Not so much anymore. I had big dreams of being a bad-ass mommy-to-be and continue my aerial training. I went to class once during my first trimester and completely whimped out during practice. I was so out of breath, tired, and had really intense tummy cramps for a good week after. Also, I couldn't do many moves I used to before...like twists and inversions. After that I haven't had the motivation to go back. I really miss my training and definitely want to stay active during my pregnancy, but it's been hard when everyday I just feel exhausted.
Now that I'm in my 2nd trimester, I've had a little extra energy and have been getting back into regular workout regimen. Since I still feel a little tired at times, I opt for at-home workouts....DVDs!
I wouldn't say I was an expert aerialist before, but I was in pretty good shape. I trained weekly for aerial silks and rope, did yoga, ran on the treadmill, and did Jillian Michaels and P90X videos. I wanted find challenging workouts that would only slightly kick my butt! A lot of pregnancy DVDs out there seem a little too "gentle" for my taste. Again, I'm not an athlete at all, but I like to feel the burn when I workout, else I feel like I've just wasted my time. Also, from the horror stories I hear about giving birth, I want to make sure I'm physically conditioned to have stamina during labor and have a fast recovery.
- Pre-pregnancy conditioning
First up, Kristin McGee's Prenatal Yoga & Pilates. I own all of Kristin's yoga and pilates DVDs, so I was excited when I found out she had a prenatal version! She is an amazing instructor. I'm not a fan of yoga videos that feature yogi's practicing in exotic locations and not speaking at all. It just feels a little too "fake" for me. Kristin practices and instructs in real-time. Her DVD set offers 2 yoga workouts (about 20-25 minutes each) which you can fuse for a longer full practice, a 24 minute pilates workout, a 20 minutes gentle yoga workout, and a 9 minute express workout. It also has a segment on modifications so you can adjust your yoga practice as your pregnancy progresses and a meditation/labor breathing segment. You will need a resistance band for the pilates segment. I felt challenged enough by the yoga workout to stay interested which was what I needed! She features a lot of moves to open up the hips and stretch your back...so helpful since that's where I felt really stiff. I do wish she had a few more moves to really tone my legs in addition to upward chair pose and mild squats. I haven't tried the pilates portion yet since I'm not too into pilates (no reason...just prefer yoga).
The meditation/breathing portion was great too...I always feel a little self-conscious doing yoga breathing so I try to do this while the husband is out of the house...lol!
The next DVD set disappointed me a little. I was excited to use Tracy Anderson: The Pregnancy Project. It featured 9 months of DVDs...one for each month of pregnancy. I had heard really good reviews about Tracy's other DVDs, so I decided to give it a go. It just wasn't for me. I felt like she rushed through the instruction portion of each move so I felt like I was doing each move incorrectly (form is everything in pregnancy to prevent injury). She barely focused on breathing, too. I like videos that remind you when to exhale and inhale, especially in pregnancy to make sure you aren't holding any tension in. I also didn't feel the burn at all it the video...probably because I was doing everything wrong due to lack of proper instruction. I really had high hopes for this DVD set! :-/
My next find was surprising. Joy Southworth's Body by Trimester seemed like it would be a low-budget, underwhelming DVD based on the packaging. Never a judge a book by its cover though....I was wrong! It was pretty challenging for me. I feel sore (the good kind of sore) after I do her workouts. She has 3 DVDs for each trimester and they each feature 2 workouts that are about 20-30 minutes each. She also has a warm-up segment and segments with modifications for diastasis. She teaches in real-time but in an exotic location, however I didn't mind the rocky beach background. She does circuit training with some cardio and it is more like a traditional Jillian Michael's DVD workout. My favorite thing about the DVDs is that she ends with pelvic tilts, abdominal stretches, kegels....a lot of them! I really love that because it helps prepare you for labor. You will need hand weights and a workout ball for some of her exercise, though. Exactly what I wanted! I also saw she has a post-natal workout and I'm so excited to try that out after Baby Masu comes!
My workout regimen is still a work-in-progress....I'm hoping to be able to get back to the gym to do a little extra cardio to maintain some balance. If anyone has any other recommendations for prenatal workouts, I'd love to hear them!
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