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Surprise FFH friends! We are adding an adventure buddy to the fam next spring! It’s been tough to keep this under wraps after the past 13 weeks of crazy nausea, exhaustion, and a bump that’s growing faster than the first time around. In this episode, I go over some of my tried and true tips for staying active and healthy in the first trimester. Along with some of the other struggles like extreme fatigue, cravings, and food aversions!
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To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
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What is Fit for Hiking?
Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a long time fitness professional and midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. And combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for Hiking podcast. Hello and welcome back to the fit for Hiking podcast. You guys! Today we are getting into something exciting. Um, if you follow along with me on my Instagram, which is ponytail underscore on a trail, you may have seen that I just recently announced that I am pregnant with my second kiddo. Um, so it has been a crazy couple months trying to hide my growing bump, which has as I am. As it happens, it starts to show a lot faster with your second. If you are a mama of multiple kiddos, you probably can relate. Um, with your first, you don't show until like 18 to 20 weeks and with with the second one, I feel like I started having a little bump around like eight weeks. It's crazy. Um, so trying to hide my bump. Also just pushing through numerous lovely first trimester symptoms. I'm always amazed when I hear stories of women remarking about how they had no idea that they were pregnant until like four plus months in, because I start feeling like a completely different human around like 4 to 5 weeks instantaneously, overnight. I feel so different. So pregnancy seems to do a number on my body, and it is so wildly different for every woman. So I wanted to do an episode on my experience with this pregnancy thus far. First trimester realities, staying active and healthy in the first trimester, and just some other considerations for other ladies who find themselves entering a similar season of life. So while this will be, um, you know, informative on some tips for staying healthy and active in the first trimester, please remember that I'm not a doctor or a medical professional. None of this is medical advice, and you should always, always, always talk to your doctor or health care provider about what is safe for your activity level during your pregnancy. If you have any high risk factors, or if there's any reason why you shouldn't be doing certain types of activity, that's very important to take into consideration. Um, if you've been put on bedrest, obviously that's going to change things. So this is my own personal experience thus far and general tips for staying active. But always, always consult with your health care provider first. Okay. All right, let's get into it. So I found out that I was pregnant at the end of July. So as this is coming out, this is about three months ago. And we had been trying, as we were hoping for, about a three year age gap between our first and our second kiddo. So almost immediately I was hit with intense nausea and fatigue, like right away. And this happened with my first two. Um, you know, I know that some women feel pretty normal in pregnancy, but this is certainly not been the case for me. With juniper, my first daughter, I was extremely sick 24 over seven until about 14 weeks. So far. I'm on the same trajectory with this one too, as I'm closing in on 14 weeks and I'm still sick all day every day. So for me this looks like constant nausea, similar to like a horrible hangover or the flu. Sometimes I throw up, sometimes it's just nausea. I've also been suffering from really strong food aversions. Um, even more so than last pregnancy. So this has been kind of a weird thing. Like I had some aversions last time I had major ick with eggs fish. Like if I even smelled fish in the grocery store. It was game over. Like I could not do it. Um, had a lot of hard times with protein last pregnancy. All of that has been present again this time, but it has been almost impossible to find foods that sound edible. Um, so that has been a big, big challenge because you really need to stay on top of eating when you're pregnant. If your blood sugar is out of whack or dropping because you're not eating frequently enough, that's when you start to feel more and more nauseous and dizzy. Um, and if you already have those symptoms big time, like when you eat and how frequently you're eating makes a big difference. And I know this. So it's been really a struggle because it's like trying to eat something while you have the flu, right? Like nothing sounds good. You can't keep anything down, all grosses you out. So the food aversions have been real this time. So if you have also struggled with food versions, just know I am with you in solidarity. It is a very hard struggle because you know that you need to be fueling your body, feeling your baby. But