The news isn’t exactly shocking given rumours that Pippa and her husband James Matthews are expecting have swirled for several weeks—but the Duchess of Cambridge's sister finally confirmed the news in her monthly column for the U.K. supermarket monthly magazine, Waitrose Weekend. And she spilled how her workouts have changed since she got the news, too.
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“I was lucky to pass the 12-week scan without suffering from morning sickness. That meant I was able to carry on as normal,” Pippa wrote, per Hello magazine. As you may remember, Pippa’s sister Kate Middleton suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe morning sickness, in all of her pregnancies.
But Pippa says she largely felt okay during her first trimester. “When I learned the happy news that I was pregnant, I realised I needed to adjust my four to five-day-a-week [fitness] routine,” she wrote. Still, she says, she kept her pregnancy a secret from her trainer until the “riskier months” were over.
While it's totally Pippa's choice what she decides to disclose about her body, Mahri Relin, NASM-certified personal trainer and founder of Body Conceptions, who's also a AFPA pre and postnatal exercise specialist, tells WomensHealthMag.com that "I can empathise with Pippa’s desire to keep it quiet, but I would definitely recommend telling your trainer as soon as you find out you’re pregnant."
She explains, "I usually tell my clients that they become in charge of our sessions the minute they find out they’re pregnant. It’s so important for them to listen to their bodies more than ever and tell me if something doesn’t work for them right away so that I can pivot immediately if necessary."
Astrid Swan, another NASM-certified personal trainer (who's actually pregnant herself) agrees. "When your trainer is aware, we are able to monitor you more. You may find that you are out of breath more easily, lethargic, or nauseous," she says.
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Pippa said her body has changed with her pregnancy, but she feels like exercise has helped her get even stronger in the process. But, she noted, she’s still a little confused about what is and isn’t okay for her to do.
“I’m fanatical about sport and have looked at loads of books and websites on exercise during pregnancy, but have been disappointed by the limited technical information what you can and can’t do. This being my first pregnancy, I had so many questions I felt were still unanswered. I wanted to know things like, would I strain if I served in tennis, are strokes of swimming safe, can I still do a normal yoga class if I avoided certain positions? Could I still work my abs?”
For what it’s worth, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued guidelines in 2016 that say that exercising during pregnancy is recommended (if you feel up for it), and lists out several things you can do like walking, swimming, stationary biking, and modified versions of yoga and Pilates.
And, overall, the general school of advice is that you can keep up pretty much any type of activity during the first trimester (as long as it's something you also did pre-pregnancy).
But, again, this is where your trainer in can be helpful. "The fact is that you will probably continue being able to do the same things in your fitness routine during the first trimester that you were doing before," says Relin. "However, there are still some principles your trainer will want to follow, like avoiding closed twists and exercises that put pressure or could have impact on the stomach or abdomen. Your joints also become looser and more vulnerable to injury, and you can feel exhausted as your blood volume increases, among other changes."
Pippa says she plans to keep up her workouts throughout her pregnancy, provided she’s feeling alright. “I’ve noticed my body change and weight increase, but through effective exercise and sports I feel that it’s been strengthened to support a healthy pregnancy, birth and recovery," she said. "And ensure that post-baby, my old favourite jeans will still fit eventually!”
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This article originally appeared on Women's Health US
