The Best Pregnancy Exercise Programs

Mommas, trust me when I say I get it! You’re pregnant and tired and exercising is the last thing you want to do right now. I am currently 35 weeks pregnant and have consistently maintained an exercise regimen throughout my pregnancy. It has not been easy and there were days I really didn’t feel like doing it, but I never regretted it! I did not exercise much during my first pregnancy, and I feel such a difference in not just my strength, but also my energy level and pain level. Check out the best pregnancy exercise programs to develop a great exercise routine that can help keep you energized and healthy during pregnancy.

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a doctor!! You should consult with your doctor before doing any sort of exercising while pregnant, even the workouts I am about to recommend. Although working out is great for you, everyone is at different starting points and some may benefit from a much lighter workout regimen.

Why Exercise While Pregnant?

Mayo Clinic recommends exercise for most pregnant women. In this article you can find out why, who doctors might recommend don’t exercise, and how exercising during pregnancy is different from regular exercise. Some major reasons to consider an exercise regimen while pregnant are:

• Maintain or even increase strength – You will need strength to carry around the extra pounds that comes with being pregnant, to help the process of giving birth, and to help you carry around that new little bundle of joy!
• Increase energy – Yes, even during first trimester!
• Reduce pain – As long as you are doing it correctly and at your appropriate level.
• Help with pregnancy related insomnia. (I can attest to this!!! – yoga was a LIFESAVER for me)

Exercise By Trimester

As I said before, I am no doctor. This is just how I have been choosing to exercise throughout this pregnancy and have been overjoyed by the results. The trimesters are not a hard line. It really depends on how your body feels to decide if and when you should switch to a different form of exercise. I will list in each section why I did it this way, and then you can decide what works best for you.

First Trimester

First trimester is just yucky. The energy is low, and the food aversions and morning sickness are high. The very last thing most of us want to do during these few months is exercise. This is the trimester that you are going to be most happy you did it anyway! It is going to increase your energy for the day (believe it or not) and just make you feel so much better. During this trimester it is certainly ok to just keep it light and easy!

During my first trimester, I mostly stuck with walking and stretching. Walking is a great option, especially if you never really exercised before pregnancy. It worked out really well for me because my one-year-old needed to get out of the house anyway. We would go for one to two walks around town per day. Stretching is something to be done throughout life. It is especially essential during pregnancy, and you will feel such a difference when you go to bed at night. If you are not quite sure how to get started, there are tons of videos online. You can even look up a body part that is causing pain and chances are there is a video to teach you how to safely stretch it out. I would recommend looking up pregnancy specific videos as our hormones cause changes in our flexibility and this can ensure you stretch safely.

There are a few other great options for exercise during your first trimester. One of those is swimming. I never got the opportunity to do this because I have a one-year-old and swimming for exercise just wouldn’t have been a thing. That being said, if you are pregnant with your first child or you can find someone to watch your other child(ren) while you go swim a few laps, do it! Swimming is so good for your body throughout your entire pregnancy. The other option is to find first trimester videos from the ladies I have listed below. They certainly have plenty to choose from!

Second Trimester

Alright, bring on second trimester! More energy and there generally isn’t too much pain yet. This is the perfect time to start working on some strength training. As I mentioned before, keeping your strength up is going to be essential for giving birth and making it through your “fourth trimester”. You pretty much have unlimited exercise options during this trimester. Just keep in mind that there are some activities and activity levels that are not appropriate for pregnancy at all.

During my second trimester, I lived off the website Nourish Move Love. Lindsey Bomgren is a certified personal trainer with a bunch of certifications that you can check out here. This is where you start to focus on strength and weight training. Something to know about this website is Lindsey recommends not starting her pregnancy workouts if you didn’t work out much prior to being pregnant. So, if you were not an exerciser before becoming pregnant, it may be best to stick with my first and third trimester suggestions.

There are lots of things I love about Lindsey. She is able to keep you motivated and excited without being over the top. She also has so many individual workouts and workout plans that you will never get bored. Very recently she went from having one workout plan for all pregnancies to breaking it down into different trimesters. If you fall in love with her stuff the way I did, she also has a postpartum section to help you recover after giving birth.

Third Trimester

Third trimester – the weight is increasing and we are slowing down a bit. As our baby grows so do we, and we are feeling it. More weight on the joints is causing more aches and pains and less sleep. If strength training is still working for you, more power to you momma! For me, just the day-to-day activity is all the strength training I can handle these days.

Now that I have hit third trimester and have been told by my doctor “wow you make really big babies”, I have switched primarily to yoga. I have not been able to find anyone to lead me through this as well as Jessica from Pregnancy and Postpartum TV. She is a fitness instructor and registered dietician. There is no lack of options for videos on her website and YouTube channel. I have LIVED off this bedtime yoga routine. It has helped me get such better sleep.

No matter what you are looking for as far as skill level, length of time, and time of day, you have tons of options on Pregnancy and Postpartum TV. I have tried some other online yoga instructors, and sometimes end up in more pain afterward. Jessicas yoga routines always leave me feeling amazing. She has other types of exercise videos as well, but I can really only account for her yoga.

Other Exercise Options

There are tons of exercise options for you out there! The most important thing is doing them regularly. If you are not doing something you can stick with, switch to something you can. Unless told otherwise by your doctor, getting plenty of exercise during pregnancy is essential for a healthy momma and healthy baby. If you don’t like the options I have listed above, there are lots out there!

• I will reiterate that swimming is sooooooo good for you while pregnant!
• If you have a gym membership there are tons of options there! Talk to your doctor about what equipment is safe to use during your pregnancy.
• Look into classes at your gym or exercise classes for soon to be mommas. How fun would it be to meet other pregnant mommas and bond?!
• Another YouTube fitness trainer – I adore Yoga with Adriene. Although she doesn’t have any kids, she did a pregnancy series with a pregnant friend. Definitely worth checking out!

Fourth Trimester

Alright mommas, fourth trimester, you have a lot of work to do! Fourth trimester is the 12 weeks after you have had your baby. For the first few weeks you are exhausted, adjusting, and just in survival mode. It is most certainly ok to take some time for mental health and adjusting to a new way of living. When you are feeling ready, and your doctor approves it, you can jump back into some light exercising.

Mayo Clinic says as long as you had an uncomplicated, vaginal birth, you can start exercising again just a couple days after giving birth. In fact, they recommend it! It can help get you healthy again, boost mood and energy, strengthen abdominal muscles, and reduce symptoms of postpartum depression.

Both the ladies mentioned above have great postpartum workout series to help you heal in the appropriate amount of time. You don’t want to jump into anything too fast or too intense. This is especially true when it comes to abdominal muscles. Consult with your doctor to find out what sort of exercise you should be doing based on your specific pregnancy and birth.

Exercise Equipment I Love

As you can see, I do most of my exercising from home. Exercise equipment, even the small stuff, can be quite expensive. I have slowly started building my little at home gym. I will let you know what I currently use. If you have any affordable at home equipment that you just love, leave it in the comments below so I can check it out!

• 3lb, 5lb, 8lb weights
• Resistance Bands
• Yoga Mat
• Yoga Block
• Yoga Ball
• Foam Roller
• Yoga Bolster

You can also view my post on Pregnancy Essentials to get an idea of how to help you relax and make yourself more comfortable after your workouts!