tank: mossimo supply co. // shoes: nike // sports bra: aerie // fitness tracker: fitbit
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve often heard an old adage that you just can’t be as active during pregnancy as you were before.
To some degree, I think this is true – there are definitely some limitations and you’re not working out at the same intensity you were before pregnancy (at least I’m not!). But I’ve personally never viewed pregnancy as a reason to become inactive. In fact, remaining active during pregnancy has done nothing but help me out in a lot of ways. I find it keeps my energy up, helps me sleep better and puts me in a better mood (not too dissimilar to what it did for me pre-pregnancy!).
While I found to date that my usual cardio routine works perfectly for me, I did struggle to find a good strength series. I felt I had to do some serious digging to get to the most recent ones I’ve found. That’s why I wanted to do this post!
Cardio Activities I’m Loving:
Running: Other than running much slower than I did pre-pregnancy, not much else has changed. I make certain that I’m nourished and well-hydrated both before and after but otherwise I’ve found I’ve been able to maintain mid-distance running 3x/week. With the onset of the second trimester and a real belly ‘pop,’ I’ve been relying more and more on this belly band. It provides great support not only for my lower back but also for my growing belly.
Walking: I try to walk at least 30 minutes every day, just to get my blood flowing. Having Ollie, it’s not that hard to do. Two 15 minute walks a day with him usually do the trick, and I honestly usually easily exceed that. Walking is something I’ve always enjoyed but find I love it even more now. I find it so relaxing and it’s gentle enough that I can do it everyday.
Bike Riding: One of my favorite activities – especially with this nice weather! It gets my heart rate up but still feels relaxing and doable at the same time. Plus it’s nice to get off my feet and still do something active.
Swimming: There’s nothing better during pregnancy than a feeling of zero gravity 🙂 While I’m no professional swimmer, I’m happy to float around in our pool and do a couple doggie-paddle laps! It’s especially nice with the weather heating up to have a cardio option that allows me to be in nice cool water.
Strength Workouts I’m Loving:
Active Maternity by Autumn Calabrese: I love anything Autumn Calabrese does. I’ve been a fan of her 21 Day Fix series for years now and this series is no different. It’s split out by trimester which is great and I can really feel my muscles working. The only downside is that there’s only one workout per trimester. I’m not a person that can do the same strength routine over and over. Right now I do this 2-3x per week but I have a feeling I’ll get pretty bored of it by the end of this trimester.
Beautiful Belly by Daily Burn: I love this yoga video for a gentle workout. Some of the stretches in the series feel SO good. It’s also split out by trimester which is nice, but again only one routine per episode. It works out okay though because I really only do this 1x per week so it still feels new each time I do it.
Fit & Sleek Prenatal Physique: I like this workout because you really feel like you’re working out. Some of the maternity workouts I’ve tried were a little too gentle. Again, coming from someone who likes workouts like 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme, I wanted something that would get my heart rate up but not strain me and this definitely did the trick. There’s also more than one workout which is nice!
Any other good maternity workouts out there? I’d love for you to share – I’m always looking for new options!
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