r/fitpregnancy • u/New-Statistician4542 • 10h ago
Coping with HR increase
Newly pregnant and my RHR has already gone from 43 bpm to 58 bpm. I’m walking incredibly slow and getting a little super tired during easy workouts. I tested positive 8dpo. And am currently sitting at 4 weeks.
I typically work out 6 times a week including 3 runs, 2 lifts, 1 Pilates. I was hoping to realistically keep 4 active days as much as possible during pregnancy but right now it seems impossible. I plan on slowing my running pace down a lot but am hoping to maintain what I can lift.
Any tips or anyone who can relate? Should I change my expectations?
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u/woodworkinghalp 9h ago
It took me until about weeks 13/14 to not get out of breath doing basic walks. I personally maintained my lifting schedule by the skin of my teeth and lots of internal bribery (I was unbelievably nauseous). But my cardio capacity was shot for most of the first trimester.
The good news is that by week 16-17 I was back out hiking mountains and feeling great!
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u/New-Statistician4542 9h ago
This is inspiring! Also a mountain gal here and getting back from a month at sea level. I am hoping to push through strength training but have low expectations for running right now
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u/woodworkinghalp 9h ago
It was such a relief to get back out there! I’m now doing 6-7 hour hikes with decent elevation, but obviously my risk exposure tolerance is way lower so that does impact the hikes we choose this summer. Im likely not doing overnighters only because my pack weight has to be lighter (husband can only carry so much haha).
At week 24 I’m not as fast as usual but I feel great. Here’s hoping it goes just as well for you :)
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u/MeanPopcorn 9h ago
I too have a very low resting heart rate (40, can even dip to upper 30s); I do a lot of endurance cardio training and the doctor has said I just have an athletic heart.
Anyway, my RHR jumped up 15+ in early pregnancy; I would have days that I felt winded walking. Then I would have days on which I could run just fine. I don’t necessarily understand the science behind it, but the body is in such a state of change that we just have to take it day by day. I do a lot of HIIT, and some days I was fine, but some days my heart rate seemed to spike with low-level exertion.
I think too with a low RHR, the sudden increase is just uncomfortable at first.
Congratulations on your pregnancy 💜
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u/New-Statistician4542 9h ago
Thank you! This is also helpful- I’ve read a little too about lower rhr having more intolerance / lower threshold for that increase. It’s crazy how quickly it jumps. I am unfortunately starting the pregnancy sick and know that’s impacting a lot of how i feel but so far no days where I’ve felt i could exert myself yet
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u/MeanPopcorn 8h ago
Ugh that’s tough too with being sick. The first few weeks I was just exhausted, even without being sick. Just keep listening to your body and taking the rest you need
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u/Adorable-Act5574 9h ago
Be gentle with yourself this is a hard road. I’m at 19 weeks today. My heart rate went from high 40s to 70s-80s during my first trimester and it was excruciating. Every time I mentioned to my PCP, midwife or OB they just said yeah that’s normal.
I’m back to 60+ intensity minutes/day the past two weeks. My heart rate is back down to 54. You’ll get there (maybe, everyone is different). First trimester is very very hard and I had no idea.
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u/New-Statistician4542 7h ago
Thank you! I definitely didn’t anticipate it being so hard so early. But hopefully it’s just a sign that this baby is growing well.
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u/Adorable-Act5574 3h ago
Yeah it was truly shocking to me. I suggest joining a monthly bump group. Mine really helped me understand how usual and common my symptoms were. Pregnancy is hard and for whatever reason I had no idea how hard the first few months were.
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u/New-Statistician4542 1h ago
Locally or like on Reddit? That’s a great idea
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u/Adorable-Act5574 57m ago
Yes on Reddit! I will recommend this for sure. Mine was started a few weeks after people started testing positive
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u/chelleyyy1 8h ago
My HR went up the first few weeks after I got pregnant but now has stabilized around 50 when it was around 42 before. I was able to maintain running in the first trimester enough to be able to train for a half marathon at 16 weeks. I did almost all easy running first trimester and found that my HR was only slightly higher than what it used to be for the same easy pace. It was any speed work that felt 10x harder so I basically did none. Whenever I went for a run I told myself it would be ok to take walk breaks/stop early but usually once I started ended up feeling fine once I got into it
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u/New-Statistician4542 7h ago
Honestly about to attempt first run now and I like the mindset to be okay with walking. I know it will be hard to let go of pace goals for me but gotta listen
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u/kusomikan 9h ago
Take it one day at a time and keep expectations low. Everyone’s pregnancy journey is different because our bodies react totally different to the biological changes, plus there is a lot of variance from trimester to trimester. Flexibility is key! Stay adaptable.
