What if I told you there was something simple you could do during pregnancy that would:

Reduce back pain
Improve constipation
Lower your risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and cesarean birth
Prepare you for birth
Improve postpartum recovery

What if I told you this same thing could also:

Promote healthy weight gain for baby
Improve blood flow to the placenta
Strength baby’s heart muscle
Improve baby’s neuromotor skills

Well, as you may (or may not know), you are currently reading a fitness blog. So you might already have a hunch that the “something simple” offering all these amazing benefits is… EXERCISE!

Establishing a well-balanced exercise program during your pregnancy is arguably one of the most important components of prenatal care.

While there could be an entire blog post dedicated to outlining the reasons why you should exercise during pregnancy, this article specifically addresses some considerations you should be taking when exercising in the first trimester. Let’s dive in!

Get clearance to exercise from your medical providers before you start an exercise program.

While it would be amazing if every single woman could exercise throughout her entire pregnancy, it is not always possible! There are reasons why it might not be medically safe for someone to exercise during pregnancy, and that would likely be at the discretion of your medical providers. So, before you start any exercise program, be sure to get the “thumbs up” from your healthcare team!

Fatigue

Many women experience significant fatigue during the first trimester. This is not a time that you should power through your workouts! It is important to acknowledge that your body is doing a lot of work behind the scenes in those first few months, even though you might not see many big changes on the outside. During this time, you will likely want to decrease the number of workouts you do each week, the volume of your workouts (sets & reps), or the intensity of your workouts (i.e. how heavy your weights are). If you miss a training session, it’s okay! There is nothing wrong with taking some extra rest days during the first trimester. Many women gain more energy in their second trimester– hang in there!

Nutrition

Be sure to fuel your body appropriately! In addition to juggling potential “morning sickness,” there is also a mindset shift that may need to occur regarding body image. If you are used to your body looking and feeling a certain way, this can often be a difficult obstacle to navigate as your physical appearance changes. Although eating nourishing foods during pregnancy is important, this is a time that you might have to fuel your body with whatever simply stays down!

Physical Changes

During pregnancy, your body goes through some pretty drastic changes. From the start, your blood volume will increase significantly, especially in the first trimester. This can cause lower blood pressure and at times lightheadedness or dizziness. Use caution with positional changes during daily activities and workouts (for example: standing up too fast). When structuring your workouts, try to avoid doing exercise combinations where you have to get up from the floor quickly. If you notice significant dizziness or other symptoms such as shortness of breath, contact your doctor immediately.
Relaxin is also a change that will impact your exercise program. Relaxin is a hormone released during pregnancy that increases joint laxity. These levels are highest in the first trimester of pregnancy and loosen up muscles, ligaments, and joints to help the body accommodate a growing baby. With exercise, you will want to limit your range of motion for movements to what was normal for you pre-pregnancy. Also, be sure not to lock your joints out! Elbows and knees are the biggest ones to pay attention to.

Some Contraindications to Exercising During Pregnancy

Preeclampsia, incompetent cervix, placenta abruption, persistent bleeding, and preterm labor
If you feel any of the following symptoms, call your doctor: pain, slightly elevated blood pressure, extreme exhaustion, decreased fetal movement, dizziness, shortness of breath, or feeling faint
Types of exercise to avoid: heated exercise (hot yoga), contact sports, or exercise that causes risk of trauma

In summary, the most important thing to do in your first trimester is to honor what your body is telling you. Think long-term and try to push any sort of expectations out of your mind. There is merit in going slow with fitness throughout your pregnancy to help support your ever-changing body. You should not have to sacrifice potential long-term consequences because you are trying to reach short-term fitness goals. This is a very short period of time in the grand scheme of life, and it is okay to slow things down.

Click here to download some of my favorite bodyweight and band exercises for pregnancy!

Sources

May, Linda & Meacham, Crystal & Gustafson, Kathleen & Glaros, Alan. (2011). Gestational Exercise effects on the Infant Heart.
McMillan AG, May LE, Gaines GG, Isler C, Kuehn D. Effects of Aerobic Exercise during Pregnancy on 1-Month Infant Neuromotor Skills. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Aug;51(8):1671-1676. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001958. PMID: 30817721.

First Trimester Exercise Considerations

Rachel Pelletier