Before I actually got pregnant, I always envisioned myself continuing to run and workout during a pregnancy. Once I found out I was pregnant, I quickly ruled out running. I know many woman run throughout their pregnancy with the support of their doctors. With my “advanced maternal age” and large fibroid, I was already at a higher risk for miscarriage and premature labor. It was a personal decision to give up running for this period of my life. While there have been times I’ve certainly missed it, I don’t regret it.
The first trimester I was pretty exhausted the entire time and didn’t work out often. By the beginning of the second trimester, I was ready to get back into it. After researching prenatal workouts on Amazon, I picked up Suzanne Bowen’s Slim & Toned Prenatal Barre Workout and Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga. I absolutely love the barre workout; there are four different sessions that are 20 minutes long and a 10 minute stretching session. The leg and arm workouts are my favorite. They’re challenging, but don’t push me outside of my comfort zone. I feel great after doing them and it’s fairly easy to fit in a 20 minute session or combine them for a fuller body workout. I also really like the yoga. There are four different yoga sessions of 15, 30, 45 and 70 minutes. They each include different modifications depending on your trimester. I like the 45 minute workout the best as it’s most similar to my regular yoga practice.
My goal is to be active five days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. There are weeks where I meet this goal and others that I don’t. I’m pretty good about listening to my body and resting when I need it. I also mix in walking for 30 minutes. Just like pre-pregnancy, I feel so much better when I take a little time to work out! Are there any workouts you’d recommend for my last 10 weeks?