Exercising

[emmac3616]

Hi everyone
I'm after some advice on how those of you who regularly exercised before getting pregnant are finding it during pregnancy. I'm pregnant with my second and in my first pregnancy I exercised 6 days a week all the way through, a mixture of 5-7k runs, gym sessions and classes. Clearly I didn't push myself but I felt pretty good, despite having morning sickness my whole pregnancy. This time I feel awful, it's hard work to do anything, I feel even more sick and have even lower blood pressure so can even get dizzy. I told my MW and her response was that "every pregnancy is different" cue much sulking from me! How is everyone else finding it?
Thank you!
Emma

Just do what you can - I ran and did body pump, circuits etc to around 25 weeks. Had to stop then, but I still walk a lot.
Was still racing in the first trimester too, but obviously not hard.

Do what your body lets you.
I ran, but not loads in my first trimester - I ran a HM (slowly!) at 15 weeks based on previously earned fitness.

I still do parkrun weekly, this week us my last Pilates class but am looking forward to changing styles to home work out type stuff

Are you still early on in your pg? You might feel better as it goes on.
And having a child already cuts down time available to exercise I find.
Don't beat yourself up, it feels like a long time, but it isn't in the grand scheme of things.

Listen to your body and do what feels right, not what you think is right. If you feel dizzy, stop/don't do it!

With DS, I went did Bodypump at the gym all the way up to 32 weeks. With this one, I did nothing in the first trimester because I was too sick and tired. Now back to doing Bodypump, but at 30 weeks, I now find that I can't really manage more than once or maximum twice a week, and I will probably stop quite soon. I've been doing quite a bit of walking as well, but again, it's getting slower and slower, and I get really easily out of breath now.
In both pregnancies, I switched to doing pregnancy yoga, which obviously doesn't have the same impact, but it feels good, focussing on myself and the baby - and that's what counts.

I ran until 30 weeks and then it became so pathetic (and I was so uncomfortable) that I threw the towel in. Now swimming and doing preggers pilates and loving it. It was actually a massive relief when I let myself stop running, but I still feel better for doing something - even if its not exactly hardcore.

Don't know how far along you are, but first trimester was hard and I felt like shit. I did push myself to go running but only out of fear that if I stopped at that point that would be it for the whole pregnancy. If you are finding it really awful just don't do it however - it isn't worth it and I am a firm believer that you need to listen to your body.

If you do think you could do something, one of the good bits of advice I picked up from trawling various (serious) runners blogs was that after the first 10 minutes the nausea and tiredness lifts. I certainly used that advice and found it to be true. I was always wiped out the day after a run though, so can't say the effect lasted for me ;-)

good luck!

Emma please don't push yourself. I'm a 2/3 times a week gym user & really push myself/train with a PT when I go. Last preg I went to gym until 6 months when in a shop before my gym session, I suddenly got very dizzy/had to sit down and decided right that's it, my bodies way of saying- no more gym for rest of pregnancy!

This time (almost 11 weeks) am going once a week and doing very light/seated leg weight machines and gentle cardio i.e. walking at incline. Minute I get a stomach twinge/don't feel 100% I wind it down instantly. I know as a fitness fanatic which you clearly are it must be hard, but listen to your body and if its too much, reduce number of days you exercise and also take it super easy or- just give it up for the rest of your preg.

emma you sound exact same as me! before falling with my first one i'd just run my first marathon so i was peak fitness! through pregnancy i was still at the gym etc 4-5 times a week. I ran 5-7km up until about 22 weeks at which point it got uncomfortable so i switched to walking up hill on a treadmill. Then last trimester was swimming - a mile 3-4 times a week until my due date.

I'm 6 weeks into 2nd pregnancy already struggling agh! Running gives me heartburn, i'm shattered, and three times a week is a struggle. admittedly time is a factor - with a FT job, toddler and 2 hour daily commute fitting it in is tough, but i miss it. I just feel like such a slob. i managed 6k on the sea front this week and it was just lovely (allbeit embarrassingly slow). I'm going to to try to keep it regular but lighter i think - three times a week with some gentle cardio and weights and lots of stretching.

I think listen to your body and know your limits - you may not feel tired but my friend (a gp) has ticked me off reminding me how much work my body is doing right now!

Thank you all for your advice, I'm 16wks and the general nausea etc is not abating so I think it might be here to stay - so I'll be cutting back and listening to my body - frustrating as I find that!

pagetta your story made me feel so much better that it's not just me! I X-country skied a marathon 11wks after my first and there is just no hope this time round - I feel so much less fit! I guess even 9mghs is a short amount of time in the greater scheme of things...!!!