it's really hard when everything makes you so sick. Um, so yeah, most foods have made me feel really queasy, even just smelling foods. Um. So this has been a tricky combination. I essentially had to give up most sources of protein and mainly eat carbs. So as a as someone who is all about eating and, you know, at least 100g of protein a day and making sure I'm incorporating protein in every single meal. This has been really hard for me because I know that my protein has been so, so low, but it's it's just kind of survival at this point. Fruits have been really easy to eat, and I hear this from a lot of pregnant women. Like fruits are something that I think we crave naturally. Like we need the glycogen, we need the carbs. And it's a really great, healthy source. So I've been happily consuming a lot of fruit, but veggies have been a little bit harder except for, you know, some random salads that have sounded good on certain days. Um, so really, it's just a day by day thing, figuring out each day what you can stomach, which makes planning very, very hard. Um, and I'll give some tips here in a little bit to stay healthy and continue doing what you can during this very, very tricky time to navigate. Um, so my top cravings, I wish I could say I was someone who craved super healthy stuff, but I have been craving things like chewy candy. Uh, Texas Roadhouse. Cheese fries. Mashed potatoes with cheese mixed in. Um, sourdough bread, toast and peaches. Peaches have been vegan. Um, so really, just all the carbs. Cheesy carbs, greasy carbs. Um, my other main symptom so far has just been the deep exhaustion and fatigue. Um, which is probably a bit exacerbated by having a toddler this time around. So my last pregnancy, I remember, like, generally feeling like a little bit less energetic than normal. However, I don't remember this, like bone deep tired that I seem to get around 3 p.m. every day. I feel like my body is just shutting down, which is pretty common in the first trimester. Um, your body is doing so much development of the baby during the first trimester. It's also developing the placenta, so you're literally creating a new organ from scratch and developing all of the main parts of the baby. And then from there they just grow. So there have been a lot of times I've had to remind myself of that when I'm just sick and exhausted and can't do nearly as much as I can normally do. Um, so despite all of this, I really have made it a goal of mine to move every single day for 30 minutes or more. And I made this goal. I probably about six weeks into my pregnancy because I was already at that point having days where I just wasn't getting off the couch like, except to do the bare minimum, you know, do what I had to do to take care of my child, keep up with work. And other than that, I was just like, I can't do a thing. And I was realizing, okay, if I keep up on this track, I'm really going to one not be feeling great physically, but also my mental health is going to go down the drain because staying active is such a big part of my mental health, all of our mental health, it really does make a big difference when we are up and moving, getting outside, being in the sun, doing things that cause us to sweat and get some endorphins. Um, so I made this my little mini goal, and I've been sharing that journey on social media. Of course, nobody knew I was pregnant until very recently, but that was my motivator. That was my intrinsic motivation was I got to do this for my my health at this time because it's not easy to force myself to get moving in some days. So I've been trying to find small pockets of time that I feel less nauseous and just take advantage of those opportunities to either go for a walk, go for a hike, or lift weights. Um, so this has been huge for my mental health. You know, it's really hard to feel so consistently sick and exhausted for months on end. It can absolutely affect your productivity, sense of self, your overall quality of life. Like you just don't feel like you. And it's hard. So finding ways to still tap into what does make you feel like you during pregnancy and postpartum, I believe is really crucial for your mental health. So let's talk about some health tips for the first trimester. So whether you are thinking about getting pregnant you're hoping to get pregnant soon. Or maybe you are just found out you're pregnant and you're trying to get all the information freaking out a little bit, or maybe right there where where I am right now and you're just still trying to struggle through it. I hope that these will be helpful for you. So let's get into some health tips. Number one is really to let go of your typical routines depending on how you feel. And I know that might sound counterproductive and like not very good advice. But the reality is not everyone is going to feel really good in their first trimester, and most women actually feel their worst during this time. So you may not be capable of living up to the previous standards that you've set for yourself. And that's okay. I think more and more we're like, we live in such a hustle culture where we feel like we're failing and we're really hard on ourselves when we just