What To Expect Exercising Through Pregnancy

Chances are this isn’t the first blog you’ve landed on in your research to find out how long you can swim, bike, run etc.. during pregnancy. I spent hours pouring over websites to discover first hand that there isn’t really one golden rule to follow. But I did find one fact that I could rely on: The ability to exercise while pregnant isn’t linear. One day I wasn’t feeling up to riding my bike but a month later I was trail riding for hour and a half stints.

Gravel grinding at the start of my third trimester in the Soo Valley near Whistler.

In my first trimester, I regularly got down on myself because I didn’t feel like doing much more than walking. “So this is me for 9 more months?” I’d think. But having recently given birth to my healthy son, Will, I can attest that I didn’t just loose the ability to be active. It ebbed and flowed over the entire pregnancy.

Running in winter while pregnant? Why not.

While it’s important to note I’m not a fitness professional, I do have some cool learnings that I’d love to pass on. Here’s my practical guide to all the fun sports aka swimming, biking, running, strength training through pregnancy:

Swimming While Pregnant

Open water swimming at the end of my third trimester in Alta Lake, Whistler.

It was still winter when I first found out I was pregnant. Early starts and pool chlorine regularly made me feel sick in that first trimester. My coach suggested I pace myself no harder than 80% of my max effort. I certainly didn’t need the restriction, I couldn’t go much harder if I tried. Let’s be honest, swimming (along with almost everything) just wasn’t great for me in the beginning.

When I hit the second trimester the morning sickness disappeared and my belly started to grow. A funny trade off. I was lucky enough to be in New Zealand at the time with access to ocean and lake swims. First thoughts when I hit the open water: my breathing was oddly shallow and my chest felt tight. I needed a bigger wetsuit right away. Progressing from a loaner (read stretchier suit) then eventually a larger wetsuit turned swimming into the best sport available to me.

• XTERRA has cheap wetsuits on sale in a weekly specials list (game changer).

• I treated myself to new goggles, as those don’t change in size the heavier I get. It’s amazing how much nicer it made my swims.

• I found the Gap makes really fun, inexpensive maternity swimsuits. Perfect to wear at the beach and under my wetsuit.

Swimming was a great workout and an incredible relief on my joints.

Here’s the deal: the weightlessness was an incredible relief the further along I got in my pregnancy. Each time I returned to the water, the front crawl felt amazing on all my joints. Breast stroke less so. Bonus points? The rocking motion was probably awesome for the baby (not based in science but mentally it sure felt nice).

Biking While Pregnant

My husband was so patient with me, it kept riding fun.

The only biking I did in the first trimester was limp through my favourite indoor cycling class once a week. It was deep in those winter months so riding outside wasn’t really an option. As I mentioned above, even on my best days during the first trimester I couldn’t push much harder than my 70 to 80% of max effort. Everything changed in March. When we arrived in Rotorua, New Zealand on a work trip, I hit my second trimester and consequently my stride.

Those second trimester feels shuttling in Rotorua.

I felt stronger and less queasy. I was able to return to mountain biking and ride some pretty fun trails in the Whakarewarewa Forest. A huge dose of sunshine helped with my motivation too.

I heard rumours of the eventual onset of losing balance but never found that to be the case on the bike. Much like when our bodies normalize balance on a boat, I found it quite easily even in the later stages of pregnancy.

Exploring new areas with my friend Dani on the gravel bikes.

When I returned from New Zealand my belly really started to show. I noticed a distinct loss of core strength. My ego certainly took a hit a few times as my pace slowed. Climbing became really tough. It made me nervous. My solution was to ride with people that were understanding and patient. Applying zero pressure. I made a few more efforts to ride fun trails in Whistler in the early summer before switching to my gravel and road bikes for the remainder of my pregnancy.

Riding to town on my trusty Surly.

Some things I found helpful while biking:

• The pace needed to be relaxed and I had to cut out the long rides. Those pregnant hips got pretty sore past an hour and a half.

• I needed to be strict about fuelling properly on these rides. Bonking while pregnant is horrible. Avoid at all costs.

• Finding clothes to wear biking is rough. I wore my husband’s kit for a while as a great solution for the early stages. Although, at the end of my second trimester that stuff didn’t fit either.

• Cadenshae is the only company that makes cycling shorts for pregnant women. They have a nice high waist but lack in the padding department. Better than anything else I could find.

My last ride before switching to skinny tires.

So, here’s the deal with biking. Any kind of riding is awesome but I couldn’t do it throughout my entire pregnancy. I was just plain uncomfortable in the end of the third trimester. The key is to only approach it with confidence. The moment I started to worry about the baby or my abilities my riding suffered and it wasn’t worth it.

““Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” ”

— Henry Ford

Running While Pregnant

Running while pregnant is a bit awkward but worth it.

Wow. I was noticeably slower from the moment I found out I was pregnant. Rather than get down on myself for the pace I celebrated the fact that now was the time to take it slow and enjoy. I had to be ok with it. I was able to run/walk right into the beginning of my third trimester. Unlike the other sports, my pelvic floor physiotherapist warned me that when it gets too uncomfortable, don’t push through - call it quits. Postpartum me, is thankful I did.

Here are a few takeaways:

• I walked whenever things got mildly uncomfortable. I wasn’t out there to get PBs, why not enjoy myself?!

• Progress to flatter runs. The heavier I got the harder uphill and downhill running became. I called it quits after a hilly run to and across a beach in Tofino but then found a few more runs in me when I returned home and stuck to the flat trails.

• Hydrate big time. Baseline pregnancy left me super thirsty. Add in running? Taking a bottle with me every time became essential.

• A sports bra for my belly was just what I needed to keep going. Get a belly band.

Trail running in New Zealand during my second trimester.

Let me sum up running by saying it was the hardest sport to keep doing while pregnant. There’s not much I could adjust to keep comfortable other than adding the Belly Band into the mix. The tightness of my running kit around my belly got increasingly irritating. My biggest takeaway is to get out and run before getting too big. Once my tummy was too large I didn’t have the option.

Strength Training While Pregnant

Based on research from popular pregnancy websites, personal trainer friends and advice from a pelvic floor physiotherapist I put together my own daily 20 minute routine that I used all of my second trimester. As my energy levels faded I pulled out the tougher moves and shortened the work out gradually down to 8-10 minutes in my third trimester.

• Clam shell

• Side plank

• Donkey kicks

• Hip raises

• Leg lifts (10x 2 sets) engage pelvic floor

• Superman aka quadruped

• 30 squats

• 20 forward lunges

• 20 back lunges

• Leg swings

• Single leg dead lift

• Arm circles

• Side squat

• Banded row

• Banded lunge curl

• Banded reverse fly

• Single arm wall stretch

• 10 modified push ups

• Stomach massage

My Pregnancy Secret Weapon?

The best.

The Downward Dog Prenatal App. I could do as little as 5 minutes if I wasn’t feeling energetic and the full practice was customizable. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It helped me get ready for labour and kept me from getting stiff after those really active days or long days at my desk.

Pregnancy is a wild journey. Don’t get me wrong, there were some days I wasn’t up for doing much more than napping. If you’re passionate about staying fit (and sane) I would encourage anyone to keep training but turn it into play. A wonderful friend told me, birth is one of the most physically challenging things you’ll do - why not be fit and ready for it?!”