5 Exercises for Your First Trimester

Posted byashleepedlowPosted inUncategorized

Congratulations and welcome to your first trimester. Generally the first trimester is considered the first 13 weeks of your pregnancy and during this time there are some significant changes that happen in the body. These changes include

  • An increase in blood volume
  • An increase in heart rate
  • Feelings of fatigue
  • An increase in estrogen and progesterone
  • Morning sickness (feelings of nausea and/or vomiting)
  • Breasts feeling fuller, heavier and tender
  • Headaches
  • Increased urination
  • Insomnia
  • Vivid dreams

All of these symptoms are normal and you may feel one or two of them, you may feel many of them or you may feel none of them. The symptoms experienced in the first trimester can be very different from one woman to the next and may even be different from one pregnancy to the next. If you feel that you can workout during your first trimester go ahead, but remember to give yourself grace as there may be some days where you are not feeling it and that is okay. If this is the case focus on taking care of yourself and resting when possible, pushing yourself through workouts when you aren’t feeling great can be a difficult thing to do.

Some women on the other hand find that exercise can help to alleviate some of the symptoms they may be experiencing in the first trimester. Exercise may help to alleviate nausea, fatigue, morning sickness and headaches. Again keep in mind that this will vary from one person to the next and it may vary from one day to the next. Exercise may help you feel better one day and may not the next. Again this is okay…just take it as it comes and do what you can.

During your first trimester (or even before) it’s important to be sure you are practicing your Connection Breath each day. To learn more about the connection breath and how to perform it click here. Perform at least 1 set of 10 breaths each day. Also remember that it’s important to warm up before exercising. Ensure that you are including warm ups ahead of your workouts so your body is fully prepared for exercise.

Let’s now look at 5 exercises for your first trimester. For each of these exercises I have included 2 variations that are appropriate for the first trimester. Keep in mind that you are not limited to these exercises but these are some of the most important ones to be incorporating.

Exercise 1: Squat

Squats help strengthen your lower body while also activating your core. They are a great functional exercise which means that they are used commonly in everyday life. Every time you sit down you are using a squat motion. Squats have endless variations and these different variations can be used throughout pregnancy with modifications as your pregnancy progresses. Both the Goblet Squat and the Front Squat are appropriate variations to be used in your first trimester of pregnancy. When performing your squats ensure you are reaching your bum back towards an imaginary chair behind you (if you need to put a chair behind you feel free). Keep your chest proud and your core activated. Drive through your heels as you stand.

Goblet Squat: Bring 1 or 2 weights to the front of your chest, drop your hips backwards and reach back like you are sitting into a chair. Drive through your heels to return to standing.
Front Squat: Bring weights to your shoulders and sit back into a squat position while reaching your hips backwards towards an imaginary chair. Drive through the heels to stand back up.

Exercise 2: Row

Row variations target the muscles of the upper back, between the shoulder blades. These muscles are very commonly stretched out and weakened in most people. This is caused by hunching forward over our computers, laptops, phones and tablets. These muscles can also become lengthened and weak with breastfeeding if hunched posture is being used, which means now is a perfect time to start strengthening these muscles. There are numerous row variations that can be used and the bent over row and single arm row can both be used safely in your first trimester.

Bent Over Row: Hinging forward from the hip keep your back flat and your core activated. Pull your elbows back keeping them close to the body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
Single Arm Row: Hinging forward at the hips, keep your back flat and your core activated. Keeping your elbow close to the body row one arm back at a time alternating sides. Make sure that you keep your core active and your hips square as you row back with one arm (no rocking in the hips or back).

Exercise 3: Hip Thruster

The hip thruster exercise activates the lower body, mainly the glute muscles. Your glute muscles are important in helping to maintain optimal hip positioning and help to drive many of the movements of your hips. In many people (pregnant or not) these muscles are generally weakened and/or tight. Focusing on improving glute function can help improve posture, improve the positioning of your hips and may help with low back pain as well. As your pregnancy progresses your glute function may decline, so incorporating hip thrusters is a great way to help maintain that strength.

Hip Thruster: Using a bench or a couch as support rest your upper back against it. Driving through your feet on the floor lift your hips up squeezing your glutes at the top. Lower your hips back down without lowering completely to the floor.
Single Leg Hip Thruster: Using a bench or a couch as support rest your upper back against it. Lift one leg up off the floor and drive through the food still on the floor to life your hips up squeezing your glutes at the top. Lower your hips back down without lowering completely to the floor. Repeat on opposite leg.

Exercise 4: Chest Press

Your chest muscles are involved in pushing motions (think pushing a door open) as well as helping to stabilize your shoulder joint. Generally, the muscles of the chest are tight in most people because of the hunching position we assume most of the time (this is true generally but you may also find this exaggerated in the early postpartum period when it comes to holding and feeding a newborn). Using chest pressing exercises in combination with mobility work can help the chest muscles function at their optimal level, improve your posture and keep you feeling great.

Chest Press: Lying on your back on either a bench or the floor begin with your arms straight up over top of your chest. Bend at the elbows and drop them out to the side lowering the weights toward your chest. Press the weights back up to return to your starting position.
Pushup: Beginning in a pushup position from either your knees or toes (or using an inclined surface like a bench or couch), bend at the elbows to lower yourself towards the floor. Aim to keep your elbows from flaring out super wide and keep your body straight. Your head, neck, back, hips (and toes) should form a straight line that doesn’t break throughout your pushup.

Exercise 5: Pallof Press

Core exercises can get more complicated during pregnancy. Although during the first trimester you may find you are able to continue with your more traditional style core exercises it is a good time to start to make some adjustments as these adjustments will be required down the road. The Pallof press comes with many different variations and can be used to strengthen the core in a safe position at any point in your pregnancy. Yes this exercise looks simple, but I assure you that you need to try it, the resistance from the side in the band makes it difficult to keep your body upright and I promise you that you will feel it!

Pallof Press: Standing up tall activate your core holding the band in front of your chest. Press your arms straight out away from the body maintaining an upright, tall position as you do so. Your torso shouldn’t wavier here. Return your hands to your starting position. Ensure you repeat on both sides.
Pallof Press + Rotation: Standing up tall activate your core holding the band in front of your chest. Press your arms straight out away from the body maintaining an upright, tall position as you do so. Your torso shouldn’t wavier here. Then rotate your body using the toe closest to the band’s anchor point as a pivot point. Rotate back to centre and return your hands to your starting position. Ensure you repeat on both sides.

Exercise during pregnancy can be beneficial for both mom and baby and if you are feeling up to it, exercise is something that will be helpful for you to incorporate. Remember to listen to your body, especially during your first trimester when things are changing so significantly. If you are looking for more exercise ideas to incorporate throughout your pregnancy please reach out to me here. We can look at programming specific to you and your needs and address any concerns you have. A healthy pregnancy starts with you looking after yourself and your little one and exercise can be a healthy part of that journey!

2 thoughts on “5 Exercises for Your First Trimester”

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