Low impact exercising during pregnancy helps you and your baby stay healthy. Here are the best and safest ways to break a sweat while you’re pregnant.
1. Pilates
Pilates is a favorite of ours! If there was such a thing as the "perfect" pregnancy workout, Pilates would be it. Pilates guru and expectant mom, Andrea Speir seems to think so anyway!
"The exercises in prenatal Pilates are specialized, controlled forms of movement that strengthen not only the big muscles, but the small stabilizing ones as well.
Much attention is paid to the hips, outer thighs and bum, which aids in balance, good posture and relieves lower-back pain. Building a strong base will help keep the weight up top balanced and supported and your body from becoming overly fatigued."
2. Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal yoga has so many AMAZING benefits during pregnancy! Erica Ziel, founder of Knocked Up Fitness, Pilates expert, and mom of 3 says, "Yoga during pregnancy can improve your energy and help you relax, de-stress, meditate, be more mindful with your workouts and increase your body awareness as your baby grows."
It can also help you speed your postpartum recovery and help improve your sanity as a new mom.
Not sure how to start? Download our free Mumberry Fitness - Stretching and Shaping for over 60 free stretches and 20 complete workouts.
3. Weight Lifting
Only recently are pregnant women getting told that safely lifting weights (even heavy weights) won't harm them during pregnancy. There is still a stigma around this, but weight lifting helps strengthen your body for birth, and Jessie Mundell says that it's beneficial for your pregnant body.
"Strength training = increased stability. A properly planned strength training program will help decrease aches and pains that are common in pregnancy, such as lower and upper back pain, by keeping your posture in more optimal alignment. And yes, if you’re new to strength training you can absolutely start during pregnancy.
Focus on the basics: learn to squat, hinge, lunge, push, and pull. Work with a coach who can teach you solid movement patterns and progress you appropriately."
Mundell is a certified kinesiologist, mom, and pre/postnatal exercise and corrective exercise specialist.
4. Barre
Barre has grown in popularity and it's not hard to figure out why! Longer, leaner muscles, a toned booty (along with other trouble spots), and an overall stronger body are just a few reasons why we see new barre studios popping up all over the country.
Not only is it quite safe for pregnancy (with some modifications, of course) but it's a great way to work your core appropriately.
Physique 57 tells us, "It’s all about balance- the belly needs to be flexible enough to allow for the baby to grow but strong enough to support that growth. The great news is that one engages her abdominals throughout most of the Physique 57 workout, from deep abdominal stabilization to focused exercises. And kegels are a must to develop the deep core strength necessary for labor and delivery, so be sure to include them both in and out of class.
5. Swimming
Swimming is a low impact that sport that is great for not only pregnancy, but for all stages of life. It's pretty much ideal, as it requires no modifications for pregnancy and helps to take away some of the pressure the extra pregnancy weight is putting on your body.
Along with swimming laps, you can also perform regular body weight exercises in the pool for less of an impact than it would cause outside of the water.
We like this Water Baby Prenatal Workout from Fit Pregnancy!
6. Walking
Walking should most definitely be included in your prenatal fitness routine! We consider it one of the best pregnancy workouts because it's so simple.
Walking has a ton of amazing benefits including strengthening your heart, easing constipation, and promoting a good mood (especially if you live a beautiful place!)
7. TRX
Some women are able to continue exercising at the same intensity as they did pre-pregnancy, while others need to modify. If you want to modify without switching to only walking and yoga, TRX is an amazing alternative. The editor of the TRX blog agrees with us!
Image via trxtraining.com
"With TRX suspension training, exercises can be regressed and progressed to adapt to ANY level, making it the perfect fitness tool for all stages of pregnancy. The Suspension Trainer is also essential to help alleviate the aches and pains women may feel along their pregnancy journey."
In Closing
Our 7 best pregnancy workouts are Pilates, Prenatal Yoga, Weightlifting, Barre, Swimming, Walking,and TRX. Be sure to consult with your doctor before starting any new routine