First Trimester Pregnancy Fitness + 8 Safe Workouts

Reduce minor back aches, improve your mood and sleep, and set yourself up for the rest of pregnancy by learning how to exercise in the first trimester. Between bouts of morning sickness and nausea, it can be tricky to move your body but this guide will help set you up for an active pregnancy!

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, exercising throughout your pregnancy can help prepare you for a better postpartum recovery. However, there are a lot of tweaks to make to ensure it feels GOOD. Scroll on to learn about which pregnancy workouts are safe and how to modify them.

Benefits Of Exercise In The First Trimester

The first trimester of pregnancy normally isn't one where you're feeling your best. And you may be struggling to work out or figure out what you're allowed to be doing. However, staying active can actually help get you though those first 12 weeks.

• Improved mood
• More energy
• Better sleep
• Less aches
• Control
• Can help ease newfound constipation

While it may seem, and feel, like the perfect time to be lazy, movement can actually help alleviate a lot of pregnancy symptoms. Learn more about the benefits of staying active during pregnancy.

And contrary to an old-school belief, exercising in the first trimester has not been shown to cause miscarriage.

However, there are a few considerations you'll want to take note of when it comes to exercising when pregnant.

Every day is different in pregnancy, so work WITH that. And if you're tired and crabby and excited and overwhelmed this first trimester checklist helps you get organized though.

The Biggest Tip On Staying Fit During Pregnancy

Before we delve into specifics, know this: each and every pregnancy is different, and each and every week is different. you'll need to adjust, change the game plan, and embrace how you're feeling.

Now is not the time to be a badass, to think of "belly only" pregnancies, to focus on looking lean, or to push through at all costs.

How To Exercise In The First Trimester

Below you'll find the biggest tips and what exercises and workouts focus on when it comes to first trimester exercise. Remember though, the main goal of the first trimester is survival.

This means if you need to rest, do it. If you can't fathom working out because you'll spew everywhere: don't. If you can only eat tomato and cheese toasted sandwiches: do it.

And remember to take time with your spouse too! these last minute date ideas are super fun and before long you won't have as much time to do them.

Tip 1: Finding A Time Of Day That Works Best

I love morning workouts but during the first trimester of pregnancy, they weren't always a win for me because I was so dizzy. And so I rolled with. I ended up working out during whichever bouts of the day I felt good.

Normally, there was a two-hour window between 9-11 am in which my energy was decent and I was ready to rock.

And of course, those two hours changed week by week so my schedule changed with it. On top of that, I wasn't as fueled as I normally was so the workouts I was doing obviously needed to be scaled back.

Go with the flow. Don't force your workout time if you're not feeling so hot. Spend some time finding a bit of a pattern of when you have thirty minutes that feels okay and try then.

Tip 2: Exercise Style

The focus of exercising in the first trimester and throughout pregnancy is to alleviate pregnancy symptoms and help support your body as it changes.

Do not start any high-impact activities during the first trimester. Instead, focus on low-impact exercises and strength training (here is a great beginner full body prenatal strength workout).

If you were previously doing high-impact activities it's up to you if you continue. The general rule is that you can continue what you were doing before you got pregnant during the first trimester.

However, I personally advise many of my clients to switch over to a more low-impact option. 

As you progress, your body still has a bit more difficulty controlling your landings/jumps since the ligaments are starting to stretch. This makes it harder for your hips to stay in the proper position.

Remember, the goal of being fit during pregnancy isn't continuing with your intense workouts to show what a badass you are. it's about feeling good and preparing for postpartum. Box jumps don't really factor into that.

Tip 3: Exercises To Avoid

Typically you want to avoid any exercise in which you can fall or crash. This applies to all trimesters and not just the first. Avoid exercises like:

• skiing
• surfing
• horseback riding
• rock climbing
• ice skating

Tip 4: Pregnancy Workouts To Continue

When it comes to the first trimester you can mostly continue what you were doing but may need to make changes based on energy and how you feel.

You may start to feel dizzy if you go up and down too quickly which means things like burpees should be cancelled. Much of it "depends" on the pregnancy and the day.

Strength training, yoga, swimming, pilates, dancing, and hiking are all great options in the first trimester.

