Pregnancy Q&A: Working Out During Pregnancy (Part 1)
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How can you honor your body with movement during pregnancy while embracing the changes and challenges it brings?
In this special episode of Embrace Your Real podcast, I’m diving into Part 1 of my 3-part series on working out during pregnancy. As I approach my due date, I’m sharing candid insights on how I’ve adapted my workouts through each trimester, managed nausea and fatigue, and found motivation even on the toughest days. We’ll explore how to safely stay active, the importance of modifying intensity, and the benefits of keeping your body moving. Plus, I’ll give you a sneak peek into the new pregnancy and postpartum programs I’ve been developing just for you.
Whether you’re expecting, planning to be, or simply curious about adapting fitness through life’s changes, this episode is packed with practical tips and heartfelt encouragement.
What I discuss:
Are you nervous lifting weights while pregnant? I just found out I'm expecting and I am nervous!
How have your workouts changed?
How did you workout in the first trimester?
What core workouts have you been doing?
Have you lowered your weight while pregnant?
How have you stayed motivated to be active during your pregnancy?
Will you be coming out with a pregnancy/postpartum program?
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I get you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:28][21.0]
[00:00:27] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real Podcast. In case you have not heard the news yet, I am actually pregnant and I'm due any minute now. So as of this recording, this is going to be going out on July 1st and that is officially baby month for me. So really excited about it. Also kind of terrified, but so many exhilarating things have happened. I feel like in the last 40 weeks, and I'm just so ready to enter into this new chapter, and I feel like I'm just I'm feeling all the feels, to be honest. And so I thought it would be fun to kind of kick off baby month with a three part series on Q&A, because I got a bunch of questions when I put up a question box, and so I thought it would be fun to kind of just share, you know, working out during pregnancy, which is what I'm going to be focusing, focusing on directly in this Q&A. And then in the next few episodes, we'll be talking, you know, about avoiding weight gain, nutrition, body image advice. And then in part three, we're going to be talking kind of about personal insights, the struggles, the gender reveal, babymoon and all of the other things. So stay tuned. Like I said, this is going to be part one of a three part series, but I'm really excited to bring this to you and to answer some of your guys's questions. [00:01:38][71.2]
[00:01:39] I know that navigating pregnancy while trying to maintain a healthy and strong physique and just mindset can be and feel overwhelming, especially in that first trimester. And so that's why I kind of just want to share, like my insight and just this is all just kind of, you know, I'm riffing it and I'm going to go off of just what I have been doing. And in hopes that you can somewhat gain some insight from, just my experience over these last nine months. And, I will be answering, you know, questions like, how is my workouts changed? What workouts did I do in the first trimester? Have I or have I not lowered my weights? And how do I stay motivated to workout throughout my pregnancy? So that's exactly what we're going to be diving in in today's episode. Before we dive in, though, I wanted to share this review. It comes from Kath Ma. She gave a five star review and said, always hear what I need. This podcast I listened today. The difference between weight loss and changing your body composition really spoke to me. It was like a light bulb that went off and I said, that's what I want. Thank you for sharing your insight, helpful information in such a caring way. I'm so glad that I found your podcast. Well, I'm so glad that you found my podcast. You and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in this. Reviews. The reviews really do help us out so much, just in terms of we want to know how these episodes or how this podcast in general is helping you. And the best way to do that is through feedback and the best way that we can have feedback from you guys right now is through reviews. [00:03:06][87.1]
[00:03:06] So thank you for tuning in, and thank you for taking time out of your day to scroll on the podcast app on any Apple device, and you can scroll all the way down. Labor rating interview. It takes less than 30s, but like I said, it really does help us out, so thank you in advance for doing that. Also, while you're on the page, be sure that you are subscribed so that you never miss an episode when they release on Monday and Thursday. All right, let's dive into part one of the Q&A. And I'm just going to kind of go through the questions that I got on again on my Instagrams that I posted, with just a, Q&A box to kind of see, like what you guys have questions about, what you're curious about and so on. So the first question was, are you nervous lifting weights while pregnant? I just found out that I'm expecting and am nervous. Totally understand. No, I was not nervous lifting weights because there have been so many studies have backed up that strength training while pregnant is so important and has so many benefits to it. Not only did I learn that in my pre and postnatal certification that I got over the last 5 or 6 months, I became certified. I believe it is in February of this year. So no, I'm not nervous. With that being said, yes, it's definitely a change in terms of just your whole outlook changes, right? You're now lifting with knowing that you have another human being growing inside of you. And so at least for me, it gave me a lot of purpose and it gave me a lot of excitement, especially in that first trimester, because, oh boy, the first trimester, which I will go into. [00:04:35][89.2]
