CEO of Results with Lucy and fitness enthusiast, Lucy Mecklenburgh announced her pregnancy three months ago and she’s promised to be very open and honest with her 1.5 million followers on Instagram about her journey so far. She talks to us about morning sickness and the exercise move she’s waving goodbye to.
First of all, congratulations on your fantastic news! How has pregnancy been for you so far?
I found the first three months very difficult. I suffered with pregnancy sickness most days, which felt like a three month hangover from hell! In the first trimester, I didn’t workout or eat anything that wasn’t beige and bland, which was really hard for me. Coming into the second trimester, I feel so much better and the sickness has really eased off. I have so much more energy and I’m back to doing four to five 30-minute workouts a week.
How are you adjusting to your new body shape?
It’s crazy, but it’s the most confident and comfortable I have ever felt in my own skin, which is ironic, as I’m getting slowly bigger. It’s just fascinating what our bodies do when we’re pregnant and I’m in awe of how incredible women are! As someone who suffers with bloating, it’s actually really nice to feel relaxed when I eat, not worrying about bloating after my meals and not feeling like I have to breathe in.
Have you had to change your workouts accordingly?
Yes, my personal trainer and co-founder of Results with Lucy, Cecilia Harris has altered my workouts. I used to always finish a workout with 10 minutes of abs, which would include crunches, but this has been taken out and now we end our session with exercises that are more pelvic floor-focused.
Also, I haven’t been pushing myself to exhaustion. My workouts are much lower impact now, so that means no more burpees (yay!). I think it’s about listening to your body and understanding that you can’t do as much as before, but you can still be active. At the moment, I’m really enjoying long walks.
What would you say to someone who says you shouldn’t be exercising while pregnant?
This is why I want to spread the word that exercise during pregnancy is so good for you and the baby. I think it’s about education and taking away the stigma that exercising while pregnant is dangerous. Unless you’ve never worked out before or have been told by a medical professional that you can’t workout, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. There are numerous benefits:
- Maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy
- Prepares the body for postural changes by strengthening muscles that may become weak
- Strengthen both abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to support labour and post-natal recovery
- Maintains or can improve muscular strength and endurance to support the demands of pregnancy, labour and being a mum
- Reduces backache, bloating and swelling
- Increased energy and better sleep
What advice would you give to mums-to-be who still want to incorporate exercise into their routines?
Don’t be scared of exercise, but do listen to your body. If, like me, in the first trimester or throughout your experience you suffered from extreme sickness and have no energy, ease off exercise for a while and don’t panic if you don’t feel up to training.
I couldn’t have trained in my first trimester, but I went on a few walks, so this may suit you better. If you do want to train, we have lots of prenatal workouts, safety videos and blogs on Results with Lucy. Educate yourself first, so you know exactly what you can and can’t do to feel confident that it’s safe for you and your baby.
We wish you all the best with the rest of your pregnancy! What are the next steps to prepare for the little one?
A lot of reading, as this is all new to me! I’m also really excited about getting the nursery ready!
If, like Lucy, you love walking, send us your snaps and we’ll share them on our Instagram. Just use #WalkToWellbeing.
Results with Lucy is an online fitness, nutrition and health platform. For more information and for pre and post-natal blogs and workouts, please visit resultswithlucy.com
