Welcome to your 1st Trimester, mama.

We know that some women feel intimidated or scared of exercising while pregnant—whether they were active prior to pregnancy or not. Our goal is to help reframe exercise for you during this precious time. The focus of exercise during this time should be on maintaining strength, easing the physical challenges of pregnancy, and preparing the body for birth and subsequent recovery.

If you were exercising regularly before getting pregnant, you should be able to continue most of your normal, preferred activities during the 1st Trimester—including intensity, impact, duration, and chosen style of movement. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, some contraindications and considerations can stop a woman from continuing in fitness while pregnant. There are also Urgent Maternal Warning Signs that should encourage a pregnant woman to seek immediate medical attention.

However, exercise should not exceed pre-pregnancy intensity levels. If you exercised at a moderate pace for the majority of your workouts prior to pregnancy, you can continue. If you were not practicing high-intensity interval training prior to pregnancy, you should not start now.

Fondly referred to as the golden trimester, the 2nd Trimester is usually when a pregnant woman starts to feel her best and has more energy! Morning sickness and fatigue tend to dissipate in weeks 18-20 for most pregnant women (hallelujah!).

If you are in your 2nd Trimester, you should start or continue to move your body regularly. This is particularly important as sleep disturbances can become more prevalent, and regular exercise can help control or reduce these disruptions. Your breasts are growing, altering the center of gravity and possibly impacting your spinal alignment. You can help reduce this imbalance by working strengthening and mobility exercises for your core into your exercise routine. Also, the hormone progesterone can cause stomach upset, like gas or heartburn. Consistent exercise can help with food motility, too, which decreases the time food stays in the stomach and small intestine.

During the 2nd Trimester, the uterus size increases rapidly to accommodate your growing fetus. Accompanying this rapid growth, pregnancy becomes more uncomfortable as your body makes room for the growing uterus, and the muscles and supporting pelvic structures are stretched. By the end of the 2nd Trimester, the fetus grows to almost four times the size it was at the end of the 1st Trimester.