[00:04:36] This is another question and a couple of questions from now. The first trimester is rough, but if you can really stick to your why, and if you can really just dig a little bit deeper and know that you are in a different season of life. I talk about this a lot in the podcast, but we are constantly going through seasons and this is just another season, right? And so yes, your mindset is going to change. Yes, your workouts might look different, but overall I was not nervous at all. And I don't think you should be nervous as well. Again, I would encourage you to find movement that brings you joy because ultimately the movement that brings you joy, especially while you're undergoing and your body is undergoing, you know, literally growing a human being and a miracle inside of you, you want to make sure that you love what you're doing, because that's the only way that will keep you going, especially on the days that you're nauseous. You're just not feeling it. You're feeling. Hired. You're just feeling blah. You're feeling hormonal, emotional, all of the things, to be honest. And sometimes they all come at once. Other days it's, you know, I'm just feeling nauseous or I'm just feeling tired or I'm just feeling emotional and all of those feelings are valid. And and so it's so important that you find movement that brings you joy. So I would encourage you to do that. And if lifting weights brings you joy like it does bring me joy, man, that was just it was it made me feel so much stronger throughout my pregnancy. So I'm so excited for you. Congratulations. And the answer to that is no. And simply because there's just been so many studies to show that not only is it so beneficial for your body, but also your labor, your baby, postpartum, all of those things. [00:06:09][92.9]
[00:06:09] Number two, how have your workouts changed? So I would say the biggest thing in terms of first and second trimester, that change was just my intensity level and I gave myself a lot of grace. But the beautiful thing about following a plan is that I literally didn't have to think about it. And I talk about this whether you're pregnant or not, having a plan is so key and so crucial, because on the days that you don't feel like doing it, if you have a plan, you can literally just open up your phone, follow the plan, and call it good. And so you don't have to put any thought into it. You're not, you know, trying to plan out your workouts. You literally just open up the app, you follow it and and it's done and dusted and then you feel so much better. I would say in terms of intensity, that's where first trimester intensity wise, it was definitely lower simply because I was just tired. Right. And so I was lifting a little bit less weight for some, and I was just kind of play it by day, like there were some days where I felt really good, other days where I didn't feel so great, and on those days, like I would again just I would I would encourage myself to just try and shoot for ten minutes. And there were honestly some days where ten minutes was what I, what I did, I did a giant circuit of a 30 minute workout, like one giant circuit and called it good. But most of the time that when I would tell myself ten minutes, I would. I would feel, you know, ten minutes and I'd be like, man, I'm feeling good, you know, another ten minutes feeling good. [00:07:30][80.4]
[00:07:30] And by the time you know, before I know it, it's 30 minutes and it's done. I would say the biggest thing for me was I was doing primarily 30 minute workouts for my strength training in my first trimester. And the biggest thing that helped me in terms of just getting my workouts done and completed was doing it first thing in the morning and making sure that I had a full stomach for me. I was really nauseous in my first trimester. Thank goodness I never threw up, but it was honestly to the point where I had to have something in my stomach and I relied heavily on just eating consistently. Like honestly, like every hour, just having something small and then crazy pops Paaji pops. You can get them on Amazon. I found them, I believe, in week ten and those were a game changer. Like they genuinely were a game changer when it comes to just nausea. I would pop up, pop in, and I would hold me over for, you know, the next 30 or 40 minutes or however long until my next, like, food that I decided to eat. So that was huge for me in my first trimester, second trimester, I would say I was working out pretty much the same as normal. I did start to modify things a little bit in terms of especially weighted core movements. I really looked for coding in terms of my abdomen. So where your abs literally look like it's coning, it's putting unnecessary pressure on your abdomen. And so I would look for that and I would adjust my range of motion. But you really are people say like as you enter into your second trimester, you're really like in the honeymoon phase of your pregnancy because you no longer have nausea, you feel like you have a lot more energy and yet you, you like. [00:09:09][99.3]
