I’ve gotten a few requests for a post dedicated to how I’ve been staying active in my pregnancy so far {I’m currently 22 weeks!} so here you go! Please keep in mind that I am definitely NOT a doctor and all the information below is what has worked for me personally. You might be/feel completely different and that’s totally fine.
For me, pregnancy exercise has been all about taking it easy. My goal right now isn’t to be in the best shape of my life – it’s just to stay healthy so my little guy stays healthy. It took a little getting used to, since for the past ten years I’ve been pushing myself in hot and sweaty power yoga classes, but being pregnant really forced me to start to tune into listening to my body and what it needed. Every day was different! Now you guys all know that I’m not a gym fan – I haven’t belonged to a gym in years now – so most of my workouts were either at home or outside.
During my first trimester, despite not getting morning sickness, I had no desire whatsoever to work out. So I didn’t. Instead, I ate a lot of ice cream and called it a day. There were some days when I literally couldn’t move from the couch because I was so incredibly exhausted. I’ve never in my life known an exhaustion like that. Despite my love for yoga, I had absolutely no desire to get on my mat. It was weird. I think I just felt awkward since I couldn’t keep up in the same old intense power classes but I felt like it was too soon for prenatal. I tried to get out and walk as much as I could, even if that just meant ten minutes in my neighborhood. Small victories! Towards the end of my first trimester, the exhaustion started to lift and I started becoming regular again with Barre3 at home workouts. I love the 30 minute option and have found that all of the workouts online are incredibly pregnancy friendly. I even traveled to Portland, got to participate in a live class and filmed a cooking video with the founder, Sadie!
I’ve tried to stay active so far in my second trimester. Yoga has become alluring again and I discovered that even though prenatal yoga is a LOT different than the yoga I used to practice, sitting at stretching for 90 minutes feels sooooooooo goooooooooood. I go to a weekly prenatal yoga class at my studio on Fridays and look forward to it all week. Now, on any given day, I try to either take a 30-40 minute walk, do a 30 minute Barre3 online workout or do a 40 minute prenatal yoga podcast at home. I try to do something 5x a week. Being active has helped with my pregnancy insomnia and I just feel more like myself when I’m active. But, like I said – I am all about taking it easy! I take frequent breaks, drink tons of water and don’t give workouts 100% like I used to. My yoga teacher says that pregnant women should make a habit of working at 70% so I like to try to stick to that with my exercise. I focus on keeping my core strong so I push this little guy out in May!
For prenatal yoga podcasts, I love this one from YogaDownload. My old studio also has free podcasts available on itunes and the “flow” ones are easily adaptable for pregnancy.
polly
January 8, 2014 at 3:43 amgood for you sweetie! God has a big ol sweet life inside of you and you are a beautiful balance of being healthy and being real and honest and enjoying this precious time! i love you so much, sis! hugs and hugs to little guy. and oh yeah, to Adam! 🙂 Love y’all! XOXO
Tara
January 8, 2014 at 3:54 amLove this post!! Not pregnant myself, however thank you for sharing these online yoga classes. Can’t wait to do one myself!!!
Madison
January 8, 2014 at 4:27 amYou are inspirational! I want to have a more laid-back approach to fitness when I’m pregnant, yet still be active. It’s all about the baby. You are awesome!
Mina
January 8, 2014 at 5:03 amI would love to try to online Barre3 workouts. I am a hard core runner and try to go to yoga 2x a week. Can you recommend a good beginner, but challenging Barre3 workout. I go to thrit site and just get overwhelemed and don’t know where to start. I wish there was a studio nearby…..
Enjoy the last half of your pregnancy, it goes so fast!
Mina
Brittany (Healthy Slice of Life)
January 8, 2014 at 5:17 amLove hearing what other pregnant friends are up to!
I am still (somewhat) running (2-3 miles) and really love Jess’ prenatal strength workouts (www.blondeponytail.com). I also tried a physique57 prenatal class and whew, I felt it! It was great.
