Hi babes! I’ve seen a few of you in the community announce your super special baby news – CONGRATULATIONS! Whether it’s baby 1, 2 or 4, there’s a magical miracle brewing in that belly of yours, and health for both you & your bun (think oven, not top knot) is super important. Get this – according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, “babies born to active mothers had more mature brain activity than those born to inactive mothers. Their brain activity was comparable to 4-month-old babies at just 12-days-old.” Say what? Bust out dat yoga mat, pregger lade!
First order of biz – if you don’t know me, hi! I’m Katie. Mama to two sparkling, rambunctious, smart, limit-pushing little boys. With my first son, I was quite literally a pregnant unicorn (feel free to virtually punch me in the face). No issues, followed all the super healthy eating rules, worked out consistently up through the final days … you know the type. With boy #2 though, while I still kept really active & healthy, I got food poisoning TWICE and was def more tired, as boy #1 was rulin’ the ROOST.
During both pregnancies though, I stayed fully committed to fitness & nutrition, and in addition to walking the Chicago lakefront paths, I had a handful of pregnancy fitness videos that were my religion. If you’re looking for pregnancy-specific prenatal workout videos, I got cha baby mama!
*DISCLAIMER* You MUST get the OK from your OB before starting ANY of these fitness routines – especially if you’re high risk, low risk, no risk, a fitness beginner, you name it. GET CONFIRMATION!
Sarah Haley: Expecting More
- What I LOVED about this set was threefold:
- It comes with TWO DVDs filled with 6 super different workouts
- It comes with a CALENDAR guiding which workouts to do each day
- The workouts are CHALLENGING! There are moderate & advanced options.
- Also, Sarah (the instructor) was preggers while filming the videos. Win-Win!
Tracy Anderson: Pregnancy Project
- I would call these workouts more pilates-like. I didn’t sweat, but some days, I didn’t want to sweat. Similar to the majority of TA’s fitness videos, this one is for fine toning & stretching.
- Best thing about this set – It comes with NINE DVDs!!! One for each month of your pregnancy! And just like Sarah Haley, Tracy was pregnant while filming these as well – AND her month of pregnancy aligns with the DVD month of pregnancy. So you grow along with her! Woot!
Shiva Rea: Prenatal Yoga
- Here’s where you stretch out them hips, mama. This is the video you workout to when your mind really, REALLY doesn’t feel like working out, but your hot bod is all, come on gorgeous, let’s flow.
- It a fantastic way to ease yourself into prenatal yoga. You’ll feel like you just left the spa afterwards~
Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga: Short Forms
- LOVE this gem for when I wanted to pick & choose my workout times. It offers 15, 30, 45 and 75-minute yoga flows.
- The video also features one woman in each trimester, so you can choose which to follow according to where you are in your pregnancy.
- There are bonuses too! A 10-minute partner routine and series of labor poses to help prepare you for the big day.
There you have it! For you bump club babes, g’on and read through the descriptions & reviews and see what sounds dreamy to YOU & YOUR body, fitness level, pregnancy, attitude, etc. Health & wellness is all about customizing our own plans to work with our own personal jam. Anything forced Just. Won’t. Work.
Have other prenatal workouts you enjoy? Comment and let us know! I’ve linked a few additional helpful resources below relating to fitness & pregnancy.
Congrats again on that beautious bump!
Katie
Resources:
- The Workout That Makes Your Baby Smarter: https://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/workout-makes-your-baby-smarter
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists – Exercise During Pregnancy: https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Exercise-During-Pregnancy
- Exercising During Pregnancy is Good for Mother, Baby, Research Confirms: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170904093621.htm