[00:09:10] There's some days where I remember someone told me, Julie, there's going to be some days where you forget you're pregnant. And I remember hearing that my first trimester being like, there's absolutely no way. There's literally no way that I'm going to forget I'm pregnant. Especially these last, you know, 13, 14 weeks. And lo and behold, you know, come week 1617, I there were days and weeks where I was like, forgot I was pregnant. It was crazy. Until you start feeling those flutters and that's like so exciting. So anyways, my second trimester pretty similar in terms of regular training. I would still say that I was doing the majority 30 minute workouts. Some weeks I would do, you know, the full 60 minute workouts, which typically take me 45 to 55 minutes. And I would do those four specifically for lower body and upper body. Just make sure I'm getting like a full on workout for those muscle groups. But other than that, the one other thing that I was really consistent with in my first and second, and now that I'm in the last weeks of my third trimester, has been walking my walking pad for my adjustable desk has been a total game changer. And honestly, I recommend that to anybody, whether you're pregnant or not. Just keeping yourself moving. Especially now that I'm in my third trimester, I am typically doing. Three movement with Julie workouts right now. You know, I'm in my literal last weeks of pregnancy right now, and so I'm doing about three movement with Julie workouts per week. And then I am just walking a ton every single day. I mean, I'm talking 10 to 12,000 steps. And that's just because I feel best when I'm moving, when I'm sitting for long periods, it's very uncomfortable for me, and that's when I find that I start swelling, especially now that we're in the summer months. [00:10:51][101.0]
[00:10:51] And so a walking pad has been a total game changer. I will link the exact one that I have. It's one off Amazon. I think it's like 250 bucks. It has been a like life saver and I just feel so much better having walked throughout my pregnancy. And then my workouts really shifted in terms of core strength, I would say around like 28 to 30 weeks. I started really focusing on deep breathing, and just some slight pelvic floor exercises. And then really like in my 34, 30 week, 34, week 35, I started focusing on pelvic floor relaxation, lengthening all of those things. I filmed all of my pregnancy videos for our pregnancy program that will be coming later this year, so I'm really excited to give that resource to you guys inside the movement with Julia, but really focusing on relaxing the pelvic floor, opening up those hips, and just making sure that you are getting yourself ready and prepped for labor. And it just feels so good. So honestly, just like sitting on the ball, the stability ball and doing, you know, figure eights, circles, pelvic circles, just those stretches for your hips, for your legs. I mean, all of it. It just feels so good. So that's what I would say in terms of what I've been doing, which kind of leads me to what core workouts have you been doing. So that kind of, again, just leads you to or leads into that question just really focusing, especially now that I'm in my third trimester on those pelvic floor relaxation and opening up those hips, getting prepped for labor. And honestly, by the end of the day, it just feels so good. Like the belly hangs, whether you're just like you're hanging over, you know, your arms and your elbows are like just up against your bed and you're just letting your belly hang. [00:12:36][104.6]
[00:12:36] Maybe you have a stability ball. You're doing that. It just feels so, so good. The next question is, have you lowered your weight while pregnant? So yes, definitely. Like I said, in my first trimester I would just kind of take it by week by week, like, how am I feeling? And sometimes even workout by workout, like, how am I feeling? And not putting so much pressure on myself to push weight like I'm again in a different season of life? Right now I'm prepping myself and prepping my body to birth, right? It's like it's so much anticipation leading up, and then you get to the grand finale of, like, you're literally birthing a human out of your body. And so extending yourself grace and staying active when you can. And if you are, you know, if you're in the heat of like first and second trimester and you're like, I cannot even get myself to lift, I can't do it. It's okay. Extend yourself grace, and do what you can with what you have and let that be enough. And I, I want to encourage you with that because just, you know, and maybe your first trimester was horrid, but now you're starting to feel bad or you're starting to feel like you're turning a corner. I want to encourage you that, you know, your first trimester does not have to define your second trimester, or your second trimester does not have to define your third trimester. So do what you can with what you have today and let that be enough. And I want that that motto to be for your entire pregnancy and just giving yourself grace. And so yes, I would say I definitely lowered my weight for sure on any like weighted core movement. [00:14:02][85.2]