can't keep up with all the things we think we should be doing. So if putting these arbitrary standards on yourself, of still getting up at six every morning and doing a workout first thing and having the same, like healthy foods that you have every single day normally is not realistic for you. Then don't put those standards on yourself because things are going to change a lot while you're pregnant. And again, when you're newly postpartum and you really have to start to be flexible with listening to your body and what you need to do during that time to take care of your your mental health and to just kind of get through this really hard season of the first trimester if you feel normal, you know, I have some girlfriends who have like actually just crushed it and they feel so good and I'm very jealous of them. And I think that's amazing. So if you still feel like you can keep up with like most of your routines, amazing. Do it as long as you can. I'm saying this for the person who's like putting a lot of pressure on themselves and constantly feels like a failure because you're not living up to your standard of productivity and healthy routines from before you got pregnant. Number two is to lean into the need for more sleep than normal. We are going to need extra rest during pregnancy. There's so much going on in our bodies and I have to remind myself of that a lot. I'm not a napper. I'm. I've just never have been. But I've found that there are days when I just can't get through the day without a nap. Um, during this pregnancy, um, like we talked about before, so much of the baby's development is happening in the first trimester, which is why it's arguably the most exhausting and miserable. So even if you can't take naps during the day, then it's even more important to get extra sleep at night. So if you normally get maybe seven hours of sleep, really push yourself to get upwards of nine plus hours of sleep because your body does need that extra rest. So lean into that and know that this is an act of health. Like this might not feel as productive as working out or following a diet or whatever, but it actually is very crucial for your health. And one of the best things that you can do for yourself during this time. All right. Number three is to try to find protein sources that you can stomach. So this is going to take some experimenting because it's different for everyone this pregnancy. For me personally I've been able to tolerate eggs which my first one I couldn't. So this one's you know it's very personal. Eggs, breakfast sausage sometimes yogurt, cheese not the best source of protein, but sometimes it's all I can stomach. And then some days I can do some ground beef or forms of beef. Um, so know that your protein consumption may just naturally be a little bit lower, depending on your sickness. And overall, if you're not getting that many calories in because you're so sick, your protein is also going to be lower. Um, but it actually is very helpful in counteracting morning sickness and all day sickness and pregnancy. When we get enough protein to keep our blood sugar levels more stable, when all we're having is carbs by themselves, that by themselves like naked carbs is what I call it, which is carbs without any protein paired with it. You're going to kind of be on more of a roller coaster of blood sugar, so you're going to have the high highs, the low lows, and when the blood sugar dips, you're going to feel more nauseous and dizzy and tired. So sneak it in when you can. Do try to make a priority. I totally understand that this is not appealing at all. All I have done this time is really just look for times when I feel like I can stomach it and and adding it in in small ways. Okay. The next one, number four, is to eat every three hours or so. Small, frequent meals will keep you from getting to the point of feeling insanely nauseous and dizzy, so stay ahead of it and have things prepared. This is easier said than done because you might be like me and what you are okay with. Eating or craving changes literally every few hours, so it's hard to plan ahead. But having a few just go to snacks that you can rotate between, um, based on what sounds good is going to be very crucial. Keep snacks in your car. Car carbs are so important. Um, literally. I have a granola dispenser by my bed right now. That is where I'm at, because there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and I need some carbs, or first thing in the morning before I can get out of bed. All right, number five, know that you may just have to kind of be in survival mode right now, and it's not forever, nor will it permanently damage your health or the babies. If you have to just eat bread and potatoes for a few weeks. Okay, I totally beat myself up about this in the first in my first pregnancy. Um, when I was pregnant with my daughter, it was very similar for me. In the first trimester, I was just eating anything I could stomach, mostly like fast food type stuff. Sounded good. Um, I ate a lot of, like, crab Rangoon, a lot of ramen, uh, a lot of cereal. Not the picture of health. And I really thought that I was going to have this, like, picture perfect, healthy