Exercise in pregnancy when you feel terrible?

[magnificatAnimaMea]

I know that lack of exercise is one of the main routes to feeling terrible.

But going running or cycling (even on the exercise bike) isn't particularly appealing with all-day nausea and heartburn, belting headache, and being incredibly tired. I'm only 7 weeks and I am already unfit and fat and can't fit into clothes properly. I'm walking about 7km a day, down & up a 200m-elevation hill and even that is feeling like way too much.

Any suggestions? Does it ever get any better or do I need to buy bigger jeans and wait until the kid's at school before i get fit again...?

I did have a terrible realisation today, what do you do when your running gear stops fitting you!?

I'm loathe to fork out for a whole larger sized new ensemble.

Also, how much weight is it normal to put on if you're staying really active and keeping up your exercise? Anyone got any experience of that?

Mayo Clinic says 11-16kg gain is fine for normal BMI. I'm trying not to think about it too much, having felt like a beached whale stuck in groundhog day early pregnancy/ miscarriage cycle for nearly a year now...

Re running clothes, it kind of depends how chic you want to look when running. My solution to massive increase in boob size is to wear 2 running bras at once when exercising; but my normal running/cycling tshirts and shorts are all big and daggy enough that I'll be about 30 weeks or more before I stop fitting into them - the advantage of having a large collection of unwearably ugly undergraduate club tshirts from the 1990s - and exercising with people of similar age/ unprepossessing dress habits. Likewise for almost a year I've been wearing old jeans from the days when "boyfriend" was the only cut available for jeans. I don't think I'm going to be back in my Gap size 26 skinny jeans any time in the next few years...

Hi, just to add another opinion - I also live in a very active town and the drs here all encourage sports and activities that are usually not advised because they know everyone does them, and often professionally. Climbing/Skiing/Mountain biking. My conclusion is that it's really personal, some people can do more than others at different times of their pregnancy, and you have to learn how much you can push it yourself, and when to rest. Fwiw, my heart rate is also higher than average when doing low intensity exercise, it's not necessarily anything to be concerned with.

Aye - you probably don't wAnt to hear this, but I put on 4st with DD. I was running and doing body pump and circuits til 25 weeks, and just circuits and walking from then on. I wasn't eating loads either.

Now 13 weeks postnatal and 3st of it has gone. Am back in my skinny jeans but still got a stone to lose til I'm back at my perfect weight.

As for running gear, I had one pair of Fittamamma running capris and a load of huge cheap vests from Decathlon. Also wore the race t shirts that had been gathering dust!

I felt awful until about 14 weeks and struggles with back pain until about 16 weeks. I just about managed to walk the dog each day and even then my mantra walking round the park was 'I hate this' again and again. I'm now 28 weeks physically feel great, have done lots more walking/hiking over past few months and really enjoyed it and not struggled really. I think just cut yourself some slack in those early weeks, do the best you can. I had a lot of bloat then too but have managed not to really put much weight in other than bump.

Hi Runningupthathill82. Thanks for your message. I actually nearly PMed you the other day as I saw a post of yours saying that you'd had your DD and I was going to ask you how you got on with running etc during pregnancy (but then I deleted it in case you thought I was a weirdo)

But no, not what I wanted to hear! But in a way it is, as I think I need to come to terms with what will happen will happen and I just need to wait and see what my body does, doesn't sound like it's anything I can have any control over. I am struggling with that a bit TBH but just need to get over it. I had read on here that in France they advise not to put on more than a kilo a month!

I hadn't put on any weight at all but in the last week I've put on 1.5kg all of a sudden. I stepped up the running a tiny bit but not too much. I am thinking about doing a 10k in a month, would be 17 weeks by then. But just taking it at an easy pace.

It wouldn't have been weird at all if you'd PMd me, Aye!

But you're right - if you're eating well and exercising, you're doing all you can and your body will just do what it needs to do to grow your baby.

I put on 2st in my first pregnancy and 4st in my second - despite eating less and exercising far harder second time around. DD was bigger than DS and I think I was carrying more water. There wasn't much I could have done about it!

It's all good though, I'm losing the baby weight with exercise and eating well, and have already run my first half marathon since DDs birth 3 months ago (albeit slowly!!)

Slowly schmowly! Bet it was still quicker than most people who hadn't had a baby so recently!

DP keeps saying "it's ok, once the baby's here I'll look after it and you can get straight back to your runs". I have to explain to him that I might be in no state for doing that as my insides might fall out of my fanjo!

Will just keep taking it day by day and try and keep active and eat well, and see what happens.

Thanks

Maybe yoga...?

Does anyone else have the embarrassing problem that running while pregnant gives you diarrhoea?