Maybe I’ll check out Barre3- a 30 minute option sounds great!
Justeen
January 8, 2014 at 5:32 amIt’s great that you are staying so active! I love your approach to exercise, and a balanced, healthy life in general. You inspired me to sign up for a year of Barre3 online workouts. I am loving them so far!
Sara @ LovingOnTheRun
January 8, 2014 at 5:35 amLove this! Love your attitude towards fitness while you are pregnant! While I am not pregnant I love to see what others are doing who are. One day I’ll be in that position hopefully!!
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes
January 8, 2014 at 6:18 amGreat post 🙂 My pregnancy workouts have still been running, walking, and some pump classes here and there and I feel great. Fingers crossed it stays this way!
Rachel
January 8, 2014 at 6:24 amThank you so much for this post Jenna! I just found out I’m pregnant with my first last week, and as an avid fitness fan, I know it’s going to be tough to cut down on my workouts and intensity. Your workout plan seems perfect- just listen to your body!
Cheri @ Overactive Blogger
January 8, 2014 at 6:25 amWow, you look great! I am not pregnant, have never been, but I think in general, it’s a good rule of thumb to listen to your body! But keep it up, you look absolutely phenomenal, and I’m sure your little guy appreciates all you’re doing to keep him and you healthy.
Camille @ Challenge Mantra
January 8, 2014 at 6:57 amGreat info, and loved your point about keeping the core strong to help push baby out! I have a pregnant co-worker who hits the gym at the same time I do every morning. She was a runner before getting pregnant and has kept at it during pregnancy. During the 2nd trimester, she did super easy loping type runs, and now in her final trimester, I think she’s just doing easy walks on the treadmill.
Chelsea @ Designs on Dinner
January 8, 2014 at 7:01 amLove hearing more about your pregnancy!
Sarah
January 8, 2014 at 7:21 amThanks so much for these suggestions! I am going to sign up for the Barre3. I’m a few weeks behind you and have been looking for an at-home workout, so this is perfect. Hope you continue to feel good!
Laura
January 8, 2014 at 7:23 amI’m not pregnant but am learning to take it easy working out anyway. We don’t need to push ourselves 100% every single workout. Your attitude is inspiring 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Haley @ The Girly Girl Cooks
January 8, 2014 at 7:31 amGood for you! I hope that someday when my husband and I decide to start our family I can apply these thoughts on activity to my own pregnancy. Keep up the good work. You look fabulous!
lucinda
January 8, 2014 at 8:04 amway to honor your pregnancy and listen to your body – smart lady! when i was pregnant, i also LOVED the more passive stretching of prenatal yoga… supported pigeon pose? my hips were in heaven! keep taking great care and enjoy this time, you’re only pregnant for the first time once. 😉
http://currenttempo.blogspot.com
erin @hooleywithaz
January 8, 2014 at 8:08 amwe’re definitely trying for a little one right now and i think when i’m pregnant i will need to get back into yoga. have you tried or heard anything about the tracy anderson prenatal workout dvd? i’m a big at home workout person and was wondering if that would be worth the purchase!
jenna
January 8, 2014 at 3:14 pmI have a friend who loves the Tracy Anderson prenatal workout dvd! I just don’t have a dvd player or a space in my laptop for a dvd so I like to stick to streaming online workout videos. I’m sure it’s great though!
