Working out when pregnant can sometimes be a little confusing—I mean, what is OK to do and what isn’t? Though there are a few exercises that should be avoided during pregnancy, a lot of workouts are totally safe (not to mention beneficial!) for you and your baby while you’re expecting. Staying active in the months leading up to welcoming your family’s new addition can help relieve your body’s aching muscles, swelling, and pain as well as boost your energy and prepare you for the physical toll of giving birth. Not only that, but prenatal exercise can also do wonders for your mental health by granting you improved sleep and helping to reduce any feelings of stress or anxiety you might be experiencing.
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But even if you hit the gym regularly before your growing belly made its debut, fitting in workouts when you’re already feeling totally exhausted is no easy feat. To help you stay motivated to exercise while expecting, we’re bringing you eight of our favorite pregnancy workouts available on YouTube. Whether you find 30 minutes to take a full, at-home class or just squeeze in some quick, 10-minute yoga stretches, these videos are sure to leave you feeling energized and ready to take on the day.
1. Bump’n Body Prenatal Workout
In this 30-minute video, Tone It Up host Kat (who was in her first trimester when this was shot!) and her expectant friend Kristina walk you through a total prenatal workout that focuses on the body’s postural muscles while also working the core, arms, and legs. Some hand weights are involved, but if that’s not for you, you can easily make any modifications needed to this at-home regimen.
2. Prenatal Yoga Workout with Kristin McGee
Celebrity trainer Kristin McGee walks you through a 20-minute prenatal yoga flow workout in this video from The Mom’s View. Because yoga routines typically include breathing and meditation exercises as well as physical movements, this video is great for expectant moms looking to find some balance both on and off the mat.
3. 20-Minute Full-Body Pregnancy Workout
At only 20 minutes long, this full-body pregnancy workout from POPSUGAR Fitness includes the perfect combo of stretching and strength exercises. The video starts with a warmup that includes yoga stretches to relieve some lower back pressure and get your body flowing. Then, by adding a resistance band, the workout moves into strength training through two circuits of different moves. Overall, this video is super easy to follow and can be done at any stage of your pregnancy.
4. 10-Minute Prenatal Pilates Workout
Practicing Pilates during pregnancy can help strengthen your core muscles and pelvic floor, help control your breathing, and improve your balance—and this workout video from Personal Trainer and Certified Nutritionist Whitney E. RD and Pilates expert Robin Long covers all that and more. All that’s needed for this routine is a mat and 10 free minutes in your day—easy enough!
5. Second Trimester Prenatal Fitness HIIT Workout
This second-trimester workout from fitness and mommy blogger Sarah Fit focuses on eight high-intensity moves. She uses a medium-resistance leg band and a pair of hand weights while coaching you through band walks, squat and press moves, single leg hip lifts, modified burpees, single-arm rows, single-arm chest presses, and more. This exercise combo is definitely more advanced and strenuous, so be aware that it might be too much for you depending on how you’re feeling—and that’s OK!
6. Full-Body Prenatal Pilates Routine
This full-body pilates workout hosted by Jessica Valant Pilates focuses on strengthening and stretching moves that also help prevent Diastasis recti (abdominal separation) and improves lower back pain. The routine is about 12 minutes long and should leave you feeling refreshed and flexible.
7. 25-Minute Prenatal Bodyweight Workout
With more than 3 million views, this video from BodyFit By Amy is a great—and relatively short—at-home workout that uses only bodyweight moves to get your heart rate up and help tone and strengthen your body. This exercise routine might be a bit challenging for some, so perhaps only do half of this video until you can build up to more!
8. Second Trimester Toning Workout
This is another great prenatal workout video from POPSUGAR Fitness hosted by celebrity trainer Sara Lewis. This routine leads you through pilates moves that are designed to help you stay strong and toned during your pregnancy. Be warned that this video moves fast and the positions may be a bit harder to follow the first time around, but this is a great regimen to return to time and time again while you’re expecting to keep feeling your best.
