Bikes and bellies

First trimester adventures

Nearing the 30 week pregnancy milestone... Frightening yes, but also exciting! I am writing this post to encourage women to explore what exercise feels safe during pregnancy and to not be scared of it. Your body will tell you when it is tired, listen to it! These are my personal limits, and it is different for everyone. The words I hated the most during this time, 'you can't do this, you are pregnant...' Let me decide what allows me to feel good.

Learning what is good for me has been and still is a key focus for me. Life in this final trimester is changing daily now, and it seems like a good place to reflect on the learnings
leading up to this point. As far as change is concerned, sleeping my favourite thing in the world is now a luxury. You can lie on the left or on the right and that is it. Moving between these two positions requires great effort and also waking up. Then there is heart burn, continuously growing boobs, occasional tears but it is mostly good (knowing it is temporary and with a reward in mind). This too shall pass!

So as most pregnant women can probably tell, during pregnancy life falls under a microscope and google becomes your best friend. Concerns of exercise, diet, medication, and so on are very real, and it is only fair to become an expert in every field. However, my research on exercise during pregnancy left me wanting more. I am sure most women are rather cautious when it comes to this new experience and experimenting with exercise regimes are not top of mind. However, I felt that this field of exercise during pregnancy is so open for investigation.

Exercise I learnt is mostly safe during pregnancy as long as you don't introduce new forms of exercise. The questions I had was about how long one can train for? What are safe heart rate zones? Both specifically relating to cycling. I decided to use my intuition as a guide and enter the unknown world of cycling and exercise during pregnancy.

During the first trimester there is little physical evidence of pregnancy. Fortunately I never experienced any morning sickness and too much fatigue. I felt great and I would go as far as to say training prevented me from getting sick. Any exercise guru will tell you about the feel good hormones released during exercise, and how wonderful to putting those endorphins to good use during pregnancy. My first trimester was during December and this is a great time for cycling in South Africa. I endeavored several rides with friends lasting up to 3hrs at a time, totaling 10 to 12 hours a week. I tried to keep my maximum heart rate averaging around 145 for a work out and well below 160 beats per minute as a maximum, but it did go up for short peaks nearing 170. Bear in mind, my pre pregnancy my training neared 15 to 18 hours a week, and maximum heart rate 196 beats per minute. My power levels in heart rate zones remained unchanged. So I scaled back enough to still get a good work out and grow a healthy baby.

The second trimester I cut back on cycling, purely as there is no need for these long work outs any more and to also make time for more needed strength training exercises. I rode most weekends with my husband at a comfortable pace, but I found my average power was now a lot lower in each heart rate training zone. For example, previously a comfortable endure ride averaging 150 watts would have a heart rate around 130 beats per minute. During my second trimester an average heart rate of 130 beats per minute would only yield around 125 watts in a training ride. My rides were cut back to about 1h30 at a time, 3-4 times per week and I did strength training 3 x 1hr sessions per week, and occasionally I included a 30minute trail run. Total training cut back to about 8 hours per week.

Strength training during pregnancy is purely for maintenance of muscle mass. I continued to stick to my program and used my body as a guide were possible. This included loads of squats, push ups and introducing more gentle exercises like cat crunches, dying bug and superman.

I lived for my weekend rides, as a relief from this 'condition' of pregnancy. There is so much change during pregnancy, I guess a great part of training was trying to hold on to something familiar and retain an identity. My clothes got tighter but I was adamant to continue, until week 26 that is. I had a minor collision on a pavement, and as much as no part of me or baby got hurt-I felt so guilty and terrible for risking anything to harm the baby that I decided to quit riding outdoors. It was a sad day in my life having to stop biking but it would only be temporary. Besides the risk of falling, my bump grew significantly in these last few weeks and I don't think its the most comfortable position to assume.

That brings me to the third trimester. I have got the bike on the indoor trainer, 3 times a week for an hour at a time. An average heart rate of 130 beats per minute only produces around an average of 95 watts per session. The numbers are really not important, but it is good to see that we are only human and the legs are turning. My strength training is still 3 times a week x 1hr each and feeling good. I also enjoy running 35minutes once a week but walking is much easier. I have 2 very energetic dogs and they also get a work out with me now almost 3 times a week. Yoga which I have never seen as exercise is a great way to stretch out the body and meet other pregnant women, this I do once a week. Total training per week between 8 and 10 hours.

My gynea is very happy with the baby's development and my health in general. I have picked up more than enough weight so far. I am happy to say that apart from the few sleepless nights I feel fit, strong and almost ready for this :-)