1st Trimester of Pregnancy: Core Principles

Catherine
Sep 5
2 min read

Updated: Oct 11

from The Danaher Method

Back in March I was surprised to find out that I was pregant! 3 month before my wedding, at age 40, at a time when a lot of life was happening. It's a beautiful, fragile, weird time. As a movement practitioner and someone already working in the pre/post natal space, here are some tips from my training and personal experience on working out during your 1st trimester of pregnancy.

For me it was not easy. I’d teach in the morning, come home to sleep all afternoon, then go back out and teach again in the evening. All the while feeling hungover, hungry but nauseous and generally grumpy. Every body is different and every experience is different so, of course, check in with your doctor regularly on your movement practice.

If you'd like recommendations on pelvic floor therapists, a looking for safe pre-natal classes or are curious about how I work with pre & post natal client, join our pre/post natal email community for more information.

You can continue your pre-pregnancy movement practice but you’ll be dealing with a lot of changes in your body. You won’t look any different but there’s so much change happening.

Adjust workout intensity and duration. Hormones will be all over the place, nausea, fatigue...You might need to slow down and that’s ok.

Core strength becomes even more important. You can most likely continue with your pre-pregnancy core movements. In addition, start to include a breathwork practice (360, gil breathing, abdominal/thoracic) and get to know your inner unit (TVA, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, multifidi). If this is unfamiliar territory, find a teacher who can guide you thru your pregnancy and possibly a pelvic floor PT.

Class on the TDM Online Library: TVA DEEP CORE AND HIP EXTERNAL ROTATION

Lean into how you feel. When tired, rest. When you’re feeling good and have energy, take advantage of this (strength training, a run). Move when the energy is there, rest when it’s not.

Class on the TDM Online Library: UNILATERAL LOWER-BODY STRENGTH