[00:14:02] I would either lower the weight, especially in first and second trimester and then in third trimester, doing just a lot of like body weight stuff, some core weighted core, you know, overhead knee ups and things like that. Sending the ups. But other than that, a lot of body weight and a lot of the pelvic floor relaxation is just like stretching and getting your the pelvic floor relaxed and lengthened. And then in terms of, you know, biceps, triceps, things like that, like definitely lowered, you know, by two and a half pounds, 5 pounds, 10 pounds sometimes. Again, it just kind of depended on how I was feeling and extending myself. Grace. So yes, the answer, the answer to that, the short answer is yes. I have lowered my weight and I don't want you to think that, you know, oh my gosh, I'm going to lose all this muscle. Like, just remember that you are in a season right now and you're doing the best that you can with what you have. Number six, how have you stayed motivated to be active during your pregnancy? Now, for me, pregnant or not, acted activity and just honoring my body with movement is just what I do like. It has become a part of my identity for lack of a better term, to be honest, like it is just what I do. I feel my best when I'm active. I know that I have the energy, I know that I'm able to perform and do all the roles in which I that I have on a regular basis when I stay active and especially. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but in my first trimester, the days that I felt so lackluster in terms of energy, it was the times that I decide, you know, okay, I know I'm feeling like very low energy. [00:15:39][96.7]
[00:15:40] I'm feeling nauseous. But if I just went down and I started a workout and I just started moving my body, and sometimes that was just me getting on the treadmill to just start moving my body. And then I would slowly go to the weights and pick up some weights and just start, you know, going through some movements. I felt so much better. So I know it sounds counterintuitive, but just remembering your why and then like, kind of like I said at the beginning of this podcast, like just remembering like my why now I am working out and there is a literal human being inside of me. And that was just, I don't know, it was motivating for me. Like I wanted to become stronger and I wanted my pregnancy to be one where I was honoring my body with movement and I was like, in awe of this miracle that's happening inside of me. And I would just like dedicate sets and reps to that. And, you know, praise God and think about all the many blessings that I have in my life. And so you have to have a deeper reason why, in my opinion, like motivation is so fleeting. And so if you have that deeper reason why it's so much easier. And then the last question that I have, which I kind of touched on, is, Will you be coming out with a pregnancy slash postpartum program? So yes, I will be coming out with a pregnancy program. Postpartum program. Yes, as well. That is something that I'm actually going to be following, kind of a beginner program, as well as filming some stuff as I'm going through my postpartum. And that's kind of the thing with, you know, people are like, why haven't you released a pregnancy program? Well, I this my first child. [00:17:04][84.6]
[00:17:05] I've never been pregnant before. And so I have filmed all I filmed over 700 exercises for my pregnancy program, which I'm so excited about, and it will be released. We don't have a date yet, but will be released this year. And man, I just can't wait for my second third however many children we have and that the Lord allows us to have in the future. I'm so excited to be following that because for the majority of this pregnancy, I follow the weekly workouts just fine. But I will say like as you get bigger and as you get further along, it's just nice to have, all of the modifications that you need as your belly and your body grows and changes and all the things. So, yes. So both of those things stay tuned. They will be available inside the moment with Julie app. And if you are an active subscriber you will just gain access to that. It will be another plan that you'll have access to. So our hope and our goal is to just continue to grow this program and offerings for you at the same price, like, we want to honor you and we want to support the many different seasons that you're going to be going through and maybe already have gone through. But for me, this is my first kids. So that's why I don't already have a pregnancy or postpartum program. But I can tell you, yes, we've been working hard behind the scenes and will continue to be working on the postpartum program, and those will be released to you inside the app if you are an active subscriber for no additional cost. So I hope that these questions helped you. I hope that they gave you some insight. [00:18:27][82.3]
[00:18:27] I again just want to encourage you if you are in like the deepest, darkest pit right now of pregnancy, maybe your pregnancy is not going the way that you thought it would. I just want to extend my arm and my encouragement to you and just say, hey sister, you're doing great. Give yourself grace. Do what you can with what you have, and let that be enough, and just want to encourage you to just stay positive and focus on the miracle that is growing inside of you. I know that you know the days in the weeks can be so hard and so emotional and I can feel like a roller coaster. But there is, the best, greatest blessing coming on the other side of this. And I'm so excited for you to experience it. I'm so excited to experience it whenever the time comes, whenever he decides to come. But thank you so much for tuning in. That is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:19:29]
[00:19:29] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace it real because you're worth it. [00:20:36]