Pregnancy, Fitness, and Health 

Written by Kimi Adeigbe

As a first time mom-to-be, even though I am a personal trainer, it has been tricky trying to stay fit during my pregnancy. I know I am not alone in the struggle!

First thing to always remember when doing your best to stay fit and healthy during your pregnancy is to never compare your experience to any other women’s experience. We are all so very different with different needs, symptoms and fitness levels.

A lot of women experience the same symptoms but a lot of women DO NOT. 

My personal experiences

As a trainer I’ve been pretty fit and healthy before my pregnancy, but during the first trimester I couldn’t do much of anything. I lacked energy due to poor nutrition with all day sickness. I did not train and I barely walked 10 minutes in the first 12 weeks. I felt guilty at first, but remembered my body has never done this before and I am learning as I go. 

General guidelines

First check with your maternity team/providers on what they suggest. Then gauge based on what you’ve done in the past or what you did for fitness leading up to your pregnancy. If yoga four days a week is your preferred fitness modality, try to keep at it and watch how your body responds. 

As another example, if you strength trained 2-4 days a week before pregnancy, your provider may suggest lower weight for more reps with more rest in between exercises. This method seemed to benefit me in my second trimester. If all you can do is walk 20 minutes a day, or 30 minutes every other day, do that. 

There seems to be no right or wrong way to do fitness during pregnancy as long as you’re being mindful and safe. Maybe don’t try brand new techniques with heavy lifting or run a marathon if you’ve never run one before. All health care providers want pregnant women to pay close attention to how your BPM (beats per minute) changes during exercise, if you experience dizziness or shortness of breath. Quick health tip: if you are pregnant during summer months with warmer weather, drink a lot of water and electrolytes. 

Keep moving

Lastly, it is highly suggested by all those with an opinion or expertise to move, move, move as much as possible. Laboring a baby and bringing new life into this world is hard work, and being as prepared as possible will only help you and your new bundle of joy.