Ok to re-start spin sessions at 24 weeks?

[feelingnotbelieving]

I used to go to spin several times a week until a couple of months before falling pregnant. I used it to burn calories (obviously) but it was also a major part of preventing and tackling bouts of depression and anxiety. The music, the lights, the endorphins made it addictive for me. Life got in the way following a miscarriage late January and I went a handful of times up to falling pregnant in June.
Ive felt my mood dip these past few weeks. My motivation for housework gone, energy levels very poor. Bingeing. I know a good spin class will help, even if my fitness is now terrible! I know exercise is recommended during pregnancy, but I’ve literally gone from doing a decent amount to zero so I am slightly worried it might be unwise to restart now. Obviously I will make amendments and not over exert, keep an eye on body temp, certain positions that might be uncomfortable etc. I know if I leave it til post birth it will be so much harder with all the extra weight that’s already accumulating, and the baby blues I know I will get.

Has anyone got any experience with spinning during pregnancy? Online research suggests it’s one of the safest forms as its low impact and no danger of being knocked. I can’t cope with the idea of going another 4-6 months without working up a bit of a sweat and I know it will boost my mood.

I'm mountain biking, which is definitely not recommended. Spinning sounds like a much safer option!

As with most exercise in pregnancy, it's only you you're going to harm if you overdo it. I found an interesting study a while ago about the benefits of high intensity activity during pregnancy. I'll try to find it now.

Here we go: https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-019-2441-1

I would definitely keep to 70% of your max heart rate (which I presume is easy to keep track of on those machines) and if you get badly out of breath, stop.

I am 33 weeks and still spinning. Granted I can't push myself the way I do pre pregnancy, but keeping up exercise is important for my mental health - I really feel in a slump and unhealthy if I'm not doing anything. I also find spinning easier than things like running due to being able to sit down and take the weight off my joints, and the low impact nature of it. I get bad round ligament pain in pregnancy which running and even a lot of walking can trigger, but spinning doesn't.

Anyway - I make sure that my breathing remains deep and controlled - as long as I am not struggling or gasping for breath / irratic breathing, then baby isn't either. I keep my heart rate at a sensible level too. The other different tactic I do is if I find I'm on my way to getting out of breath, I will slow down and get my breath and heart rate down before starting again, which I would never do pre pregnancy - I enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep up!

My bump is now getting in the way and I'm finding the full body fatigue coming back now I am almost 34 weeks - so I'm listening to my body and going easy when I need to. At the start of pregnancy I would spin for 60mins each session. I then dropped to 45 mins in second trimester, and now I do about 30-35 mins each session. At this stage of pregnancy it's more about getting some exercise under the belt, feeling those endorphins- rather than improving fitness levels or smashing any kind of personal exercise challenges. With my first baby I was back to great fitness within a good amount of time (following a sensible exercise plan), so I know I will be able to do it this time. I'm trying not to let my chunkier thighs and new little muffin top get to me 🤣

There's a really good episode of Jessie Ware's pregnancy podcast where she speaks to an ultra-marathon runner and Peloton instructor about exercise in pregnancy. I'd recommend listening but in short, yes it's safe, just stick to around 7/10 perceived rate of exertion.