3 Fit Moms Show Every Pregnancy Workout Looks Different

Pregnancy changes everything about exercise, and three fitness pros are proving that what works for one woman might not work for another—even in the same woman's different pregnancies.

Callie Gullickson, a Peloton instructor and mom of two, went from lifting heavy barbells four times a week to struggling through five-minute bodyweight workouts. Severe nausea during her second pregnancy left her so drained she could barely answer text messages, let alone maintain her usual routine.

"Once I started moving my body, I kind of forgot about the sickness, and I actually felt better," Gullickson says. She learned to stack short workouts together on good days, eventually working up to 10 or 15 minutes when energy allowed.

Her first pregnancy had been completely different, with only mild nausea for a few weeks. This time, the symptoms lasted until 20 weeks, and she dealt with pelvic pain that forced her to skip certain exercises entirely.

Bree Koegel, a trainer at The Sculpt Society, had been doing up to three intense workouts daily before pregnancy. But old hip injuries she'd never addressed came roaring back around six months in, forcing her to stop strength training completely.

The 38-year-old mom of three had to rebuild her relationship with exercise from scratch. Her experience shows how pregnancy can expose weaknesses the body previously compensated for.

Why This Inspires

These women aren't sharing their stories to set a standard. They're showing the messy, non-linear reality of staying active during pregnancy—because that honesty is what other women actually need.

Gullickson found that even scaled-back routines kept her grounded during massive life changes. "There are so many things that are changing—your hormones, your lifestyle, everything," she says. "Keeping that routine really centered me."

The takeaway isn't about hitting certain benchmarks or maintaining pre-pregnancy intensity. It's about listening to your body as it changes week by week, adjusting expectations, and knowing that five minutes of movement counts just as much as an hour when that's what your body can handle.

Every pregnancy writes its own rulebook, and these women are proof that flexibility matters more than following anyone else's plan.