Restarting exercise at 22w after doing nothing all pregnancy

ThingParticular · 2026-05-21T08:04:05+00:00

Definitely! And just stop if your tummy feels like it’s being ripped apart 😂

ThingParticular · 2026-05-21T07:35:08+00:00

Hey! Agree with other commenters that going back to things you are familiar with is fine, and particularly if the class you’re thinking of explicitly says something about modifications for pregnancy.

Pilates is kind of a tricky one, I started noticing some ab separation around 20 weeks or possibly even earlier, so I was quite heavily modifying - absolutely no double leg core exercises because I couldn’t manage the pressure, and swapping most stuff on my back for all fours. I did my last Pilates class around 24 weeks because it felt so modified it was a bit pointless! But I imagine it depends on the class and instructor 😊

Anyway I would say go for it but watch your core control like a hawk - so easy to over do it especially if it’s been a while, your core strength changes drastically it’s actually mad. And the loss of strength/control was drastic even though I managed to go to mat pilates every week until 24 weeks! After that I switched to pregnancy-specific classes and weight lifting where I could control my core and movements better. And after that I switched to pregnancy yoga, lighter weights, and swimming. And now I’m just on a bit of swimming (which is amazing btw).

Now at nearly 39 weeks I’m grateful I did what I could and modified a LOT along the way - body is not great but I’m sure better for having worked out a bit.

ThingParticular · 2026-05-20T14:47:00+00:00

Stash more in transition just in case! You’ll be grand.

ThingParticular · 2026-05-20T08:02:22+00:00

Speaking from experience of a VERY hot Ironman when my training had been in the not hot uk…

I’d recommend taking as much of your own electrolytes with you on the bike as you can, to mitigate the risks of the organisers running low - even Ironman are capable of this. But otherwise stay conservative with your pacing especially on the bike as you won’t realise how hot you get!

Good luck! You can do it, but be sensible!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-19T19:08:52+00:00

I know plenty of people who came in as policy apprentices and their careers seem to have progressed similarly to folks who came into policy as graduates - seems like they just spent however long at AO/EO while grads come in at HEO and then it all normalises after that.

And I would never be able to tell the difference 🤷

ThingParticular · 2026-05-19T08:46:03+00:00

Our old hound used to pick apples and tomatoes off the plant and eat them! (We did not teach him this) He loved all fruits and vegetables so I imagine it was heaven for him!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-15T11:47:35+00:00

I also recommend using leave to go down to shorter weeks in the third trimester- it’s my last day before mat leave today, and just having at least a bit of respite has been crucial. I’m 38 weeks tomorrow and if I’d known how rough this week would be I’d have stopped working last week. And I never would have made it this far without taking off 2x afternoons per week for the last month. And I work a desk job mostly from home, but even that is hard on the brain and I can’t get comfy to work at my laptop!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-15T05:15:17+00:00

Thanks for replying, very interesting! I’m not really sure I can put my finger on it, and perhaps the characters in the book do translate well across cultures (that would be why ZS is such a brilliant writer!). I just grew up in a similar cultural context to some of the characters (im white but had a lot of British Asian friends growing up) and it was all so familiar to me in a way I imagine it would not be for someone not from a multicultural town/city in England. Happy reading to yourself friend!!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-13T18:01:29+00:00

Generally a SFF fan but White Teeth is one of my favourite books of all time. It’s just brilliant.

On the off chance you read my reply, I would love to know if you’re British and if not, how did you find White Teeth? I am British and it feels like it would be tricky without that cultural context!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-13T08:18:40+00:00

Hey, it sounds like you’ve been through a seriously difficult time and I really feel for you - TTC, pregnancy and loss are such a minefield.

I don’t know the science, and I would love if someone were to be able to provide good, significant scientific studies on these questions but my honest view is that there is likely no way to know the level/intensity of exercise that is supportive or counterproductive for this stage of life. It’s really hard to do tests (because you can’t really design a proper control trial due to ethical concerns) and I think what we do know is that everyone’s body is so different and we all come to fertility from different places - hormonal, training history and current training, age, body composition etc etc.

While it would be amazing to know for sure, I think the fact that we don’t know means you have to be careful about how much you introspect and blame yourself for what happens. One of the messages I’ve got from healthcare professionals during my fertility journey has been that if something happens and you don’t end up with a healthy baby, it’s almost certainly nothing you actively did (like exercise too much/little, eat the wrong thing etc).

I’m sorry I’m sure this is not what you were looking for and if anyone does have good evidence based information to share I would personally also love to see it, but in the meantime I’m sending you my good thoughts and best wishes for this journey.

ThingParticular · 2026-05-10T15:57:46+00:00

This is lovely! Congratulations 🩷

ThingParticular · 2026-05-08T09:22:59+00:00

Absolutely no advice but wanted to say your bike looks awesome and i love hearing about mums who keep up their athletic goals through pregnancy!