Jaime
January 8, 2014 at 8:41 amGood for you for listening to your body, and also for celebrating small victories even if you are just able to go for short walks. It will make a huge difference after baby is born. My pregnancy was similar to yours in that I had no morning sickness but an all-consuming exhaustion. It was unreal. I was a regular at extend barre (another barre studio) and was looking forward to being able to stay active during my pregnancy since those barre type classes are very easily modified for pregnancy. In fact, we had so many preggo’s in the classes we were starting to think something was in the water 😉 Well, it didnt work out for me so well as my exhaustion was so overwhelming it was taking me 2-3 days just to recover from a single class, so I gave up. The exhaustion did not let up at all and I had a very inactive pregnancy. I regret not trying to at least go for easy walks, i guess I was just feeling so defeated that it killed my motivation. I plan on trying to do better next time (if I am so lucky). 🙂
Stephanie
January 8, 2014 at 8:53 amI am 17 weeks pregnant and you inspired me to sign up for a month of the Barre3 to see how it goes! I worked out fairly often before pregnancy and hit the same kind of first trimester slump you did. I started walking around 13 weeks and I just get bored on a treadmill! 🙂 What are your favorite prenatal and regular workouts on the Barre3?
jenna
January 8, 2014 at 3:14 pmI recommend all of the Barre3 classes – I’ve tried them all and they are all really great! I love the 30 and 40 minute workouts the most!
Tiffany Dutson
January 8, 2014 at 9:09 amGood for you! I really need to get back into yoga, I’m almost 25 weeks and running is becoming more difficult every week:(
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
January 8, 2014 at 9:39 amIt’s good to see that you’re listening to your body! I just signed up for the online Barre 3 classes and did my first one this morning. Holy-shaking-legs! It was hard!
Nic G
January 8, 2014 at 10:20 amThis is great! Glad you are keeping healthy. I just started Barrre3 prenatal online workouts (I am 20 weeks with twins girls). Can you recommend any of the non-prenatal classes? I love the prenatal Glow class but would like to switch it up. Thanks!!
jenna
January 8, 2014 at 3:13 pmI recommend ALL of the non-prenatal classes! By now, I’ve done them all and loved them. Each are great! The new “re-energizing” one in particular is a butt-kicker!
sarah
January 8, 2014 at 11:29 amWhat your not trying to be in the best shape of your life?! 😉 kidding… you look amazing and I love your attitude. I need to get my Barre on, I was doing it for awhile but I have totally fell of the wagon…this was a good reminder! Thanks for sharing:)
Miranda
January 8, 2014 at 11:49 am!! Portland!!
Katie D.
January 8, 2014 at 12:09 pmI’m 15 weeks and doing things about the same. I have kept up with my twice weekly zumba classes, but take to take it easy, I make sure I have enough breath to sing along 🙂
At home, I do a prenatal yoga DVD, regular yoga DVD with modifications, SoliBeat DVD, walking and some free weight stuff.
My intensity is so much different!! My heart rate gets up so fast that I barely break a sweat without feeling like I’m at the top of my heart rate.
Jaclyn
January 8, 2014 at 12:35 pmGood stuff Jenna!
Toronto has it’s own Barre-inspired studio, Barre Works, and I’m LOVING it. After years of the gym, I forgot that you can actually LOOK FORWARD to exercise!
Jess
January 8, 2014 at 12:41 pmI remember being told (while doing a prenatal yoga class) that you will have the rest of your life to do deep lunges and forward folds. So true!
I’m sure you’ve already heard of it, but I LOVED the prenatal yoga options on yogaglo.com.
Emily @ More Than Just Dessert
January 8, 2014 at 1:05 pmMadison is getting a new barre3 studio…I had never heard of it until I saw it the other week and now in your post! What were some of your favorite classes there? Or would you recommend mostly the online things?
jenna
January 8, 2014 at 3:12 pmI’ve only been to an actual studio once but loved the class I took! There’s no studio near me so I exclusively do online workouts at home.
Tatyana
January 8, 2014 at 3:52 pmOh, wow, I know exactly where you are. We go to OHSU every three month and stay with a friend in the Pinnacle building. I’ve probably seen you through the glass.
Coty and Mariah@quirksandtwists
January 8, 2014 at 4:48 pmI’ve never tried any barre3 classes, but have been very curious. Loved hearing about your fitness journey during pregnancy!
