How to Exercise during Pregnancy

Transcript Postpartum yoga and pilates is a wonderful way to get your body back into shape after baby. After your delivery, your joints might be feeling really loose and unstable, and both yoga and pilates are going to help you stabilize your joints and reintegrate your body. Both also allow you to focus on your …

Transcript Hi, I’m Cait. I’m a corrective exercise therapist, yoga instructor, and personal trainer based out of New York, but I also travel all over the world. I work with anyone who’s looking to live in their bodies better, everyone from desk jockeys to mommas to-be, all the way to ironmen in training. I grew …

Transcript All new mommas want to know how to lose their baby bellies fast. I hate this question. There’s two ways to do it: You can have amazing genetics, and your belly just goes right back down after the baby; or you can afford to have hired help to take care of your child, you …

Transcript We’re going to take you through some prenatal-friendly exercises you can do with an exercise ball. Vicky’s going to lie down on her back and bring her heels onto the ball, about hip distance apart. The first thing one we’re going to do is a hamstring curl. She’s going to use her arms to …

Transcript We’re going to show you a few ways to strengthen your stomach muscles when you’re pregnant. The big muscle we’re going to work on in the transversus abdominis. It runs horizontally across the stomach and it’s going to assist you push baby out during delivery. We’re going to start very simple seated up. You …

Transcript Many women want to know if they can work out while they’re breastfeeding. Good news is you can. Now there’s some research out there that suggest that high intensity workouts will increase the lactic acid in your body which will find its way into the breast milk and cause a sour taste. Some babies …

Transcript Every pregnant woman wants to know if it’s safe to work out right up until delivery. The short answer is yes. You can work out right up until your due date and even a couple days after if you’re a little behind. You just want to keep it slow and low. Slow pace. Low …

Transcript We’re going to take you through how to do the Mermaid exercise. It’s great to strengthen the side waist as well as the abdominals in the front. Vicki’s going to sit on one hip with her legs gently bent like a fetal pose. From here, sit up nice and tall, bring your left hand …

Transcript We’re going to show you how to wag the dog in yoga. Wag the dog’s great for letting the lower back stretch out, but one side at a time. It’s also a chance for you to practice hugging the baby with the transverse abdominus muscles in your stomach. Vicky’s going to come onto all …

Transcript Strengthening your pelvic muscles while pregnant is very, very important. I had a client who had four children, natural childbirth, never did a Kegel and ended up having to have surgery inserting a pelvic sling to keep all of her organs safely up inside. If all you do is do a couple of reps …

Transcript We’re going to show you how to do squat pose. Squat pose through a pregnancy can be done to either strengthen the legs or it can be done as a beautiful stretch to open up the hips and the lower back as well. First we’re going to show you how to do it for …

Transcript Prenatal heartburn is very, very common. As the baby grows, it presses on your stomach and your stomach doesn’t have a lot of space. So, a lot of the acid in your stomach starts to get pressed up the esophagus and you can start to have prenatal heartburn. It’s fairly easy to avoid exercises …

Transcript We’re going to show you two variations on how to do child’s pose when you’re pregnant. Child’s pose is wonderful for opening up the lower back and the hips. So with child’s pose, when you’re pregnant, you have a belly to accommodate for. So Vicky’s going to take her knees a lot wider than …

Transcript Everyone wants to know how to workout before you get pregnant to know how you can get fit fast after your baby’s been delivered. Here’s the truth. You have to be fit before baby. You have to have a healthy lifestyle. Find a diet that is healthy for you and appropriate to your lifestyle. …

Transcript We’re going to go through how to do the Cobbler’s Pose. It’s a wonderful stretch for the inner thighs. Vicky’s going to take a seat with the soles of feet together. Knees out to the side and sitting up nice and tall. Good. Take a deep inhale. And then as you exhale reach forward …

Transcript Here are some pre-workout stretches you can do. Vicki’s going to grab her left wrist with her right hand, gently pull down the left arm, and drop her head to the right ear. Right ear to right shoulder. Very gently breathe, and you’re going to hold for about five to 10 seconds. And then …

Transcript We’re going to take you through a sciatica exercise if you have prenatal sciatica. Sciatica has a couple of different routes. It can start up in the spine and there can be compression of the sciatic nerve from there. We’re going to address what happens if the sciatic nerve is actually getting compressed because …

Transcript I’m going to talk to you a little about a side joint dysfunction. It happens a lot in pregnant women. Later in the second and third trimester the hormone relaxin flows through the body to soften up the ligaments. Which is great to allow your pelvis to expand to let the baby pass through. …

Transcript I’m going to show you how to do a spinal twist when you’re pregnant. You want to be very, very careful once you’re pregnant not to do deep, forceful twists through the abdomen. The baby will not like that. Vicki’s going to sit very comfortably, she actually has a block underneath her, so she …

Transcript We’re going to take you through three options for squat exercises you can do while pregnant. Squat exercises are great for toning your front thigh, your back thigh, and butt. Nikki is going to start by using a chair to assist her. This will make it very easy for anyone to do a squat. …

Transcript The second trimester is usually the best trimester for working out. All of a sudden you’re going to feel like you have a lot of energy. You should feel less nauseous all the time. The only thing you may feel is a little bit of a Braxton Hicks contraction. It’s just a gentle, kind …

Transcript Now we’re going to show you how to do downward facing dog. Downward dog is wonderful for strengthening your arms, stretching our your lower back which may be getting tight and stretching out the backs of your legs. Vickie’s going to come onto her hands and knees. Spread the fingers wide, press through the …

