At-Home Prenatal Exercise Options
Cara Terreri
If you're stuck inside, like most of the world is now during the Coronavirus pandemic, you may be looking for effective ways to burn off energy and boost mental health. Exercise, even for 20 minutes at a time, offers these benefits and so much more during pregnancy. No matter how you choose to get your heart rate up, you're doing a great thing for yourself when you participate in exercise during your pregnancy.
Fitting Exercise into Your Day
During this time, many of us are dealing with an abundance of time but there is often still so much to do and manage. It's easy to say you want to exercise every day, and it's also easy to lose track of time and fail to figure out how to make it a regular part of your day/week. One way to get around that common challenge is to make your exercise time a non-negotiable, set time during the day. Some people like getting it out of the way early in the morning so it's done before other to-dos take priority. Others may choose afternoon or evening times. Whatever works best for you and your natural body rhythms, pick a general time of day and/or tie it to another daily recurring event, like 1 hour after/before breakfast/lunch/dinner, etc.
Safety First
Always be sure to talk with your doctor or midwife first to make sure the workout routine you want to do is safe for your pregnancy. There are lots and lots of safe exercise options for pregnancy, but every pregnancy is different and it's important to know what's works for your specific health needs.
When you exercise, be sure to listen to your body and take breaks and/or ease off of the intensity when you need to. Even if you worked out all the time pre-pregnancy, your body is undergoing immense and intense changes during this time and it will react accordingly. This isn't necessarily a time to "push past the pain," but instead, listen to your body's signals.
At-Home Workout Ideas
Dance - Whether it's freestyle dancing to your favorite playlist, or a follow-along dance routine video on YouTube, dancing is fun, stress-relieving, and a great workout!
Prenatal yoga and pilates - If you're experienced in yoga and/or pilates, you may be able to create your own prenatal routine that works for you. If not, find prenatal-specific videos on YouTube to try out.
Stationary bike - Biking outdoor during pregnancy, depending on how far along you are, is not usually recommended due to difficulties with balance and the risk of falling. With a stationary bike, you get the benefit of exercise with the convenience and safety of staying in one place!
Prenatal fitness routines - There are SO MANY free prenatal fitness videos available on YouTube. Experiment to find out what you like best. We've listed some of our favorite below.
Yard work - Two birds, one workout. Spring is the perfect time to work in the yard and working in the yard is also a perfect workout!
Free Prenatal Fitness Videos
BodyFit by Amy - These are the some of the best free videos we've seen for prenatal exercise. There are more than 40 routines to choose from. They cover every muscle group.
Prenatal Yoga and Fitness by Pregnancy and Postpartum TV - There are so many great routines and areas to target, including pelvic floor, on this prenatal specific YouTube channel.