How To Have An Active Pregnancy

PRENATAL EXERCISE – NAVIGATING MORNING SICKNESS & OTHER SYMPTOMS

Before I got pregnant, I made a promise to myself that I’d do my best to continue with my workout routine and stay active. Obviously that was before learning that quite literally everything can be a pregnancy symptom (hello, random nose bleeds??) but I do feel really lucky that I never had horrible morning sickness! That does not mean I’ve felt great the whole time – if that is even possible – but with only about 7 weeks left to go, I have been able to keep my word and have stayed active throughout all the ups & downs.

I know so many women deal with severe morning sickness, whether it’s just during the first trimester or throughout the whole pregnancy. Between the nausea, not being able to keep food down and that super fun fatigue, I totally understand that putting your gym clothes on and getting your heartrate up is probably the LAST thing on your mind. If this has been your experience, remember that sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is put exercise on pause and focus on feeling better (or just surviving the day, honestly). If working out has been hard for you during pregnancy, go easy on yourself! Prenatal workouts don’t need to look the same as they did pre-pregnancy, and it’s okay if they simply just stop for a while, too.

I think it goes without saying, but I’ll go ahead and mention that I’m not an expert (despite my degree from TikTok University, obviously). It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor about what’s safe for you personally during pregnancy. These are just things that have worked for me!

ARE THERE BENEFITS OF WORKING OUT DURING PREGNANCY?

First things first, let’s go over the benefits of staying active throughout pregnancy. I don’t know about you, but I’m a lot more motivated to get moving when I know all the good it’s doing for me & my baby.

Here are some ways that working out while pregnant can benefit YOU:

• Decreased aches & pains as your body grows
• Can improve sleep quality
• Promotes quicker healing & recovery after birth (majorly crossing my fingers with this one!)
• Gives you a mood boost
• Lowers the odds of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes & preeclampsia
• Can lower the risk of complications during birth
• Keeps your blood pressure stable
• Keeps the weight gain at bay
• Reduces the risk of postpartum depression
• Prepares your body for the marathon of labor and birth

I’d say that’s a pretty awesome list of benefits! What’s even more motivating to me though, is what exercise does for your baby. Research shows that babies born to active mothers may:

• Have a more active, mature brain
• Be at a substantially decreased risk of heart defects
• Get better oxygen and nutrient flow via the placenta
• Have greater motor coordination

Pretty cool right? Who wouldn’t want to set their baby up for success right from the start?!

FIND MOVEMENT YOU ENJOY

If this whole time you’ve been thinking, ‘I hate the gym, there’s not a chance I’m doing this’, let me remind you of something: you don’t have to be in the gym to be active! I love my gym routine, but just because that’s what works for me doesn’t mean you are the same. Sometimes it’s the simplest advice that makes the biggest difference. Find movement you enjoy, and you’re more likely to stick to it. Here are a few ideas if you’re feeling stuck:

• Yoga
• Hiking
• Weightlifting
• Walking (One of my personal favorites!)
• Swimming
• Group classes
• Take advantage of free workouts on YouTube – I have absolutely loved the workouts from Pregnancy and Postpartum TV
• Indoor cycling
• Running
• Dancing
• Gardening (Yep, if it gets your heart rate up it counts!)
• Pilates
• Invest in a prenatal workout program

If you were already active before pregnancy you probably already have your preferred workouts. But if you’re using this pregnancy as your motivation to get moving, choose a few of these ideas to try out and see what you like!

If this list feels overwhelming – hear me out. ANY movement counts. Anything you can do to move your body, get your heart rate up and break a sweat is doing so much good for you & baby! Small things add up throughout the day – here are some ideas for movement that that you can incorporate into your days.

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Park farther away
• Take a walk on your lunch break
• Do pelvic floor stretches before bed
• Work at a standing desk
• Deep clean your house (One more perk of nesting!)

Related: Empowering Birth Affirmations to Calm Your Mind

FINDING THE MOTIVATION TO GET ACTIVE

Now that you have some ideas to stay active, let’s talk about what to do when actually being active sounds like the worst thing in the world. Like I mentioned earlier – make sure you are taking care of yourself and not pushing too hard. Take rest days! But for those days you know you want to get some exercise in, but it feels sooo hard, here are my tips for getting motivated.

• Save your favorite TV shows or YouTube videos to watch while you exercise
• Find a podcast about something you’re interested in and binge it – only during your workouts. If you need podcast recommendations, some of my favorites are What We Said, The Mindset Mentor, and The Bad Broadcast. If you aren’t already on the podcast train – hop on bestie.
• Find a workout buddy! My husband, Aaron, and I have been going to the gym together every morning before work for almost 2 years. Aaron is extremely dedicated to the gym so it makes it easier to get there when I know he’ll be going no matter what!
• Try out a 30-day challenge. Nothing gets me moving like a cute infographic – search for a workout challenge on Pinterest and if you’re like me, you’ll get a huge boost of dopamine every time you cross a day off.
• Romanticize your routine. Find some new gym hairstyles, listen to a new playlist or invest in some nice headphones. Click here to read about my favorite ways to romanticize everyday life.
• Remember that even if you cut your workout short or spend half the time just stretching (guilty!), you’re still showing up for yourself and your baby!
• Get a matching workout set! I don’t make the rules – working out is SO much better when you’re wearing a cute set. Speaking of that…

INVEST IN MATERNITY WORKOUT CLOTHES

My mom always tells me, “Having the right tools makes ALL the difference!” and let me tell you, that is true in pregnancy. I tried to go the ‘baggy t-shirt to hide the bump’ route for a while and trust me, life got easier when I just embraced my changing body & bought some things that actually fit me.

With all your body is going through, you deserve to have a pair (or 4) of leggings that support your growing bump and make you excited to put them on every day. That being said, if spending extra money on maternity clothes isn’t in the cards right now, don’t let that stop you from being active. Get creative with the clothes you have now, maybe even dip into your partner’s closet, and let’s get to it!

JUST DO YOUR BEST, GIRLY

Even though during pregnancy we’re not working out to hit a PR, lose weight or get super toned (let’s be honest, we’re not even working out to stay the same, we’re gonna get bigger!) any time you spend being active in pregnancy is so worth it, and it’s never too late to start. You got this!

Do you have any tips to add to these lists? What’s your favorite way to incorporate movement into your day? Leave me a comment below!

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Natalie

The Girl Kind