pregnancy. I went into it with very idealistic thoughts like, oh, I'm just going to be so healthy. I'm going to keep up all of my typical eating. And I'm going to work out every day and nothing's going to change. And then my body just literally was like, nope, that's not how it's going to go. Um, and I had to just be in survival mode. And I was really worried that, like, something was going to be wrong with my baby. I was not feeding her optimally. Um, and you know what? She's such a healthy little girl. She's always been healthy. I had a really healthy pregnancy. I had a, you know, not a ton of weight gain. Things balance out in the rest of the pregnancy because I felt so much better. As soon as I hit week 14. So know that it's not forever and you gotta get whatever calories you can in right now. If you're struggling to eat, just remember it's more important to eat something then the most ideal healthy thing, and you will most likely feel a lot more normal in the second and third trimesters, which, like if you're struggling to gain weight right now, will allow for more weight gain, healthier meals, and healthy habits to be reinstated. Okay. Number six, set a movement goal for yourself. Even if it's like what I've been doing only 30 minutes of walking every day or 30 minutes of weight lifting slowly, ladies, yoga, hiking, whatever that looks like for you. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women who are not high risk or on bedrest should aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week of their pregnancy. It has also been shown exercise has also been shown to minimize health complications for the mom, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve the moms mood. It will also help keep blood sugar healthy, promote a strong and healthy labor 75% decrease in the need for operative intervention and maternal exhaustion when in labor. That is insane. 75% also, babies born to mothers who exercise during pregnancy have more active and mature brains, and some even show advanced neurodevelopment. That is super cool. So literally you as the mom continuing to exercise while you're pregnant benefits your baby's brain development. Pretty dang cool. And you know, it's kind of a tricky thing because some people will be very supportive of you staying active as a mom during your pregnancy. And some people kind of have more of like the old school mindset of like, don't exert yourself, don't get your heart rate up at all. Don't lift anything above like £10 while you're pregnant. Um, and it's just hard because you're navigating all these other people's expectations. Um, but the research really does show if you're not in a high risk pregnancy, that staying active can only benefit you and the baby. Okay, so again, as I mentioned before, talk to your doctor about it. If there's any reason why you should not continue staying active or start start being active. Um, your doctor will hopefully tell you that. But for most women in healthy pregnancies, this is like such a big part of mental and physical health. Okay. Our next one is to listen to your body more than ever. If you feel like you've been hit by a semi. Don't force yourself to do a hard workout that day. Uh, rest more than normal. And remember that even though you can't see what's happening, your body is doing so much during the first trimester and you are not lazy. Okay, you're not lazy. I have to say this multiple times, because I really do think that we as pregnant ladies can feel like we're being lazy if we're not keeping up with our typical demands of productivity. With work and the family and all the things we normally plan, all the things we take care of in the house, and it's it's like we're just falling behind, but we're doing so much behind the scenes that you can't see yet. Okay, so just remember that you're not lazy. This is just what your body needs right now and you've got to listen to that. If you try to push yourself, um, it's going to backfire. Like the days when I go way too hard, I don't eat enough, I'm way too active or whatever. I end up feeling worse the next day and I'm forced to stay on the couch most of the day. Okay, so listen to your body. And the last one is to find at least one person that you can really confide in about your journey. While pregnancy is amazing and it's a blessing, it can also take you on a bit of an emotional roller coaster. You're adjusting to so much in your identity is shifting, and you can feel a bit lonely at times. Um, in this struggle, like, it's just it's hard if you don't have people who can relate. So trying to find someone who's been there before. Another female friend, um, joining mom groups. I had to really get proactive about this because in my first pregnancy, I moved to a new town and I didn't know anyone and none of my friends, um, in surrounding areas, had any kids. So I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't have any support getting connected with other moms through like a mom Facebook group, through different like sports leagues around town. Things like that was so instrumental for me to have that support and have outlets to talk to. Okay. General notes if you are entering