SP Mamas: Fitness Throughout Your Pregnancy

SP Mama Tips for Fitness Throughout Your Pregnancy

Fitness during pregnancy is going to look different for every woman and even different for each of her pregnancies. The beauty of this is that this is a time when you have an opportunity to truly connect to your body and pay attention to your movement patterns, tendencies, strengths, weaknesses and find a whole new level of respect for the power and magic of your own body through the way you approach your fitness during pregnancy. If we can suggest any ONE thing during pregnancy and postpartum it would be to find a way to adjust your MINDSET. This is a season for training and moving in a way that isn't about gainz, or numbers, or aesthetics, or PRs, or ego's because none of those things will actually make us a better mother. Instead its a season of being intentional, proactive, humble, compassionate, and patient. We are not fragile during pregnancy but our strength will sometimes show up in unexpected or less obvious ways and if you are open to seeing that, than this can be the most empowering season of our lives!

When it comes to working out, if you have been doing Street Parking style workouts for a while and with permission from your healthcare provider, you should be fine to continue as you normally do with just a few changes until the baby starts to grow and the bump and shape of your body changes how you move. We want you to move in ways that feel good physically and mentally! We want to encourage movements that help you build strength and stamina to prepare you for birth without causing long term problems for your core or pelvic floor now or postpartum. You can definitely use the advice of "listen to your body" a guide as long as you know what you are listening for and are open to adjusting day to day. Sensations of pressure on your bladder, leaking, spotting, lower back pain, pubic pain, etc. are all signs that you need to adjust your approach or change the movement. Be sure to check out the Mama Modifications listed with every workout on the Members Only website for some ideas on where to start with adjusting your movements!

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get started on this journey.

1. The first trimester isn't so much about whether or not you are physically able to do the movements its more about whether or not you have the energy to go at the same intensity or perform with the movements with the same integrity because of fatigue. It's very common to feel tired, sleepy, fatigued, nauseated, and drained during the first trimester. Normally, you might want to push through something like that but because all your energy should be going to building this little baby inside, it might be a good idea to listen to those red flags and rest A LOT. It might mean that you workout without setting the timer or that you just go body weight or lighter weight than your used to. Sleep if you're tired, eat if you're hungry. Drink water ALL THE TIME!

2. Be aware of your posture and breathing: Try to choose loads, movements, scaling options based on what you know you can perform with proper positions, posture, and technique. We recommend that if you're not 100% certain that you can complete the movement with proper form than it's probably not a good idea to do it. We want to minimize as much risk as possible so going for that new 1 Rep Max PR on your Back Squat or Strict press is probably not a good idea. However, back squats and presses with good technique at a load that you know you can confidently move are an AWESOME way to prepare your body for birth! Also, try to move at a pace where you are aware of your breathing. Try to avoid holding your breath as much as you can. You can move at an intensity that challenges your breath but it shouldn't feel so out of control that you are struggling for air for an extended amount of time. No air for you means extra stress for baby and usually if you are really gasping for breath and moving, your posture is also out of alignment and this can create some instability in your midline or pressure in your core and pelvic floor which can lead to some pelvic floor dysfunction down the road if not managed properly.

3. Re-think situps, toes to bar, v-ups, etc. There is nothing inherently "wrong" with any of those movements and if you are determined to continue them, I would just make sure you are very clear on your "why". You may very well be able to do all of them without any pain, discomfort, or symptoms of dysfunction for a while into your pregnancy. However, the pressure these movements put on your core and pelvic floor just aren't worth the risk right now. There are so many other movements that can help you accomplish the intended stimulus with our risking your long term health or delaying your postpartum recovery.

4. Start getting comfortable with strict vs. kipping movements. Kipping is a similar movement to the v-up or sit up when it comes to how it impacts your body and more specifically the pressure in your core. You can probably get away with doing them for a little while but again, it’s kind of always going to come down to weighing risk vs. reward.

5. Double unders and box jumps can be ok for a while if you don't feel any pressure or discomfort or heaviness in your pelvic floor but again, if you aren't training for something that requires them it might be a good idea to start to scale them as soon as you feel any uncertainty around being able to manage the impact and the pressure in your belly and pelvic floor.

6. Start using the Pregnancy Functional Progression Warm Up videos in the Member's Only Website! Reach out if you notice any "coning" in your belly or experience any discomfort so that we can find an effective modification.

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If you are ever unsure of how to modify a movement or have questions about working out during your pregnancy, feel free to reach out directly to SP Mamas Coach, Carolina anytime! You can find her as Carolina Phipps Stone on the SP Pregnant and Postpartum Moms Facebook group or email mamas@streetparking.com.