Maggie J
January 9, 2014 at 7:05 amI think I missed my chance to try Barre pre-baby (only 4 weeks to go!), but I’ve loved yoga, particularly now at the end when everything hurts. I’ve done this video from Lara Dutta several times over the last few weeks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44fYnoSLL3c. It feels so good!!
One word of caution – as the relaxin starts coursing through your body, you’re going to be able to go deeper into poses than ever before. And then hate yourself the next day as you feel even more tight and hurty. My teachers suggested I “find the power in the pose” and focus on strength, too. Example – Warrior 2… You can over stretch your hips by sinking deep or think about trying to pull your feet in towards each other and gain great strength in the thighs, equally important for carrying the extra weight of later pregnancy and carrying around baby.
Lindsey
January 9, 2014 at 9:31 amGood for you staying active! I took a few Barre classed in my 2/3 trimesters and it was tough. The yoga was totally different too but i loved being in a room with other moms to be hearing about everyones different experiences. I walked a lot! I was 12 days late and in those weeks my mom kept calling leaving messages saying I bet your out for a walk lol. They say staying active helps with the birth so keep that in mind even on days when you feel blah. Love following along on your journey!
Lauren
January 9, 2014 at 10:14 amThanks for this post! I love bar classes but the Bar Method and Dailey Method near me have schedules that don’t work with work and my commute. I’ve been wanting to try Barre3.
You’re in Marin, right? Any yoga studios you like? I’ve tried a couple and they just haven’t been the right fit. LOVE three dog yoga up in SR.
AshleyL
January 9, 2014 at 4:02 pmSounds exactly what I’m doing. 🙂
bySarahT
January 10, 2014 at 4:03 amThanks so much for this! I was one of the requesters. 🙂
At 18 weeks, baby has been really easy on me. I had indigestion, but it was totally manageable and very little queasiness. Energy was good too, until I was hit with a nasty 10 day chest cold at week 16. 🙁 Back at ‘er now.
I’ve been doing regular yoga (teachers have helped me with modifications), free weights and light cardio. The online yoga/barre3 options look wonderful – it’s tough to fit in prenatal yoga with my oddball schedule.
Quick question – how are you focusing your ab work? Thanks again for the valuable info!
Caroline
January 10, 2014 at 5:19 amGreat post – I’m 19 weeks along and I’m trying to still stay active, but tone it down from my normal intensity. I’ve been still ‘running’ at a Pregnant pace :), walking, and doing much more body weight workouts.
Of course I still have those moments where I ask myself “am i shaking you too much in there” “is baby stressed” ” is this too intense” “should I be doing this” – that worry still creeps in every so often.
But exercise is my stress release and time with myself, so it only make sense to keep moving as much as I can during my pregnancy!
Looking forward to following along with more of your updates!
Stacey
January 16, 2014 at 9:57 amI’ve had 3 pregnant friends have their 3 different ob/gyns tell them that pregnant women can work out at the same intensity level that they did before they were pregnant, as long as they feel comfortable doing it. As long as you don’t try to work out harder than you did before (i.e. you ran a couple miles a week pre-pregnancy but then decide to run a marathon once pregnant), your body (and baby!) should be fine. Again, as long as you’re comfortable and not pushing yourself too hard when your body is clearly telling you to slow down.
Luv What You Do
January 12, 2014 at 7:08 pmI have the Barre 3 videos. I am so jealous that you have an actual studio! It seems like a great way to keep active!
Kait Hurley
January 13, 2014 at 9:43 amYou’re an inspiration Jenna! We’re all rooting for you from Portland. xoxo
Caitlin
January 16, 2014 at 11:20 amI think it’s great that you can listen to your body and do what’s best for the little guy! My friend Kat had a C-section and she said it was pretty nice to hear the doctor’s compliment her strong core when they went in there to get her little girl. She too did a lot of prenatal yoga!