pregnancy or right in the middle of your first trimester, unless otherwise advised by your doctor, you can continue your standard exercise routine in the first trimester. You'll need to adjust based on your like, energy levels and sickness. Um, and if you're a big hit or running girl, you might want to transition to slightly slower and less intense forms of exercise during pregnancy. But in general, you really don't need to adjust that much in the first trimester. Yet. You can kind of keep doing what you've been doing and know that you'll start to make some adjustments as you head into your second trimester and as you continue on. The next one is muscle maintenance should be a focal point of your workouts. Most women rapidly lose muscle while breastfeeding, which leads to body composition changes and a lower resting metabolic rate. Also just lower strength overall lower pelvic floor strength. So if you've never focused on muscle before, trust me when I say this is important. Not to mention all the demands on your body postpartum, carrying your baby, car seat, strollers, diaper bags, etc. so it's really important. I strongly believe that continuing to lift in my whole first pregnancy set me up for success postpartum in so many ways. Like I didn't lose a ton of muscle. I lost some while breastfeeding, but not so much that it was really impossible to get it back. When I got cleared to work out again, I was able to jump back in right away because it's not like I had taken off ten months from exercise. I had only taken six weeks. I worked out right up until I gave birth. Um, and I really believe that it set me up for a better body composition postpartum and, um, just keeping my strength up, which was so important so that I could then continue doing the activities that I loved and just get right back into those things without it feeling really frustrating or discouraging. Um, the next little general note is that if you are a hiker, keep your hikes below around 11,000 to 12,000ft. In general, it's not advised for pregnant women to exert themselves or spend prolonged amounts of time in an oxygen deprived environment, especially if you're not used to the altitude. So like if you already live at 10,000ft, then you'll probably do a little bit better. But if you live at sea level, then going and spending a ton of time, um, you know, exercising and hiking at 11,000, 12,000ft, it's going to feel drastically different from you from what you're used to. Okay. So make sure if you have big hikes planned or a big trip plan where you're going to be at high altitude to talk to your doctor about what will be okay for you. All right. Our next one is don't freak out if you gain £0 or even lose weight in your first trimester. Depending on your sickness, this can be actually very common, and as long as you gain the recommended amount by your doctor in the second and third trimesters, there's nothing to worry about. You will have time to catch up on this. Okay, so don't have a freak out. Just know that you'll have to make it up a little bit as you go into those other trimesters, and it's easier anyways because everything's growing so much as you get into the second and third trimesters. Um, top foods to eat during your first trimester for optimal nutrients would be eggs, avocado, asparagus, leafy greens and general spinach, kidney beans, peanuts, Brussels sprouts, yogurt, lentils, and meat. So if you can stomach those things, those things are extra good for baby and you. Um, so those are some top things from a nutrition standpoint that I would recommend. All right, you guys, I hope that if you are starting out on a pregnancy journey or gearing up preparing to hopefully be pregnant, that this is helpful and encouraging to you. I just think it is really nice to hear different perspectives because like I said, some people I know have had amazing first trimesters and feel completely normal. And then I've known women who are in the hospital throwing up and feeling terrible. And you know, I've been somewhere in the middle. And so it's helpful to know that you're not alone in your symptoms. If you're just struggling, you're going through it right now. You feel like it will never end. Know that you're not alone and that it will end. Even though it feels like a really long time. Things tend to look up in the second trimester. Um, so if you guys have questions about staying healthy and pregnancy, pregnancy in general, um, heading into a season of parenthood, send me a DM. I'd love to hear from you at the Fit Underscore for Hiking Instagram page. Um, also, I would love to kind of continue this series as I go throughout my trimesters and share what I'm doing. Healthy tips, general notes, all of the things. So if you guys have specific things that you would like to hear about, please let me know. Um, leaving a little rating or a review is always helpful if you enjoy the show. Um, that would mean a lot to me if you would take five minutes, three minutes and just leave a quick review. Um, thank you so much for tuning in today, guys, and I will chat with you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at Pony Tail on a trail.com. Happy and healthy trails.