Transcript I love recommending spinning during pregnancy. It is a great way to get some exercise and have some cardio. A couple of rules, though. Wear a heart rate monitor. You need to know where your heart’s at. Also, talk to your healthcare provider first and set up a maximum heart rate for yourself. Then …

Transcript We’re going to take you through the clasping your hands behind your back pose. It stretches out the front of the shoulders and the chest. Vicki is going to turn around so we can see what’s going on. From here the early option you’re going to do is interlace your fingers behind you back. …

Transcript By your third trimester, you’re probably going to feel tired and exhausted again. Baby’s going to be so large that baby’s going to be pressing against your organs – up into your diaphragm – making it a little bit more difficult to breathe. Be aware of this. Take slow, mindful breaths. If you’re working …

Transcript I’m going to talk you through how to do a taylor exercise. Taylor exercises are great for toning the inner thighs and the pelvic floor. Vickie’s going to sit with her feet together, knees out to the side, her spine nice and tall. Take a deep inhale here and then as you exhale gently …

Transcript Yoga’s wonderful to do once you’re pregnant, but there are some poses to avoid. Number one, Jumping to Chaturanga. Baby’s locked in pretty well, but just in case you don’t want to have a sharp fall to the floor. So avoiding that transition would be wonderful. Instead, simply step back to Plank and lower …

Transcript We’re going to show you legs up the wall pose. It’s a wonderful pose for when your legs are feeling really tired or maybe there’s a little swelling in your feet and ankles. Vickie is going to come down to sitting on the floor. She’s going to sit up really close to the wall. …

Transcript We’re going to talk you through how to do kegel exercises. They’re very important to make sure you pelvic floor stays nice and strong both during pregnancy and continue to do them after pregnancy to help re-strengthen the pelvic floor. You can do this lying down or in a comfortable seat which is how …

Transcript We’re going to show you a few exercises to tone your legs and butt while pregnant. First one we’re going to show you is how to do a lunge. Nicki’s going to face and place her hands on the chair. The chair is simply for the sake of balance. If she doesn’t feel like …

Transcript We’re going to take you through a few exercises to strengthen your back while you’re pregnant. It is so important for mamas to have strong backs because the more you’re carrying your baby in your arms, the more strain it’s going to put on your back. If you can get it strong before baby …

Transcript A lot of my clients ask me about how’s it going to be when they start up after their pregnancy working out. Well, the good thing is there’s muscle memory. Muscle memory is using movement patterns to create neurological ruts. Just like if you have a dirt road and you take a wheel in …

Transcript Your first trimester working out may be a little bit more difficult just because you’re gonna feel tired, nauseous, maybe winded, and possibly a little bit overheated; you wanna go really slow on those kinds of days or maybe change the time of day that you’re working out. If you have morning sickness before …

Transcript There are a few exercises you should avoid once you’re pregnant. One of the obvious ones-no contact sports. I don’t care if it’s Thanksgiving, once you’re pregnant, do not get out on the field and play football with your family. Avoid downhill skiing, soccer, rugby, whatever your sport of choice is, save it until …

Transcript We’re going to show you how to do eagle pose. It’s a great pose to stretch out the back of the body and the back of the arms. However, once you’re pregnant you’re not going to be adding in the eagle legs, you’ll just be doing the arms. Vicky is going to inhale her …

Transcript We’re going to show you how to do chair pose. When you’re pregnant chair pose is a great pose to strengthen your legs, back and arms. Nikki’s going to stand on the mat with her feet about hip distance apart. You don’t want your toes together once you’re pregnant. From here, just bring your …

Transcript A lot of my clients ask me what is the best work out for pregnant women? The truth is there’s not one best work out. It’s going to be what’s best for you. If your joints are feeling really sensitive swimming is a great way to work out without putting any stress on your …

Transcript Pilates is wonderful for pregnancy, but there are a few things you have to avoid. First off, very simply, don’t be belly down. After the first trimester, it’s going to be pretty uncomfortable to be lying on your belly, so just do the exercises where you can be on your back or on your …

Transcript I’m going to walk you through the One Arm Up, One Arm Behind Clasp Pose. Vicky’s going to turn around so that you can see what’s going to happen here. She’s going to reach her right arm up and behind her back, and try to take the fingers between the shoulder blades. This first …

Transcript We’re going to take you through how to do cat and cow yoga poses. Vicki is going to come on to her hands and knees. Knees will be about hip distance apart. Hands about shoulder distance apart. Spread your fingers nice and wide. Good. As you inhale roll your shoulders back, lift your chest …

Transcript Vickie is going to start with a grand plié en fagon. Feet are going to be a little wider than shoulder width apart, with the toes turned out. Good. She’s going to keep her hands underneath her baby which is going to encourage her to keep her lower back really tall. From here, she’s …

Transcript How to work out after having a baby. You want to start gentle, you just went through something pretty big, and pretty important. You do not need to rush into the work outs. Wear supportive clothing, stay very, very hydrated. If you had a natural vaginal delivery, you can start once your doctor gives …

Transcript Alright you decided you want to get pregnant and you’re not pregnant yet and you need to modify your workout routine. There are some things you can do to help you get pregnant and avoid any complications. First off reduce stress. Stress does not help you get pregnant . So if your work out …

Transcript We’re going to show you a couple of exercises that allow you to tone your upper body while pregnant. Most of the mommas to be that come to me say they want to get pretty triceps and pretty shoulders. So we’re going to show you just how to do that. One weight. She’ll turn …

Transcript Every pregnant woman wants to know if it’s safe to work out right up until delivery. The short answer is yes. You can work out right up until your due date, and even a couple of days after if you’re a little behind. You just want to keep it slow and low, slow paced, …