I will say, though, that the likelihood of your RHR to keep climbing is very very high due to increased blood volume and hormones. At 4 weeks it’s likely still JUST the effect of your hormones.
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u/New-Statistician4542 9h ago
It’s sooo high already for me! I’m sure it will keep going up. Hopefully I’ll have a better tolerance for it
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u/RunnerEsq90 8h ago
My RHR climbed a lot early first trimester but then actually declined a bit after the first month or so. Not back to baseline but lower than early first trimester. I naturally panicked and thought I was having a miscarriage. As it turns out, in athletic people, many adapt by about 8 weeks to some of the changes which can result in your heart rate decreasing a bit. So just because you’ve seen a big jump right away doesn’t mean it’s going to get a ton worse.
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u/Patient-Quality6119 9h ago
Everyone is different and every day is different. I’m 32 weeks and still running 4-5 times per week and lifting 3x per week. I was breathless until like week 10 and then I got some energy back. Now I’m just taking it very slow
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u/New-Statistician4542 9h ago
Omg! You’re inspiring ❤️ were you able to work out before 10 weeks at all?
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u/Patient-Quality6119 9h ago
Yes I was just coming off the NYC marathon when I got pregnant and I ran the Miami half marathon at 13 weeks. I didn’t push the pace but I was able to maintain my fitness until about 15 weeks, and then I started to pull back more. Why are you so concerned about heart rate specifically? I’ve never tracked HR zones
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u/New-Statistician4542 7h ago
Honestly my concern is focused on heart rate because it’s been the first thing I’ve noticed. I use a coros and it gives you a training load largely based on HR. So my husband and i are often comparing because a training load of 50 is like 150 for him since his HR is much higher.
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u/Patient-Quality6119 7h ago
I think just listen to your body and don’t get overly concerned about heart rate specifically. There will be days when you need to slow down and days when you feel energized.
I wear an Oura ring and my resting HR has gone from like 45 to 65 but I’m not tracking it during workouts.
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u/New-Statistician4542 6h ago
Yes definitely! It’s a hard mindset to shift to after always pushing myself harder than I should. But I know it’s not best for me right now
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u/RunningAdmin88 8h ago
I felt the weakest in that first tri-period as my body was initially adjusting. Now my RHR is 58-62 (compared to low 40s before) and I feel much better/adjusted to it. I am still doing cardio and lifting and trying to get enough steps.
But! Don't be so hard on yourself - you're growing a human!!
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u/New-Statistician4542 7h ago
Did yours go above 62 at all and come down or did you just have to adjust?
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u/RunningAdmin88 7h ago
I don't think my resting has gone above 62. When I workout my HR rises of course, but comes down pretty quickly!
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u/obstinatemleb 8h ago
The first tri is much harder than almost any other time in pregnancy. In a couple of weeks, the fatigue and shortness of breath will get a lot better. I was basically out of commission from 6-11w. Since then Ive been able to get back to the gym 4-5x/week, just running slower and lifting ~80% of my previous weights
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u/RunnerEsq90 9h ago
First trimester was the worst for me! Crazy high progesterone plus hot summer weather (and also coming off of a 10 day vacation when I tested positive) meant I went from being a 40 mile per week runner to about 15-20 miles per week plus some peloton during first trimester.
As I transitioned into the second trimester I was able to rebuild some fitness and ran about 30-35 miles per week up until about 32 weeks or so. I then averaged maybe 25 miles per week from weeks 32 to 39 when I gave birth (and a lot of this mile decrease was holiday season/travel/snow storms). Once I got out of the first trimester I truly felt fantastic for the rest of pregnancy. I also lifted twice per week until the end as well. As far as running pace, I immediately slowed down a lot during first trimester especially with the summer heat. But eventually my pace plateaued and didn’t get any slower. My last run before labor was only about 1 min slower per mile than my normal easy pace. I also started using the recore fit splint in my third trimester and felt that it helped.
There is hope! Don’t judge the rest of pregnancy by first trimester experience. Just try to survive. For me, early morning was the only time I felt good during first trimester. By 11:00 am I started to decline. So if I could get in a little workout in the morning it mentally made me feel so much better.