Pregnancy & Baby Index: Pregnancy - Morning Sickness: Pregnancy, exercise and morning sickness
Pregnancy, exercise and morning sickness
Is it okay to keep exercising when you feel nauseated during the first trimester? Lisa Stone, an ACE-certified Pre-and Post-Natal Fitness Instructor, answers.
Your question
I'm having a hard first trimester, with lots of nausea and fatigue. I want to continue to excercise, but often nausea and/or fatigue keep me from continuing. Is it okay to keep going when I feel these things, or should I stop? - Kristin, California
The expert answers
Kristin,
Been there, done that! I feel for you -- it's awful feeling so queasy and
tired, especially when you're a high-energy person. My experience is that
exercise usually made me feel better. Some days were better than others,
but for the most part I forgot about my nausea while I was working out. My
advice would be to push yourself a little -- if you don't feel better
within the first 15-20 minutes of your workout, stop.
This isn't a time to force yourself to exercise or to work through discomfort or pain. Also, try to eat a little something an hour before you work out -- maybe a piece of fruit or some graham crackers -- to keep up your blood sugar. I also switched from drinking plain water to drinking watered-down Powerade while I was pregnant for that same reason. I found that if I kept my blood sugar stabilized, I tended to feel less nauseous.
Good luck, and, remember, that this too shall pass!
Lisa :)