Hellobee

Now that I’m feeling better, I am finally trying to ease into exercise again.  This first trimester pretty much left me like someone out of The Walking Dead.  I was nauseous and tired all the time, often falling asleep at 8:30pm with no energy to get up in the morning.  It took every ounce of my being to drag myself to work these past few months.

Now that I have more energy and the nausea is subsiding, I’m determined to not let exercise fall by the wayside.  Here’s my prenatal fitness toolkit I’ve armed myself with:

To give you an idea of my fitness level, prior to my first pregnancy I had run 6 half-marathons (running is definitely my cardio of choice), did Bikram or Vinyasa yoga about 1-2 times a week, and thrived on Jillian Michaels’ DVD’s.

I’m nowhere near that level of fitness going into my 2nd pregnancy. As a full-time working mom to a budding toddler, it is really hard for me to find time to work out.  I either have to wake up really early before work, or find time at night after the baby goes down, when all I really want to do is lounge on the couch in front of the TV with my husband.  I have a gym membership, but haven’t gone since the beginning of the year.  To maintain my fitness, I’ll usually lace up my running shoes and go for a quick 30-40 minute run… or do one of these at-home DVD’s.  I love that running and DVD’s don’t require me to drive anywhere, and requires very little prep-work.  Anything that saves me time is a plus in my book!

1.  Long & Lean Prenatal Workout ($14.99) – The cover of this DVD makes it seem like a prenatal yoga workout, but it isn’t.  The DVD is divided into two 20-minute sections, which I like because if you’re short on time you can just do a portion of it.  The first section consists of standing floor work, giving you a balanced cardio and toning workout.  The second section is the floor work, where the focus is more on legs and abdominals.  I really enjoy this DVD.  I think the production quality is great for a prenatal DVD, and the ladies are easy to follow.  I also feel enough of a burn to feel like I’m not wasting my time.  I do feel “long and lean” afterwards!

2.  The Perfect Pregnancy Workout ($18.74) – At first, I didn’t like this DVD that much despite all the rave reviews (500 reviews at 4.5 stars).  However, it grew on me and now I really see it as a great complement to my workout routine.  Karyne Steban is a former Cirque de Soleil performer so she is in tip top shape.  With every move, she will show you a beginner, intermediate, and advanced version of the exercise so you can tailor your workout to your fitness level.  This DVD is more focused on toning and weights with very little cardio, so don’t expect your heart rate to go up too high, but do expect to feel the burn.

3.  Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga & Short Forms ($16.20) – This was my go-to prenatal DVD throughout my first pregnancy.  I was really into yoga back then and loved this so much.  Some people complain that it is too rigorous, and I agree that it isn’t the best for those who have never done yoga… but if you are familiar with yoga, I highly recommend it.  This set comes with 2-DVD’s.  One is a “short forms” DVD with 15-minute, 30-minute, and 45-minute segments.  The other “long forms” DVD contains one 75-minute segment.  You can pick and choose which one you want to do based on how much time you have.  I usually did the 30 or 45-minute segments.  There are 3 instructors, each one in a different trimester, demonstrating the appropriate modifications for that trimester.  This DVD keeps you moving and will definitely make you tone and sweat at the same time.

4.  10-minute Solution – Prenatal Pilates ($8.14) – It’s called 10-minute solution, but you can make it as long as 50-minutes if you like!  It’s separated into five 10-minute segments – 1) Standing Pilates 2) Core Pilates 3) Pilates for Buns & Thighs 4) Total Body Pilates, and 5) Pilates for Flexibility.  When I’m not feeling up for doing a lengthy workout, squeezing in just 10 minutes gives me the motivation to at least do something.  And oftentimes, I find that I’ll start off wanting to do just 10-minutes, but am able to do more!  I like the option on the DVD where you can choose how you want to customize your workout, so if I wanted to just do a 20-minute session I can choose any two segments and the DVD will automatically play just those two for me without me ever needing to press the pause button.

5.  3-lb Hand Weights ($12.99) – The heaviness of your weights really depends on your fitness level, but most of these DVD’s use lighter weights, and I think the 3-lb weights are perfect.  They are light enough for most anyone to handle, and light weights are great for toning.

6.  Jade Yoga Mat ($55) – I got this mat when I was really into Bikram Yoga.  I love love love it!!  It is so sticky so you never slip and fall on this thing.  I’ve had this for 4 years and it’s still going strong.  This is so great for all sorts of workouts and I highly recommend a sticky mat for your at-home workouts.  Another popular brand in the yoga world is the Manduka Yoga Mat, but it is much more expensive.

How do you mama’s squeeze in the time to workout?  For those who are pregnant, how are you keeping fit while pregnant and what are some workouts that you would recommend?