10 Bump-Friendly Pregnancy Workouts
The moment you become pregnant, your body will start growing and changing like heck. Though hitting the gym might not be the first thing on your mind, pregnancy workouts can offer some magical benefits, from reducing stress and keeping you flexible and strong to even helping your body prepare for labour and delivery. Plus, exercising during pregnancy can help you manage those new weird aches, pains, and other sensations. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve rounded up a variety of excellent pregnancy workouts that you can do at home—for free. (Of course, before you try any exercise routine, be sure to talk to your doctor!)
Quick Cardio Pregnancy Workout
Cardio can be a fab way to break a sweat and keep your heart healthy, but when you’re expecting, all that bouncing up and down might feel too intense. After all, it doesn’t take much to make you breathless when you’ve got a baby on board. That’s why we like this easy 20-minute pregnancy workout video that gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing but not so much that you can’t hold a conversation. It’s a great quick routine for those looking to stay fit in a way that doesn’t drive you too far out of your comfort zone.
Pregnancy Strength Workout
One thing we like about this pregnancy workout video is that the instructor is in her second trimester as she walks viewers through a strength training pregnancy workout. None of the movements are overly complex or require extreme exertion. In fact, they actually look pretty fun!
Quick Pilates Pregnancy Workout Routine
Do you miss your fave Pilates class? Don’t worry, you can still fit it in no matter where you are in your pregnancy journey with this pregnancy Pilates flow (no studio required!). We love that this prenatal workout offers modifications to fit different fitness levels.
Pregnancy Dance Workout
Get your groove on with this super fun, safe, and easy dance-heavy pregnancy workout. This is a low-impact cardio routine that you can complete in less than 15 minutes. It works your core, pelvic floor, glutes, legs, and lower back, which is perfect for preparing your body for labour and delivery.
Barre Pregnancy Workout
If you ever tried barre workouts you know they do a wonderful job at working your legs and core. This 15-minute ballet-meets-bump pregnancy workout is low impact and includes classic barre movements that you might already be familiar with.
Indoor Walking Pregnancy Workout
Don’t sleep on walking! A brisk stroll has big health benefits…whether you’re pregnant or not! And, you don’t even have to venture outside for it. Leslie Sansone, the queen of indoor walking, leads this wonderful pregnancy workout routine. It’s especially great for those who have gestational diabetes and are looking to stay fit.
Tabata Pregnancy Workout for Strength and Cardio
If you want a full 30-minute sweat sesh that uses your body weight to build strength, then check out this pregnancy workout. Tabata is a high-intensity-interval-training-style workout. Though, unlike HIIT workouts that have you flipping tires and climbing walls, this prenatal workout builds strength and energy with pregnancy-safe moves.
Prenatal Bollywood Cardio Workout
Bollywood is style of dance that has roots in Hindi cinema—and it makes for a pretty darn good workout. You’ll shake your booty and bump while you get some solid cardio. We love that this routine is under 15 minutes so you can squeeze it into your busy schedule…or do it multiple times in a row for a longer session.
Advanced Pregnancy Workout
For those who want more than a quick cardio or gentle stretching style routine, this might be just the ticket. This is a 30-minute full-body workout that gives expecting parents a chance to boost strength. It is safe for all trimesters—though it is intended to be a challenging routine.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
These classic moves will help strengthen your pelvic floor, which can help you prepare for labour and delivery and may aid postpartum healing. The gentle stretching motions his under-10-minute pregnancy workout is safe for every trimester of pregnancy.
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