Staying Fit While Pregnant: The First Trimester

We found out we were expecting a new member of the family in April 2018, a little over a week after I finished my first round of 80 Day Obsession. For three months, I’d pushed my body to do things I’d never thought possible – I could lift heavier, endure more, and was eating better than ever before. I’d finally broken through my plateau, and had lost the majority of the mom gut I’d earned bringing two babies into this world back-to-back.

The moment I found out I was pregnant, I started binge-eating. I was only a few weeks along, but that didn’t stop me. Huge portions, salty food, ice cream, cookies, the works – all in one night. It was like all of that hard work I put into eating better and learning healthy habits went out the door. The next morning, I had a choice to say screw it and keep stuffing my face or accept that my relationship with food was still on the rocks and I needed to work even harder to improve it.

A little background – I didn’t workout through any of my other pregnancies. During the one prior, I sat on a stationary bike and read for half an hour every few days. My heart rate didn’t elevate and I don’t think I worked any harder than I would have while taking a light walk. I watched what I ate better than during the other two pregnancies, but that’s not saying much.

I didn’t want that happening during this pregnancy. If I undid everything I’d worked towards, I couldn’t guarantee that I’d ever jump back on the wagon. So I took a day off and got right back to it the next day. I obviously wouldn’t restrict what I ate as much and would no longer eat in a calorie deficit, but I’d make sure I focused on vegetables and protein and drinking a lot of water. 

Supplements

During 80 Day Obsession, I used several supplements. Before you go into a “Just eat real food!” rant, read this. Don’t be that guy.

The pre-workout was the only supplement that explicitly says not to take it while pregnant. The others indicate you should contact your doctor first, so I did. Note: just because my physician okayed a supplement doesn’t mean your doctor will. Always check with your own OB first.

Energize

Energize increases energy and endurance, improves intense exercise performance, and delays exercise induced muscle soreness. 

I took Energize the day after we found out I was pregnant out of habit. Several women on my team took it while pregnant, so I didn’t even think to look at the label.

Always look at the label. This is the supplement that explicitly states not to take it while pregnant. Nevertheless, I took it to my doctor appointment to be sure. I wanted to be as thorough as possible during this pregnancy.

The only ingredient my doctor was concerned over was the green tea. She cautioned me to ingest 200 mg or less total of caffeine in a day.

Recover

Recover speeds up muscle recovery, combats exercise-induced muscle soreness, and improves muscle strength recovery. I honestly didn’t ask my OB about this one because I’m in good health, am having no complications, and can handle normal levels of protein. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask yours. Just because I can take this, doesn’t mean you can. There are no outright harmful ingredients in Recover, but you may have a family history or issues with your kidneys that force you to restrict your protein intake. 

Hydrate

Hydrate replaces electrolytes lost during exercise, improves exercise performance and endurance, and increases fluid absorption during exercise. There is nothing strange or artificial in Hydrate, so again, the only concern was the trace amounts of green tea extract.

Shakeology

Shakeology is your daily dose of dense nutrition. We took this to our doctor because of the exotic ingredients in it. As a dietary supplement, it isn’t regulated by the FDA, and we wanted to make sure they were all safe. The only ingredient that stuck out to her was the green tea. Drinking my daily shake was totally fine as long as I didn’t also drink coffee.

Talk about a Sophie’s choice…

Exercise

Prior to getting pregnant, I was working out an hour a day, six days a week. With this pregnancy, I’ve had severe “morning” sickness that lasts all day, and I’ve been exhausted. We modified my schedule to include a nice mix of running and strength training using 21 Day Fix and the prenatal workouts on Beachbody on Demand.

Don’t let the name fool you. The prenatal workout is no joke. I add bands to give my booty a better workout, but the have to go slow with the upper body moves.

Summary

So far, the combination of sticking with my nutrition plan and staying active has helped me be more productive during this pregnancy even when feeling like death. I’ve maintained most of the gains made during 80 Day Obsession, have yet to gain weight, and haven’t had near the swelling as I did with my other pregnancies.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to remain active during your pregnancy. If you’re struggling to find the motivation or don’t know where to start, leave a comment. I’m here to help.