My Current Pregnancy Fitness Routine
When I first found out I was pregnant I wondered how much my fitness routine would change. Before I even found out, I had cut back on running because of the morning sickness (I thought it was just a stomach bug). I backed off working out a little until my first doctor's appointment because I wanted to make sure that I could continue with my normal fitness routine. After, being cleared by the doctor, I continued to do my normal fitness routines as much as I could. This was difficult because during my first trimester I was exhausted and nauseous all the time. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to workout at all and that I would end up gaining a ton of weight throughout my pregnancy. Thankfully, I kept working out when I could and once I was into the second trimester, I was able to get back to a pretty normal workout routine. I even added jogging back in. What has surprised me the most is during my third and final trimester I have had more energy and motivation to go to the gym. I wanted to share with you all my current fitness routine. Before I share my fitness routine, I want to state that if you are currently pregnant and weren't working out before, then please do not try this routine. When you are pregnant you can only maintain the activity level you were doing before getting pregnant. You should not add in things like running and lifting if you did not due them before.
Sunday
Prenatal Yoga// You can find so many different types of prenatal yoga videos on YouTube. I did yoga before I got pregnant, but my doctor recommended doing prenatal yoga because it can help with pains during pregnancy and can actually make labor easier.
Walk// I try to walk for at least 30 minutes on Sunday. This most of the time is a light walk. I do not try to overdo this walk because I think of Sunday as more of a rest day for me.
Monday
Walk// This walk is usually a little more intense of a walk and I usually try and do 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes. Most of the time my pace is intense enough where I will get around 2.5 to 3 miles in.
Cardio Toning// If you haven't noticed cardio is big on my fitness routine right now. I added this class in when I was around 22 weeks. It gave me something different to do for cardio. I absolutely love doing this class because it is such a good mixture of strength and cardio. If you are interested in this type of class then check out my Tabata Pinterest board.
Tuesday
Cardio// I will normally do 15 minutes of the bike, elliptical, or walking before lifting
Lifting// The type of lifting depends on what lifting I have done the week before. I try to do all muscle groups (back/bicep, chest/tricep, legs/abs) once a week. This doesn't always happen because some days I am just too busy to make it to the gym. To check out arm workouts I do click here, for legs click here, and for abs click here.
Wednesday
Elliptical// When I was in high school and college I would do the elliptical all the time. After, I started to enjoy running I left the elliptical behind. However, since I cannot run as much as I would like right now, I have added the elliptical back in. At first I struggled because I got bored. However, I now take my iPad and watch a 45 minute show while I am on the elliptical. I will usually do 10 minutes forward (level 3), 10 minutes backward (level 3), 10 minutes forward (level 4), 5 minutes backwards (level 5), 5 minutes forward (level 5), an 5 minute cool down. The elliptical is such a great low impact and high calorie burning cardio exercise.
Thursday
Cardio// I will normally do 15 minutes of the bike, elliptical, or walking before lifting
Lifting // This depends on what I did on Tuesday and how sore I still am from cardio toning on Monday.
Friday
Cardio// I will normally do 15 minutes of the bike, elliptical, or walking before lifting
Lifting// This depends on what I did on Tuesday and Thursday
Saturday
Walk/Jog// Here is where I can still somewhat keep up with my running. I didn't want to give it up completely but when I tried to do longer distances, my body did not handle it well. So, I settled for a walk/jog in hopes that it will help me get back into running faster after the baby comes. I usually will walk at a higher speed such as 4 or 4.2 for 9 minutes and then after that I will turn it up every 2 minutes by 3 until I am doing a jog at 5.0. How long I jog for depends on how I am feeling that day. Sometimes I will go for time so 2-5 minutes or sometimes I will go for distances 0.4-0.6. I have not jogged a full mile in one set. I will usually do this walk/jog for 40 minutes and then finish with a 5 minute cool down.
This is my current pregnancy fitness routine. It may not be for you, but I am currently 33 weeks and have only gained about 17-20 pounds which I think is really good. Please remember that a big part of maintaining a healthy weight whether pregnant or not is eating the right food. To find out my old fitness routine click here.
What are something that helped you maintain your fitness and weight while pregnant?
xoxo
Stacey