Feeling like a beached whale, out of desperation I did my second Parkrun this pregnancy, today. Both times I've managed to get round the course, but only just making it in time. Last time I assumed it was early pregnancy awfulness, but the same thing happened again today and I'm feeling better (11 weeks).

At least I know I can run, but I might have to do short loops that include home...

Weirdly, running used to well, loosen me up a bit sometimes, but I've been a little bit constipated so far this pregnancy and so all running does now is help me go! (sorry for TMI)

Hi everyone, thought I'd ask this here rather than start a new thread.

I had (long, long ago) signed up for a half marathon, it's in a few weeks. I'm now pregnant (15 weeks) and I've only been doing 4k or 8k runs over the last few months due to feeling quite rough/exhausted l, so I'd ruled out doing the HM long ago and had just put it out of my head entirely.

However, today I did 14k - it was a nice day so I just went for it, but went slower than normal and it was OK.

Is it a really stupid idea to give the HM a go? Or should I not, because I haven't done the training and that makes it more dangerous when you're pregnant?

If you feel OK, and you're happy to go slower than normal, and not get hugely overheated, it's probably fine - you just need to think about the consequences a bit more. Overheating may make you faint; oxygen debt for the kid isn't advisable. If you can run 21km without either of those happening, why not?

I'd think about whether you're likely to push yourself too hard when the competitive adrenaline gets going and you want to finish and just beat that person in front... I am capable of nearly making myself faint every week when doing Parkrun normally, just from that extra pushing when the adrenaline gets going, so I know that I need to give some due thought to this when pregnant (though really now i'm racing against a different intestinal clock...)

Also, look at the temperatures on the day, and the availability of water, and the potential for deciding to stop if you feel a bit off, and then somehow making it to an appropriate pick-up point. I.e. a half marathon in isolated fells on a hot day is a different prospect from somewhere 5 mins' walk from the nearest tube station...

Thanks Mag, I don't think I'd be likely to get competitive with people round me but the overheating could be an issue. Especially if the weather is like now.

In my head, this will hurt my legs, but only my legs. I might get cramps in my calves or whatever, but would that effect my stomach? I'd obviously stop if my stomach started to hurt. But if it's just legs I could persevere as sore legs is a separate system! Although I guess my heartrate would be higher the more sore my legs got, which could be an issue.

Although, I'd forgotten about the intestinal clock issue... Very pertinent point! That's something that always worried me in previous HMs years ago and I'd forgotten how much that used to worry me!

I'd run the half marathon Aye if - and only if - I was confident that I would be able to take it slowly, always stay at a pace where I could talk, and ensure I was happy to stop if necessary.

A big city race, therefore, would be a viable option as there's transport and eater stations galore. Fells, as a pp said,probably not!

I raced in my last pregnancy, just took it slowly and stopped the fell running stuff in case I tripped over on a steep downhill.

I also ran a half marathon very soon after giving birth to DD, so can confidently say that it's possible to get a half decent time on little training - though maybe not that sensible! Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks Running, it is in a city and lots of water stations, and DP says he'll be available with the car to pick me up wherever I bail out, or to bring water or jelly babies if I really want to do it.

I'll think about it. I suppose I don't want to start it and not finish, as then I'll feel like I've wimped out!

I tried running slower when I did my 14k run at the weekend, but I got really tight calves/ankles really quickly and I think it's because it was a less natural speed, so the second half I sped up to a bit closer to normal (though not quite - would normally do 5:30 per k, started at 6:10, sped up to 5:50 halfway through) and the cramping in my legs eased off. So I would need to get the balance right.

What's putting me off is I find HMs tough when I've trained up to the distance. I haven't this time. But I think if someone told me yesterday that if I went for another 7k, there was a million pounds there for me, I'd have managed it!

Thing is, though, you don't want to push yourself. After your last post, I don't think the race is a very good idea, I'm afraid.

If half marathons were well within your comfort zone then it'd be different, but if you find them tough when fully trained up, then it's not a good idea to run at the moment.

You really shouldn't be in a position where you're pushing yourself to get round. Can you defer a year? Could be a good post-baby target race?

Hi guys if any of you have been recently active or currently active in pregnancy would love to here your experience, please email my university email on [email protected] and we can set up a telephone call which will form part of my study. More details will be given and questions anwsered, THANKS SO MUCH! anyone that helps it'd be amazing!!!xxx

The first trimester is rubbish but it gets easier! I'm now in my 3rd trimester and find that if I want to exercise (I ride horses) it's best to go first thing or I feel too tired. I'm learning to be strict with myself about rationing my energy expenditure (and sugar consumption!).