that when she was pregnant, she became borderline diabetic and her doctor had recommended that she stopped working out after the first trimester. She followed his advice and went through her pregnancy gaining excess weight and having difficulty during her delivery because she had lost her endurance and strength since cutting back on exercise. She said that she was generally fit pre-pregnancy and really wanted to continue her workouts at the gym throughout, but followed her doctor's recommendation and merely walked for exercise throughout pregnancy. She is thinking about having another child and she would like to approach fitness and pregnancy differently this time around!

Wow! Ok, I am not a doctor, but I was saddened to hear that she'd received this recommendation from hers! Doctors are great (my dad is one), but sometimes I think we need to listen respectfully to what they offer in certain situations and then listen to your body, do your own research and then make a decision on what is right for you. Everything that I have read about exercising while pregnant does start with consulting your doctor, which is important, especially if you had health issues prior to becoming pregnant. But my motto in life is balance and moderation. If you can find a good balance between maintaining a good fitness level through pregnancy while also monitoring your body to ensure you are doing all that you can to protect and grow the little one inside you, then why not?

Here are a few ways that I modify my fitness workouts while I am pregnant to ensure that I am still remaining active and maintaining my strength and cardiovascular capacity, so that 1. I can keep growing a strong and healthy Little Tuna, but also 2. so that I can be strong throughout my labor and delivery!!

First Trimester - The first trimester is when I did cut back on my exercise level and frequency, however I did not stop!

• Strength training 2-3 times per week - I am a fitness instructor so this was actually less than I had been, but even if you're not an instructor, 2-3 weeks is great and you can modify your intensity as needed; I already decreased the weight amount I lifted in this trimester
• Running 2-3 times a week - I had just started training for the Army Ten Miler when I learned I was pregnant and had not been running consistently in over a year, so I only ran very easily during the first two months and walked whenever I felt winded or pulling in my belly - read more on that here
• Yoga a few times a month (I could have increased this, but I was really tired, so sleep was more important to me)

The only race I'd done in the year prior to pregnancy,
while I was recovering from plantar fasciitis.

Considerations:

• In the first trimester, you're dealing with increased fatigue and probably some form of morning sickness. I was just nauseous all day and really the only times I felt well were while working out or the 30-45 minutes after I had eaten (So I ate small snacks very frequently). But definitely work with your fatigue and don't overexert yourself any time during your pregnancy.
• Your body is already making tremendous changes during this trimester, so always listen to your body! For example, my chest was growing fast and hurt, so running did not always feel awesome, hence the slow pace and walking.
• As for yoga, this is the one trimester when you can still do most of the poses, so, if you are new to yoga and want to incorporate it into your prenatal program, this is when to start it up, learn the poses and then you can build strength, flexibility, and consistency. In the following trimesters, you can then edit poses as needed.

Yoga with my two faves, during the first trimester!
Knight really has Side-Lying Savasana down.

These are a few ideas on how to continue on (or even begin) your fitness journey during pregnancy. Tomorrow, I'll cover the second trimester (which I'm currently enjoying!). 

Just remember, YOU KNOW YOUR BODY BEST!

How have you modified your fitness workouts during a pregnancy? Are you newly pregnant and looking for ideas on where to start? If so, let me know!