How I'm Staying Active While Pregnant

Though I’m taking it pretty easy, I’m still trying to be as active as possible during this pregnancy!

If you remember from this post here, there was a period of time during this pregnancy where the LAST thing I wanted to do was work out. Luckily, I’m in a much better place now and starting to get back into the full swing of things! While I can’t go as hard with my workouts like I did before I was pregnant, it’s not stopping me from being active!

1. Pre-Natal Trainer

So when I first decided to get back to the gym, I knew I needed some guidance. I found a trainer who specifically focuses on the prenatal and postnatal body. Our bodies are incredibly sensitive during this time so although a lot of doctors say “you can keep doing what you’ve always been doing” I found that that actually can be damaging to your body. For instance, there are certain moves that need to be avoided during pregnancy that I never even thought of!

A lot of women go through what is called the Diastasis Recti after they give birth. It basically means your abs can separate. This is a whole different topic I can talk to you guys about, but after working with a prenatal trainer I learned so much about my own body!

I try to work out with her two to three times a week and it’s great to have someone there to push me and keep me and the baby safe. She has me do a lot of low impact exercises and time on the treadmill. If you’re a really active person like I am, finding new and pregnancy safe ways to work out are a must. It’s good for you and good for the baby.

2. Long Family Walks

We love doing family walks, even when I’m not pregnant so it’s still a great way to get out of the house together. We make sure to walk Mignon and even drain some of Chloe’s never-ending toddler energy! We like to walk in the evenings, which is great for me to stretch my legs after my very long commute from the office!

3. Stretches & Light Yoga

With just one simple google search of ‘benefits of prenatal yoga,’ the list is a mile long. Benefits include: better sleep, flexibility and stronger muscles for birthing, reduced stress, less lower back pain, and nausea to name a few. Beyond what the internet says, I can say from personal experience it works. While there are tons of classes available, there are even MORE YouTube videos! So there really isn’t any excuse to get that body moving and flowing!

4. Yoga Ball Chair at the Office

I stole this one from my business partner Lauren who just gave birth to her 2nd baby (a natural home birth to top it off)! She had really bad lower back pain towards the end of her pregnancy and ended up swapping her normal desk chair with a yoga-ball! Now that she’s out on maternity leave, that chair is all mine whenever I’m in the office! Not only does it feel so much better than a chair- but it’s always actively engaging your core. I like to call it a secret workout because you don’t even realize you’re doing it!

Do any of my mamas have any pregnancy work-out tips they want to share? Please let me know in the comments below!

Photography by Karla Ticas | Makeup by Bonnie