I’ve made it a goal to stay active during pregnancy. Being furloughed from work has certainly made it easier, having immense amounts of free time. I really don’t have an excuse to not do something active each day, but to be totally honest – it doesn’t happen every single day. And that’s okay.
I’ve been pretty consistent with 4-5 days per week of doing either a workout or a walk; sometimes both. There have been days that I haven’t wanted to get out of bed. It can be hard to be stuck inside, with seemingly no light at the end of this tunnel. But I’ve found that on the days I give in and lay in bed watching tv for half of the day, I stay in that slump and find it much harder to kick.
Waking up at a decent time, having a good breakfast, and getting a workout in early seems to make for the best of days. And then I have the rest of the day to do whatever I please!
YouTube has been a great source for finding fun workouts and has a plethora of options. It all started with wanting to keep my core tight, so I searched prenatal core workouts. I first found FIT by Larie and her 20 Minute Prenatal Core Workout. I loved this one because not only did she target the core (mostly obliques to make it safe), but she added in some bonus booty which I always appreciate! She also has some great HIIT workouts if you’re feeling up to it, or some lower impact options.
Shortly after I was searching prenatal workouts just to see what was out there and stumbled upon Body Fit by Amy. I instantly fell in love. 😂 She has so many workouts to choose from – many of her prenatal workouts are filmed while she is pregnant, so I always feel I can relate and keep up with her pace. She has some videos by trimester, and others are more general, but I can always find something fun to try! I almost have too many videos that I love to mention! A recent favorite was the Full Body Soup Can Workout – who knew soup cans could add so much of a challenge?! This is not prenatal specific, but she always makes sure to offer modifications to stay safe for all fitness levels. Prenatal Bodyweight Tabata was another one I really enjoyed – this format is great because it moves quickly and if one of the moves is hard, you know you’re almost done and won’t have to come back to it. 😂 A few other mentions that I find myself repeating are standing pilates, prenatal core, and cardio kickboxing. But check out her page because there are SO many great option, and plenty for non-pregnant mamas too! I hope to continue her workouts postpartum and beyond. She also has the best personality and positive attitude – you can’t leave her workouts unhappy!
A third favorite mention is GlowBodyPT. I started with her Prenatal Cardio Workout. It was hard. She goes pretty quickly and after I finished I remember telling myself I’d never do that again. 😂 A week or so later, I gave it another shot and found myself keeping up with her much better! I actually enjoyed it! So it’s been on repeat. It’s quick, but gets you moving. I also love her Low Impact Legs & Booty Workout – she has a handful of great thigh/booty workouts. I do like that she has videos targeting specific muscle groups/issues – such as your muffin top or saddlebags! Another favorite is the Prenatal Calf Shredder Workout. The first time I did this one I couldn’t walk for two days afterwards. 😂 Now I’m not so sore from it, but still feel a good burn.
Because many of these videos are quick, I tend to do about 4-5 for around an hour of a workout. I’ll usually start with one of the cardio options or tabata/hiit – something full body that really gets my heart rate up. These also tend to be on the longer side (sometimes). Then I’ll move to focusing on the core or booty, and the lower impact videos for some strength training. It’s worked really well and I always feel so accomplished afterwards! Not to mention it makes me want to eat healthier after my hard work!
Our living room has turned into my mini home gym. 😂 We actually have quite a bit of workout equipment down in the basement and plenty of space, but I prefer to be on the main level with the bigger tv and some light of day coming in.
Laugh Often – Rachel
Simply Stoops 