As a BabyFit member, you understand the importance of exercising moderately and consistently throughout pregnancy—for the health of you and your baby.
For some of us, common sense dictates that the more you work out—and the higher the intensity—the better. But that’s not necessarily true. Even if you’ve gradually increased the intensity, duration and/or frequency of your workouts, you can still run into problems.
Have you noticed that your workouts suddenly feel harder than before, even though you haven’t changed anything? Do you feel like you are losing ground, even though you’re working hard? You may be overdoing it.
The cause of overtraining is simple. Your body is going through many rapid changes as your baby—and belly—grow and develop. Even relatively simple tasks are harder to complete when you’re hauling around extra weight. If you’re not allowing your body enough time to recover (from exercise and the increased demands of pregnancy), or if you’re doing the same exercises too much, common symptoms of overtraining can occur:
- Feeling tired, drained, and lacking energy
- General body aches or mild muscle soreness
- A decrease in performance
- Inability to complete workouts
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Lack of motivation
If you have been overtraining, it’s not too late to get back on track! Follow these three steps:
| Member Comments About this Article |
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"I am just entering into my third trimester and indeed I am feeling run down as well. I have always been very energetic and a health nut not to mention an avid runner for years. Lately my workouts just take everything out of me and even the simple tasks of household care. I will indeed watch more diligently the intensity of my workouts and rest more." -- MARVALUSXOXO
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"I too am in my second trimester, and I feel extremely run down. There are days where vacuuming the house, taking care of my 2 boys, going to work (albeit a desk job, which I am not happy about), and doing all the other household stuff just feels like enough. Then, I think "Oh no, if I don't get wakling, I will gain ore weight than is necessary," and it jsut seems like another thing to add to the list. So far, I've just been doing calisthenics & some stretching & walking when I've been up to it, ..." -- LYRACH
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"This was very helpful. In an effort to maintain my cardiovascular fitness and keep my weight in check I've been trying to exercise as I had in my prepregnancy days. Now that I"m in my second trimester I am feeling very run down, fatigued and my joints are aching on the days that I do work out. I rested today and it helped." -- KITTYREENS
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Jen Mueller
Jen received her master's in health promotion and education from the University of Cincinnati. As a certified personal trainer, she also holds a certification in prenatal and postpartum exercise. Jen has two children and enjoys running marathons. |
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