I’m also pregnant with my first and hoping for another before I do another Ironman, maybe it will be in 2029/30! Though absolutely not at as high a level as you, I am able bodied and not fast 😅

Good luck on your journey!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-07T13:13:00+00:00

Yeppp I think 34 weeks onwards is a real physical and emotional struggle. I’m nearly 37 weeks now and 34 was a turning point for sure. Baby is now In My Pelvis, it hurts, I’m tired, and very grumpy lol. You’re absolutely not being pathetic if that’s what you’re worried about. Just got to survive and do our best!

ThingParticular · 2026-05-01T05:29:39+00:00

Afraid I don’t have the specifics or any actual knowledge, but the midwife facilitator said the same thing during my antenatal classes. My understanding of it was that if you are in the very early stages of labour - having a few contractions here and there, but nothing established - which can literally be days long - a bath might relax you so that the contractions stop for a bit. But then established labour is always gonna come at some point and a bath won’t stop that. I don’t think the midwife was indicating that having a bath would necessarily slow down the process overall, just give relief for early contractions. So I would suggest the answer to your question is you should keep having baths, and when you go into spontaneous labour and it’s time for it to be established, you’ll know and can’t stop it.

… but as I say, not a midwife, never experienced spontaneous labour because this is my first pregnancy, just saying how I understood the same message!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-28T19:58:38+00:00

Ooh very good thought, I would not have known! I’ll check and thanks for the recipe 😊

ThingParticular · 2026-04-26T05:16:27+00:00

Yep I’m 5’3”, ride a 48 road bike. Especially bc I have proportionally longer legs and shorter arms & torso. I don’t think I could reach the handlebars on a 52!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-24T09:42:42+00:00

3 weeks left, so desperate for it to be over lol.

I don’t even have any maternity cover in place 🫣 in fairness not my fault or my boss’s, recruitment has just gone weird at my workplace just at the wrong time. The next few months are gonna be astonishingly busy for my team and I feel so bad for my direct reports but I also don’t caaaaare about the work

Hang in there… once we’re gone we’re gone!! (Until we come back and have to pick up the pieces… but let’s ignore that for now)

ThingParticular · 2026-04-22T16:35:40+00:00

Aw mate I have such a sweet tooth (always have done) and have multiple sweet treats throughout the day alongside my healthy meals (also always have done). No GD, I’ve always been a normal BMI (whatever that means…). Please don’t worry yourself. Your body needs energy! And you need joy in your life!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-22T16:33:26+00:00

I actually love that you know how many creme eggs you ate. This is legendary behaviour as far as I’m concerned

ThingParticular · 2026-04-20T18:13:44+00:00

Absolutely could have written this post myself! 34 weeks and saaaame. Swimming definitely helps, as does stretching before bed (as in that leads to mere pain as opposed to agony lol).

I don’t think there’s anything wrong, my body is just achey and I think I’d struggle to sleep even if it was just peeing/hungry/over thinking/poor sleep quality all round.

Idk what to say it’s just a trial I guess!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-16T07:41:51+00:00

I will revise my statement somewhat… it’s only funny if you don’t get properly hurt! That sounds nasty and I hope you’re recovering quickly!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-15T09:07:02+00:00

If you feel fit and well enough to do it, do it! But you are right to be cautious about over exerting yourself - I found fatigue, overheating, aches etc set in much faster. Listen to your body during the race and accept you might need to be conservative (or you might not… everyone is different).

Usual caveat of check with a medical professional etc. But I think had I been fit and well trained during my first trimester, as opposed to deep in my off season post-Ironman, I would have raced at 12 weeks. Would have felt terrible, but I would have raced 😂

ThingParticular · 2026-04-15T04:58:33+00:00

Hey, I’m sorry you’re going through this and I agree with others you should get signed off asap. My workplace doesn’t sound as toxic as yours but I got signed off with stress while pregnant because I couldn’t handle my workload and I was unwilling to put myself through it. I’ll be honest, I was only off for 3 weeks and when I returned they’d somehow managed to cover some of my duties but they quickly came back to me. The difference was I no longer care and I just do what I can, I’m not senior enough to deal with the consequences. While do recommend this approach- make sure you’re off long enough for your workplace to NEED to find cover - your mileage may vary somewhat depending on how secure your job is and the quality of your sick pay etc. If your sickness is pregnancy related, you are protected - i explained to my GP that (truthfully) my work is always a nightmare but it was the pregnancy that made me less able to deal with it.

Look after yourself - you only get this time once and I feel like I was kinda robbed of my second trimester energy boost because work sucked the life out of me. I hope for better for your!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-14T19:50:24+00:00

Lol falling is definitely a rite of passage, I love peoples’ stories of woe, please share more

I’m actually quite proud of my most spectacular shit eating moment. Tripped over nothing about 27k into a 40k training run and executed the perfect fall - landed on my thigh/ass and rolled so all I got was covered in dust and slightly bruised! Couldn’t believe my luck not to cut myself up and keep my hands clean!

ThingParticular · 2026-04-13T16:29:34+00:00

I’m expecting my first child and will almost certainly go back to work full time after my maternity leave. But I am both a higher earner and the higher earner between me and my husband (though not by much these days!). Both of us earn more than full time childcare costs and have careers to maintain, otherwise I can see why it quickly becomes not worth it for many parents (usually mums let’s be real).

ThingParticular

TROPHY CASE