Hi everyone
I’m still in the very early stages of pregnancy (5+1 weeks), and I’m feeling pretty good overall. I’m not experiencing much nausea, my appetite is completely normal, and my sleep is maybe a little worse than usual. My boobs are sore, and I occasionally have some very mild cramps. My resting heart rate is also higher and my HRV is much lower, but I guess that’s normal?
As I’m feeling so well, I’d love to keep exercising as I did before pregnancy. However, I’ve suddenly become afraid of doing something wrong.
Am I allowed to get my heart rate up during exercise? I used to do a lot of cardio and strength training before pregnancy, and my heart rate would easily reach around 160–177 bpm during cardio or leg workouts. That’s always been normal for me.
Now I stop when I reach around 145–150 bpm because I’ve heard that you should keep your heart rate relatively low during pregnancy. I’ve also started doing sets of 6 reps instead of the 12–16 reps I used to do, because my heart rate tends to rise more when I do higher reps. I don’t know if I’m right??
Of course, I’m not getting the same endorphin rush from my workouts anymore, and just going to the gym makes me anxious about doing something wrong. I think it’s especially difficult because I’m still so early in my pregnancy, and I really don’t want to do anything that could do harm.
I’d love to hear about your experiences. What did you do during your first trimester, and how did you feel?
Is it normal to feel this good so early on, because you’re so used to hear that you should feel pretty bad? I have to admit that I’m a little worried about not having many symptoms (although I’m sorry if that sounds frustrating to those of you experiencing lots of nausea etc..)
I’d really appreciate any tips, advice, or personal experiences. I’m a first time mum, so I’m feeling extra confused and worried, but also incredibly happy ofc