If You Weren't Active Prior To Being Pregnant

If you previously were not active but want to do something during your first trimester of pregnancy, below are some great options to get you started: 

• walking or hiking
• yoga
• light strength training (resistance bands are amazing for this as they're low impact- use code mamabearfit) and here is a great resistance band exercise chart to get you started.

You can peep my Youtube Channel for a full list of low-impact, follow-along pregnancy workouts.

Below are some basic rules of working out during first trimester and beyond that you'll want to keep in your mind.

Listen To Your Body

I know that this sounds like crap advice for first trimester fitness but unfortunately, I've found it to be more true than anything. For myself especially, some days in the first trimester I still felt great lifting heavy. I had energy, I could push it a bit and I felt good.

Other days, lunges bugged my hips and I couldn't get my breath in carries. On those days I switched up my routines and rocked something different.

Being active throughout your pregnancy is amazing but you do need to learn to tweak things as you go along.

Take it day by day, rest when you're breathless, and adjust where you need to.

Monitor & Adjust Your Intensity

The word intensity is misleading. For most people, it means going hard with sprints and being sweaty and dripping. That's how you judge a workout. But it's far from the truth.

Intensity can be:

• the amount of weight you're lifting (heavier is more intense to your central nervous system)
• high volume workout with lots of sets and reps
• plyometrics or intervals

Intensity is something you need to keep an eye on and adjust. For the majority of people, the intensity of your workouts in pregnancy decreases. Or the workout becomes intense in different ways.

In the first trimester of pregnancy especially, your intensity will vary day to day based on how you're body feels. There are a lot of hormones surging so don't force yourself.

Maybe you do a few less reps or sets when you're feeling a bit more tired (or nauseous!) one day. Or perhaps you swap a lifting workout for a pilates one. Regardless, find what works for you and adjust as necessary.

The goal of pregnancy isn't to be intense and smash results. It's to remain active and comfortable throughout it. 

Make Sure You Can Breathe

Again, this sounds like obvious advice. But given our definition of intense is often breathless and sweaty most people need to address this. Throughout your workouts, while pregnant you should be able to hold a conversation.

You shouldn't be gasping, begging for breath. If you're struggling to breathe that much, so is the baby. Instead, take a few more rests and adjust a position. Keep control of your breath.

 

What Exercises To Focus On During The First Trimester Of Pregnancy

First and foremost, focus on whatever you can do and that feels good.

For my clients, I place extra emphasis on postural muscles and muscles that, when strong, will help alleviate some pregnancy symptoms (upper back, back of the legs etc).

I also like the emphasize the glutes. Not just in the first trimester of pregnancy but throughout pregnancy. The glutes help supper the pelvic floor, the back, and your body in general. They help immensely during the postpartum period.

Strong glutes are key. This podcast covers exactly why glutes are so important in pregnancy and how they help prevent postpartum back pain.

There are a lot of exercises you can rock during pregnancy but during the first trimester a few favorites are:

• Rows
• Squats
• Face Pulls
• Hip Hinges
• Glute Bridges/Hip Thrusts
• Step-Ups

You can most definitely stay active in your first trimester of pregnancy but it takes some forethought. I personally maintained a five-day workout split but two of those days became much lighter than normal.

Part of your workout regime in the first trimester will be determined by your previous fitness level. If you're still in doubt, please please please contact a qualified trainer to help set you on the right path.

Can You Do Sit-Ups In The 1st Trimester?

While sit-ups or crunches in the first trimester are typically okay, there are so many better core exercises!

Normally, you'll remove traditional ab exercises like sit-ups later in your pregnancy as your belly expands. However, to begin training your core and not just your "abs" work in exercises like:

• deadbugs (great for first trimester)
• parlof presses
• loaded carries
• bird dog

Check out the best pregnancy core exercises and three workouts to add in.

More Pregnancy Fitness Tips

And for when you need it, don't forget to check out how to stay fit in the second trimester of pregnancy as well as the third trimester. I also have a few great workouts for when you're feeling your best.

And if you haven't already, check out my belly butter recipe. I used it with both my pregnancies for stretch marks and I swear by it.