If you’re looking for the best pre & postnatal workouts you can do from anywhere, we have some great options for you! There is certainly no shortage of virtual fitness these days, making it easy to exercise no matter which space you choose – whether it’s classes streamed from your local gym or a one-on-one session with a trainer across the county. But no matter how or where you are exercising, the important thing is that you are exercising! You are moving your body, which is exactly what people – and especially pregnant people – need right now.
Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy
A strong mom who is physically prepared for childbirth sets herself and her baby up for the best possible experience. Just take a quick glance at the scientifically proven bullet points that we provide for you below, and you’ll quickly see that these benefits for both mom and baby are ENORMOUS.
Moms who exercise during their pregnancy experience:
- Easier labors and a full one-third less time spent in labor
- 35% decreased need for pain relief such as an epidural
- 50% decreased risk of non-surgical interventions such as labor induction
- 55% decreased risk of episiotomy
- 75% decrease risk of C-section or forceps
- Less weight gain
- Reduced likelihood of gestational diabetes
- Reduced likelihood of preeclampsia (Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension)
And last but certainly not least, fewer overall pregnancy discomforts. Pretty amazing, right?
The benefits of exercising during pregnancy also extend to your baby. Living a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is now scientifically proven to be best for a healthy baby.
Babies born to mothers who exercise during their pregnancy experience:
- Increased physical health scores
- Increased intelligence scores
- Fewer fetal interventions
- Fewer pregnancy complications
- Improved nutrient and waste exchange
- Reduced likelihood of Macrosomia (Excessive Birth Weight Babies)
Best Prenatal Workouts to do at Home
Here are 3 types of prenatal workouts that focus on strengthening the muscles we use on a daily basis, building endurance to prepare for labor and getting into the right state of mind.
1) Functional strength training workout
There are many “do’s and don’ts” of prenatal exercise but unfortunately, they don’t often take the activities of daily life into account. For example, there are two very common “don’ts” you hear when you’re pregnant:
- “No twisting”
- “No crunches”
But what happens when a pregnant mom is in the car and reaches into the back seat to tend to her other child? What happens when she puts on her seatbelt? And when she’s simply walking down the street? Twisting. And when mom needs to get out of bed? The fact is, getting out of bed usually engages the abdominal muscles into a partial crunch (most often with twisting involved too!)
The truth is, spinal rotation and flexion are happening all day throughout pregnancy, regardless of whether or not someone advises her to avoid it. In order to do it safely, it’s important to activate the correct muscles, not to avoid rotation altogether.
A safe and effective prenatal workout that can easily be done at home is one that focuses on strengthening the muscles of the body required to conduct everyday activities while engaging the core and managing intra abdominal pressure. Here is a sample workout plan (Perform all 7 once for a 10-minute routine; repeat them for a second or third time for a 20-minute or 30-minute routine):
- Core Breathing Belly Pump® (CBBP): Laying down or on all fours, take a deep diaphragmatic breath, filling the lower ribcage and belly with breath. On the exhale, contract the pelvic floor and activate the Transverse Abdominis (TA), “corseting” it inwards toward the midline of the body. Then, Inhale as you release the pelvic floor and the TA, filling the lower ribs and belly with breath. Repeat consciously and slowly, 5 to 10 times. Intention: Activate your core muscles.
- Deadlift: Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in the knees, arms straight down in front of you with a weight, kettlebell or medicine ball in your hands. Use the strength of your glutes to lower the weight down and lift it back up, without feeling strain in your lower back. Use your CBBP. 20 reps. Intention: Teach your glutes to activate when you bend.
- Squats: Standing upright with your feet hip-width apart, hinge your hips backward as you gently bend at the knees as if you were sitting down into a chair. Your primary intention is to feel your glutes, rather than your knees or back, and more than you feel your thighs. Use your CBBP, exhaling at the moment you feel the most exertion. 20 reps. Intention: Teach your glutes to activate when you sit & stand.
- Static Lunges: Standing upright with the right leg in front of the left, lower down in a manner that helps you feel your glutes (especially the front glute, but also the back glute), and then stand back up. Use your CBBP, exhaling at the moment you feel the most exertion. 20 reps on each side. Intention: Teach your glutes how to lift and lower your body.
- Bent Row: Standing upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in the knees, arms straight down in front of you with a weight in each hand. Use the activation of your shoulder blades coming together to bend the elbows, pulling the weights up towards the body; and then lower them back down. Use your CBBP, naturally exhaling at the moment you feel the most exertion. 20 reps. Intention: Teach your glutes to “hold” you, while teaching your shoulder blade muscles to pick up things (like tiny people).
- Breathing Rotations: Sitting or kneeling upright, inhale to fill your ribs. On your exhale, use your “corset” muscles to turn your chest to one side (keeping your hips fixed where they are). Intention: to feel your oblique/abdominal muscles moving you and holding you in this position. While still turned to this side, inhale and exhale again in order to reinforce your muscle memory for how to rotate consciously. Repeat on this side for 5 to 10 reps. Then, turn to the other side and do the same.
