It's Not Too Late: Starting Exercise Late in Pregnancy
If you've spent any part of this pregnancy thinking, "I've basically missed my window to exercise," I want you to hear this from me: you haven't.
A mom in our membership reached out in her third trimester of pregnancy, feeling like she'd let the whole active-pregnancy thing pass her by. She was dealing with some aches and pains and just wanted to know — is it even worth starting now?
Yes. A thousand times yes. And here's the mindset shift that matters more than the workout itself.
When we feel behind, our brain loves to use that as an excuse to wait even longer. I'll start after the baby comes. I'll start when I have more energy. I'll start when things calm down. Sound familiar? The truth is, "more time" is never guaranteed — not in this season, and not in the next one either.
This is the all-or-nothing trap. We tell ourselves that if we can't do it perfectly, or from the very beginning, it's not worth doing at all. But that couldn't be further from the truth.
Starting now — at 29 weeks, even at 35 weeks — still comes with real, tangible benefits:
More energy in your day-to-day
Fewer aches and less pelvic and low back discomfort
A body better prepared for birth, with a lower risk of complications and intervention
A smoother, more connected postpartum recovery
That last one matters more than people realize. The work you do now is quite literally laying the foundation for how you feel and function after your baby arrives.
So what did I actually tell her to do? Nothing dramatic. Just two planned workouts for the week. That's it. Because objects in motion tend to stay in motion — and the goal was never to do everything, it was to do something.
If the rest of this pregnancy looks like two workouts a week instead of zero, she is still going to feel the difference. So will you.
When you listen to the full episode, I give you 2 action steps to take this week to move the needle (they’re easy!).
Listen to the 10 minute episode below.
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I’m Nicole, Pre/Postnatal Fitness Coach and founder of Strong Mama Wellness. I take the confusion out of exercising in pregnancy and postpartum and help women strengthen their body for pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. You deserve to have a thriving, healthy pregnancy and postpartum journey!
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