5 Great Workouts for Pregnant Women at Any Stage
If you’re pregnant, it doesn’t mean you have to stop exercising. However, you will need to adjust your workouts as your pregnancy develops. Here are 5 awesome workouts for pregnant women.
Yes, it’s true. Mommy belly after birth is a real thing. Why? Because our ab muscles can separate to make room for a growing baby.
As much as you love/will love that bundle of joy, it’s hard to take back control of your body.
Thankfully, you can do work before giving birth that helps with during/after birth weakness.
Integrate these 5 moves into your daily routine for easy and accessible core workouts for pregnant women.
Plies
Parenthood involves a lot of squatting and birth takes core, pelvic, and leg strength.
Work on all of those with this ballet-inspired workout move. Plie is the French word for bend, which is what your knees will do in this pose.
Depending on how pregnant you are, you may want to hold on the back of a chair for stability.
Walk your legs out so they’re about a foot wider than your hips. Turn your toes outwards 45 degrees, so your pinky toes are facing the back of the room.
Imagine trying to lift your belly up towards the back of you, like you were pushing it into your spine. Then, bend your knees so they go sideways over your toes.
Go as low as you feel comfortable, without it being too hard to balance. You should feel a little unstable, but not like you’ll fall.
Keep your back straight as you straighten your legs and return to standing. Do twenty reps in the morning to strengthen:
- Quadriceps (front of thigh)
- Hamstrings (back of thigh)
- Glutes
- Core Strength
You don’t have to set a specific time of the day, you can do. We like to get a few reps while waiting for daily things, like the last 20 seconds of the microwave.
Side Lying Scissors
Find a yoga mat or a clean, comfy piece of carpet. If you have a harder mattress, that works too.
Lay down on your side, balancing one hip on top of the other.
If you need to place a pillow under your belly, feel free to do so. We want baby to be comfortable too!
Bend your elbow and lay it under your head so it makes a nest for your neck.
Bend your bottom knee so it’s about 90 degrees and in the middle of your body. Straighten your top leg and put your top arm out for support.
With your leg straight, lift and lower your top leg as high as you can without your base position changing. Go slowly and don’t let your leg drop back down.
Control the movements both ways. Do about 20 reps and switch sides.
Initially, it’ll take you a while to figure out your base position, but once you get it it’ll feel natural.
This move strengthens your core and inner thighs, which are both connected to your pelvic floor.
Plank
You’ve probably done a plank before, but not with a pregnant belly. If you’re early in your pregnancy it might not feel different but expect a balance shift later on.
A plank is one of the workout moves that can do more harm than good if it’s not done right. To make sure you stay in good alignment, please read or refresh yourself with the tips below.
Get down on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Place your hands directly under your shoulders.
For an easier plank, place your forearms and elbows on the floor, with shoulders halfway over elbows and wrists.
Then, walk your feet out behind you so your legs are straight and only your toes are in contact with the floor.
Concentrate on keeping your body a straight line. Most people either put their butt up high or let their belly sag. if you have a wall mirror or a reflective glass door, watch your form.
Some trainers say to focus on the straight line, while others say you should imagine you’re pulling everything up towards the sky at the same time.
Hold for 20 seconds to one minute, or for as long as you can keep good form.
This strengthens your core, arms, and back, which will come in handy those nights your baby won’t let you put them down!
Pelvic Tilts
These small movements are harder than they seem since they employ a small muscle group.
However, it’s a muscle group you’ll use during labor and the stronger it is the easier your job will be.
Stand straight with your back against a wall, feet as close to the wall as feels comfortable. Your back will naturally arch away from the wall, creating a pocket of space.
Your job with this move is to pull your pelvic bone in and up so that your back touches the wall, making the pocket disappear.
This is a lot harder than it seems, so don’t get on yourself if it takes a few tries. Don’t let your feet move while you’re doing this, it’s easy to let them help push you back.
Concentrate on the entire movement coming from your core. Keep your abs tight so your back doesn’t do all the work.
You’ll be working all the muscles in your core, strengthening your pelvic floor, and your low back.
Do ten reps or so, then increase reps as they get easier. Not quite getting it? This video will help.
Standing Crunches
While you’re near a wall, like after pelvic tucks, walk your feet out a foot or so. Stand straight and put your hands behind your head.
With hip-distant feet, keep a straight back and bend over, pushing your hips back. Slowly come back up and repeat.
These standing crunches build your balance and core strength, great for ab-separation reparation.
Learn about ab separation on sites like http://www.pregnancyhealth.net for more information.
Daily Workouts for Pregnant Women
Keeping your body moving during pregnancy is the best thing you can do for labor preparation and body-bounce back. The more you activate your muscles, the more willing they’ll be to pop back into place.
Try to work these workouts for pregnant women into your daily routine, even if it’s just while you wait for the microwave to beep.
Every little bit helps.
Speaking of every little bit helps, check out this article on finding the right school for your future child!