Have any of you gotten fit *during* your pregnancy?

V

vanillasunflowers

New member
Before getting pregnant I was pretty thin, but during my now 17w pregnant I’ve put on a lot of weight for my frame (petite, 5’0). I haven’t been eating all that well and definitely haven’t been moving enough. So I’m looking for some encouragement about getting fit while pregnant! Before and after pics or any specific workout recommendations you found effective are really helpful if you have them!

Thanks in advance y’all 🤗

Edit- Guys. I am not looking to lose weight, starve myself or put my baby at risk in any way. Period. I am quite literally trying to do the opposite by being more healthy and more active. I was simply looking for encouragement to do so. I do not need a lecture on weight loss during pregnancy, I did not once mention or suggest my goal was to lose weight.

Edit 2: removed the word “toned” to avoid confusion between muscle strengthening and trying to lose weight 🫠
 
@vanillasunflowers I’m only 24w but I have definitely used the pregnancy as a time to gain strength.

GRANTED, I was a typical cardio bunny stereotype prior (like doing 3 lb Peloton Lightweight Arms classes). 🤣 So, really I had nowhere to go but up.

I’m now doing 12x3 sets of tricep kickbacks, dumbbell curl to press, side lateral raises, etc with two 8 lb weights, which is a big deal for me!

For legs, I’m doing 12x3 sets of sumo squats, deadlifts, etc. with two 15 lb weights.

This is like child stuff compared to some ppl on this thread but my strength has definitely increased. My glutes and legs look toned and strong. I love it.

I’m also still cardio bunny-ing away on my Peloton, of course.

So, anyway! I hope you have an easy, smooth pregnancy with loads of movement.
 
@vbytuffff Thank you - this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! Really just wanted some ideas on where to start!

I used to be a competitive swimmer so I’m thinking about getting back in the water for some cardio and then finding a few good arm and leg circuits to alternate between.

Congrats on 24w! And on the 8lbs, that’d kick my ass honestly! 😂
 
@vanillasunflowers I also used a pelvic floor physical therapist through Origin (in a bunch of cities I believe?) and she watched my form on the squats and deadlifts, in addition to helping me do anti-coning ab work like Squeeze the Baby.

My SIL gave herself REALLY BAD diastasis recti by going crazy on abs during her pregnancy. She was a very very fit marathon runner prior and TBH I think had some body dysmorphia going on. :-/

She has a weekly trainer and a weekly PT, and it still took 5 years for her abs to close, so I’ve def taken a backseat on ab stuff!
 
@vbytuffff Omg that’s so scary!! I’m glad she’s better now but wow, that sounds so painful. Luckily, my uterus is so sore that working, let alone overworking, my abs is near impossible 😂

I’ve been wanting to look into a pelvic floor therapist! I just moved to a new city in January so also had no idea where to start with that! I’ll definitely check out origin, thanks for the tip!
 
@vbytuffff So I lost a bunch of strength and weight during first tri but by third tri I was doing great and had gained flexibility and strength, endurance too. I was doing yoga and weights but light weights, nothing over 25 lbs I don't think. Felt super good. Trying to get back into it now 9 weeks PP
 
@vanillasunflowers I really tried to improve my strength but pregnancy symptoms kept cropping up. Loosened ligaments everywhere were the biggest impediment to gaining muscle. In the beginning I was cycling, playing tennis, hiking and lifting but eventually had to phase it all down. I'm at the end and the only thing I managed to get better at was swimming. I would try to maintain but don't overdo it.
 
@jhrusky Awe I’m sorry you dealt with that. Pregnancy can really be a dick sometimes, tbh.

I’m thinking of getting back into swimming too - Any recommendations on maternity one pieces? Did you just do laps or did you follow a set?
 
@vanillasunflowers I kinda did my last pregnancy! I got really into working the transverse abdominals to prevent problems down the road, and I noticed my abs coming through lol what? It was funny because postpartum, my waist got a lot smaller than it had ever been before. I attribute that to all the deep core work I was doing (and kept on doing pp). It kinda works like a corset that pulls everything together. I’d also do kettlebell workouts and some pop sugar fitness on YouTube, paired with walking whenever my SPD allowed me. I remember feeling SUPER strong by the end of third tri, like “mama bear strong”

This time around not so much!! I’m finding it very hard. I feel extremely weak and stiff, partly due to severe spd 🥲 I’m not very motivated. I’m trying to find a fun routine though, something small that I can do every day. Body fit by Amy has great prenatal workouts on YouTube
 
@vanillasunflowers I continued to run throughout my entire pregnancy. Had my daughter, broke my leg, and then a year later qualified for the Boston marathon. Running with her in the stroller made me stronger!
 
@vanillasunflowers I have called my pregnancy my "clean bulk" since 80% of the time I still eat like I did before but a little more (baked chicken breast, veggies, and some starch) . I also work out generally the same, but some adjustments here and there since the baby is now starting to get big. People claim I'll bounce back quickly, but who knows.
 
@vanillasunflowers I think the confusion here is that people say "toned" and they mean being able to see the muscle that they have. But how that works is you eat in a caloric surplus and build the muscle and then you eat in a deficit and lose the fat that covers it and reveal the muscle= toned. You cannot gain muscle without also gaining fat so you really can't tone up while gaining weight in pregnancy. I think what is recommended the most is use this time to stay active and healthy, but if you really want to you can begin lifting light weights and eat enough to support growing baby and growing a little muscle and fat. Then if you chose to lose weight after baby then you could reveal some of the muscle you have created. But you can't really do both during this time.
 
@leleh This is also how I interpret “toned” when people say it, though I can appreciate from OP’s comments that’s not what they meant. I had the same thoughts while reading the post but I’m glad it’s been cleared up.
 
@johnnyvee333 I’ll remove toned from the original text to avoid further confusion. Was really hoping for a positive vibe on this thread to help encourage me, but these comments have really put a bad taste in my mouth. Obviously I am not trying to endanger my pregnancy and baby - really didn’t expect to have to say that
 
@vanillasunflowers Sorry I hope the comments haven’t turned you off! In fitness accounts and communities I follow there’s been kind of a backlash on the word “toned” in general I think so a lot of people have visceral reactions to that. But I totally get that losing fat is not what you meant at all!!! I didn’t interpret what you said as intending to do anything unhealthy for your pregnancy.

I am 8 months PP and went to the gym and weight lifted 3-4x a week, all the way up until the day of my induction! I feel like it really helped me recover a lot faster! I was going 4x a week before I got pregnant though, so depending on your starting point I would definitely say it’s doable but pace yourself! Your body does WIERD things while pregnant! I’d be doing a really low impact exercise then all of a sudden get random shooting pains in my hips! So just take it easy and try to keep yourself moving!
 
@johnnyvee333 Ah gotcha! I was completely unaware that I was stepping on a land mine by off handedly using the word “toned” 😂 thank you for your kind response! ♥️

I’m thinking about starting with swimming a few times a week and finding some good arm / leg / ab circuits to do the other days. I really like barre exercises so maybe some of those! Once I start I know I’ll feel better, it’s just actually getting started that is so so hard for me 😮‍💨
 
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