#makechangesdobetter
At the beginning of 2018, I decided to get my act together. I had been doing Crossfit for about two years. While I felt strong, I didn’t like how I looked. My gym did a nutrition challenge, and I love a good challenge…especially when there are check boxes involved. The challenge wasn’t long, but it changed some big things for me. It really gave perspective on how little I was eating versus what my body really needed along with what proportions of macros my body needed in order to thrive. Long after the initial challenge, I was sticking to the nutrition plan, and I loved how I was looking and feeling. I was inspired, so much so that I started this platform (what ultimately became The Lifting Mama but was then Life with Kelsey). I also loved how I was performing, getting PRs left and right. I wanted to make changes and do better.
And then we got pregnant. Surprise!
I was thrilled, but a very small part of me was disappointed because I knew that meant the end of this progress (it didn’t, but I was naive at the time!). A family friend put it into perspective beautifully. She said, “you’ve put in all this hard work to get healthy, and G-d noticed.”
What to do?
The thought of stopping CrossFit – or any type of working out – never occurred to me after getting that big fat positive. That being said, I did start some deep dives into the internet to see how to proceed safely, when to modify, and what precautions to take to keep myself and the growing babe safe. I told the owner of my gym the big news when I was around 6 weeks pregnant (he was one of the first non-family members I told), and I’ll never forget what he said: “You make such a difference in this gym with your positivity and energy. We are so excited for you and can’t wait to do this with you.” Any inkling of doubt or fear about doing CrossFit through my pregnancy leapt out the window at that point.
I did CrossFit up until the day before I went into labor. Whenever I’m asked how, the answer is simple: I listened to my body. Some days, I felt great and was able to push myself. Some days, I was exhausted and just getting my maternity workout clothes on felt like enough of a workout.
Overall, my birth team was supportive of me continuing to do CrossFit, but there was some concern about the intensity. Still, they trusted me to listen to my body and they knew I could make the choice for myself and baby. There was one point later in my pregnancy when I was dealing with the painful symptoms of SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction…basically when the pubic bone has too much mobility and causes a lot of pain) that the topic of stopping resurfaced. At that point, I was so big that I had to remind my birth team that what I was doing really wasn’t CrossFit at that point; it was more like a beach ball rolling around a gym where OTHER people were doing CrossFit. And the beach ball ate a lot of snacks before (sometimes during) and after the workout. I pleaded with them – I couldn’t stop. It was more for my mental health than anything else by the end. It got me out of the house while I worked from home, it forced me to socialize, and it got me the much needed exercise a pregnant woman needs even if it was a shadow of the intensity I had been doing pre-pregnancy. To balance the intensity of CrossFit, I did take a few prenatal yoga classes which were just as important for me to find. They were centering in a different way.
At the end of every CrossFit or yoga class, I would sit in the car for a moment with my hand on my belly and thank my child for letting me continue working out. I didn’t realize it at the time, but having that moment to talk with my baby and connect was so, so important. It made me recognize that we were working together, and this gratefulness toward him became especially important when it came to the biggest workout of the entire pregnancy: labor.
One, two, three...
The first trimester was tough. I ate mainly carbs to help with nausea, so my fuel was not great on top of being exhausted like I had never been exhausted before. I did the best I could, but I was forgiving of myself when I couldn’t do much. Probably around 10 or 11 weeks, my energy improved to the point where I could achieve basically the level of fitness I had done before.
The second trimester was wonderful. I cut out anything hanging and any sit ups at around 15 weeks just to be overly cautious and not put any extra strain on my ab muscles. Diastasis recti impacts nearly all pregnant mamas, and I didn’t want to make it worse than it was going to be naturally. Adding extra pressure to abs during pregnancy with things like hanging movements, long plank holds, or ab mat sit ups can exacerbate diastasis recti postpartum. At around 20 weeks, I was starting to really show, but something funny happened: I started PRing a lot of lifts accidentally. I was feeling strong, and my body said go for it. I listened, and I’m glad I did because from about 28 weeks onward, weights dropped and many classes became more for the social atmosphere than anything else. I started to lean more heavily on the prenatal yoga to make sure I was able to move even if I didn’t feel up to lifting heavy (ish) weights. Diversifying and giving myself movement options – whether CrossFit, yoga, a walk, etc. – allowed me to stay excited about staying active.