- Moving push-ups: Start in a child’s pose position with arms wide. Then, use your breathing to shift your body forward until you’re in a plank position on your knees, bending your elbows and lowering down into a push-up (while using your CBBP actively). Use your CBBP to push up and back into a child’s pose. 10-15 reps. Intention: teach your chest to push you up from the floor while using your rhythmic CBBP to support your core
2) Labor Training®
Labor Training® is a form of exercise to prepare you mentally and physically for labor. The idea is that you alternate exercise and rest intervals that progressively increase in intensity and often decrease in rest time, mimicking how contractions appear and evolve during labor. This type of exercise challenges the whole mind and body, practicing pushing you to your limit and then receding to give you a moment’s rest. Labor Training® is typically a 10-15 minute segment of an exercise routine It is composed of two parts:
- A burst of physical exertion in the form of a particular exercise to get your breathing & heart rate up
- A rest period with guided mental imagery to slow your breathing & heart rate down
An example beginner Labor Training® plan could include:
- 45 seconds of squats with a bicep curl
- 90 seconds of “meditative” diaphragmatic breathing
- Repeat 2-3 times
An example intermediate Labor Training® plan could include:
- 60 seconds squats with a bicep curl & overhead press
- 60 seconds of “meditative” diaphragmatic breathing
- Repeat 2-3 times
An example advanced Labor Training® plan could include:
- 75 seconds of squats with bicep curls & overhead press
- 60 seconds of “meditative” diaphragmatic breathing in any position of your choosing
- Repeat 4-5 times
3) Mental Imagery and Visualization Exercises
When you think of preparing your body for pregnancy, you probably think of physical exercise. But did you know that the mind is actually the most critical component of a healthy body?
Exercising your mind can take different forms. Traditional meditation, which is probably the most well-known, is one, and using guided imagery or visualizations are two others.
This form of “exercise” brings the mind to a more focused state and the benefits include:
- Reducing stress (literally changing your internal chemistry for better)
- Allowing your body and mind to feel not only rested but rejuvenated and excited for life
- Improving performance (you can literally run faster or birth easier)
- Increasing stamina (your resilience and vitality improve)
When you put these benefits in the context of pregnancy and, even more so, labor, you can see just how big of an impact mental exercises can have. If you’re able to tap into this space during labor, your stress levels will go down, allowing the cortisol pumping through your body to ease up and your muscles to relax. You’re able to mentally and physically recharge. Those who practice visualization or guided imagery exercises arrive labor with a mind that has already rehearsed the experience. When you’re able to access your own mind, you’re able to look inwards and go to the safe space that you know. Especially if you’re considering a natural birth, visualizing the experience ahead of time can help you truly prepare.
Much like physical exercise, mental exercise takes practice and can be uncomfortable. Start with just one minute, right now, of “closing your eyes and sensing how your body feels.” When you notice that your mind is thinking of something else, consider it a victory to become aware and to return to observing how your body feels. As you feel inspired, try 5 minutes, and eventually up to 20 minutes. Be patient with yourself.
Another way you can do visualization exercises on your own is to find a quiet, comfortable place and position, either laying down flat, on a foam roller or with your legs up on the wall. Spend time imagining your ideal birth experience, as well as how you would like to react to non-ideal experiences. Where are you? Who is there? How do you feel? Note what aspects of the experience bring you joy, peace, and confidence.
Staying Safe Working Out At Home
When you’re personal training in a live setting, teachers and trainers are able to assess firsthand how you’re doing in your session and ensure you’re activating the right muscles. If you’re training with a pre-recorded routine, you may have to do some self-assessment. Asking yourself questions such as: “where am I feeling this most?” or, “what muscles are starting to feel tired?” can help make sure that you are achieving your intentions. Additionally, making sure you’re using proper core activation will be critical to a successful exercise so assess whether your lower ribs and belly expand with your inhales and that your lower, middle, and upper abdominals wrap inwards on your exhale.
Conclusion
At Fit For Birth, our mission is to nurture healthier, happier pregnancies through education programs for fitness professionals as well as pre & postnatal women. We offer one-on-one and group personal training as well as our Prenatal Wellness Course – a course that covers the Fit For Birth “5 Foundations of pre & postnatal Wellness” which are exercise, nutrition, breathing, lifestyle and mindset.
Our Pregnancy Safe Coach program for fitness professionals is the most comprehensive and progressive of its kind, challenging the traditional do’s and don’t of prenatal fitness in a way that empowers trainers to think outside the box while keeping their clients and their babies safe.
In our program, fitness professionals will:
- Understand the 3 concerning “trends” in modern childbirth that are affecting pregnancy, labor and delivery for women everywhere
- Learn how the Fit For Birth “5 Foundations” can solve for these trends
- Understand musculoskeletal & physiological considerations for prenatal exercise
- Fundamentals of pre & postnatal corrective exercise
- Assessments, program design and periodization
- Understand how to incorporate “Birth Labor Training” with your clients
- Understand Diastasis Recti including the detailed anatomy and physiology of the core and what happens when Diastasis occurs
- Learn the structure and function of the core’s “inner unit” and how it changes during pregnancy and postpartum
- Understand how to rehabilitate Diastasis Recti
- Go deep into eight additional perinatal core challenges (including pelvic girdle pain, SI joint pain, hernia, sciatica, and more) and understand their management and healing protocols
If you aren’t ready to sign up for a course or program but want to learn and practice and number 1 exercise all pregnant women should be doing, sign up for our Core Foundations course here.