Should I exercise again ?

[DogsandDungarees]

Hi I’m hoping someone can offer reassurance either as someone with similar experience or some medical knowledge.

Previous to this pregnancy I used to hit the gym pretty hard always 5k or cardio then solid weight lifting. Last year I had a very very traumatic loss that has left me with a little PTSD which I’m only recognising now tbh I didn’t deal with the emotions at the time. I am now 13 weeks pregnant and very sluggish I don’t exercise at all. Do you think I can start slowly introducing exercise back into my life ? Or do you think the gap of not doing anything for 13 weeks would have meant my body won’t be used to it. My midwife did say I’m fine to do whatever I did before but I am honestly the biggest ball of anxiety at the moment.

Thank you

They usually say you are fine to carry on with what you already do, what your body is already used to. So don't take up something very new.

I would say go for it, but maybe tone it down a bit and take it easy until you have a feel for what your body is capable of right now. So light cardio or walking/light jogging, reduce the weights too. See how you get on.

You could start with a reduced programme for a while to get back into it, you will have muscle memory which means you can catch up reasonably quickly. There are probably specialist PTs who work with pregnant women who could help and reassure you as you need to be careful later on when your joints become more relaxed. I am sure you will be OK!

I’d do walking, jogging if you fancy it and swimming. I had a miscarriage last year and couldn’t make my mind calm down enough this year when pregnant again to do any exercise but I am really missing it so have started swimming which doesn’t feel as strenuous to me. Just remember to listen to your body and not push yourself too hard.

Hi,
Avid runner and weight lifter here too.
I suffer from multiple mcs and bleeding through first trimester, so I can understand some of the anxiety you're feeling with you're current pregnancy.

I tend to do absolutely nothing for the forst trimester so at least I can't blame myself too much for any bleeding or another mc that happens.
But since 13 weeks in this pregnancy (and other successfuls) I had started working out again slowly, and have since got back to my normal routine, albeit with accommodations.
I think you need to start slowly and really listen to your body and rest when you need to. But benefits to you and baby are absolutely worth the first handful of anxiety ridden sessions.
You've been given the go ahead from your midwife, give yourself permission too x

Thank you everyone for your understanding, my plan is to start lightly with some swimming and hopefully once my anxiety head settles a little start incorporating a little more .

Take it slow and see how you go.
Before having my daughter I ran 3 times a week by between 4 and 7km on the flat. I ran twice in pregnancy then a handful of times until she was 3. I was surprised that when I did start running again after 3+ years I could start quite close to where I was before doing 3km in a very hilly area! Three pregnancies in 9 months two with hyperemesis meant I didn't get back into the habit of regular runs or building on the distance and I'm now 24 weeks so it probably be after birth that I restart again. You probably won't have lost a significant amount of fitness in 3 months and it's a good time in pregnancy to restart the habit.

Swimming is a good way to start as you can stop when you are ready

I would consider some gentle swimming and maybe a prenatal exercise class: I did prenatal pilates and it really helped, plus some walking. If those things feel good, can think about upping the pace to jogging but I wouldn't go crazy at this point, particularly as the weather has been so hot. I found running over 4 miles was hard from early on as hormonally I was struggling to regulate body temperature so I was getting super hot and had no energy (I had terrible prenatal insomnia which did not help!), but I managed to continue at that level getting gradually slower and introducing walk breaks until 32 weeks, then just prenatal pilates, walked and swam. My priority was making sure baby was healthy and that I was managing my energy cup effectively for both of us.

On the other side, getting fitness back has been harder than I ever imagined but I have to bear in mind I haven't had a full night's sleep in over a year which is definitely not helping!