The third trimester was great, but it was also probably the most challenging. I tried belly support with Rocktape and with a belly band, but neither did much of anything and were both pretty uncomfortable. As the belly got bigger and heavier, I got slower and more cautious, but I never stopped. Even on my worst days, I knew just getting to the gym was accomplishment enough. Any movement was just a bonus.
Just keep moving!
If you were active before pregnancy, chances are staying active through pregnancy will be good for you both mentally and physically. It can help decrease swelling and bloating, increase oxygenated blood flow to baby, and decrease chances of things like gestational diabetes or long term obesity (for mama and baby). Plus, when mama releases those endorphins from exercising, baby gets those happy hormones, too! Pregnant or not, we should all be sweating at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. And pregnant or not, we should be listening to our bodies about what kinds of movements we should avoid and how we should modify things to best fit our abilities. Because my body was used to the intensity of CrossFit, there was no harm in continuing it throughout my pregnancy. As my belly grew, my weights decreased and my movements changed (no more burpees!!!!). At all points in my CrossFit experience, I was told to modify and scale workouts to my ability level. Pregnancy was no different.
Having the support of the owner and coaches as well as of my midwife made sticking with it easier. The other big motivator was a dear friend I made along the way. At around 8 or 9 weeks pregnant, we were doing a workout with back squats. It was a big class, so a woman and I were sharing a rack. As we were warming up, I really had to pee as is often the case in early (and again in late) pregnancy. I looked at this complete stranger, and said quietly, “hey, I have to run and use the restroom. By the way, I’m pregnant, so don’t be worried if I go somewhat often.” I didn’t want her to think I had a problem! She looked at me, and said, “no way! Me, too!!” Amazingly, we were only a week and a half apart in our pregnancies, and our children were born 10 days apart. Not only did I find a wonderful workout partner, but I made a best friend along the way. Having someone to walk through pregnancy with – especially someone on the same page of being so physically active through pregnancy – was so helpful. We could ask each other all those weird pregnancy questions, encourage each other through the growing pains, and then later text each other at two in the morning when our kids woke up and we felt lonely. I lucked out.
So what modifications did i make?
I stopped using the barbell at around 20 or 24 weeks. When my belly started to grow, I dropped the bar because I didn’t want to create any bad habits of letting the bar go around the bump and away from my body. I opted for dumbbells instead.
I stopped doing any hanging from a bar early in my pregnancy – around 15 weeks – to prevent worsening diastasis recti. I also did only Russian kettlebell swings to not stress my abs with the overhead stretch of American.
I did burpees with a wall ball under my chest so I still had a target to get to but one that allowed my belly not to hit the floor. Later in my pregnancy, I did mostly stepping back burpees rather than jumping.
I did push ups elevated on a box, and I did box jumps as box steps ups. Handstand pushups became seated dumbbell presses.
My deadlifts became sumo deadlifts to make room for the bump. In general for squats of all kinds, my stance was wider.
For runs, jump roping, and later for rowing, I replaced everything with the air assault bike.
While not necessarily a modification, I found that I enjoyed paced workouts (EMOMs and variations thereof) best because of the built-in rest. AMRAPs stressed me out when pregnant.
In the end, I attribute a lot of my success in labor to my continued physical activity through pregnancy. Especially with how hard and frequent my contractions were for so long during labor, it truly was a physically taxing day. I don’t think I would have had the stamina to get through 24 hours of labor had I not stayed active leading up to the big push.
*Special thanks to Black Iron CrossFit for providing a space for me to continue CrossFit safely while pregnant, to Casey for being the best snack buddy any pregnant woman could ask for, and to Abby for finding the great yoga class and pushing me to join.*
*Please discuss your exercise plans with your doctor and coach. This is what worked for me this pregnancy, but every body and every pregnancy is different.*
You were a rock star the whole way through and I am so glad we could give you a happy place during your pregnancy. You and your family are an amazing part of our community and we are lucky to have you.