During pregnancy, exercise is a great way to reduce back pain, prevent gestational diabetes, increase energy, improve your mood, help you sleep better, and improve your ability to cope with labor. Whether you’re pregnant for the first time, or looking for new inspiration in your subsequent pregnancies, we’ve put together our coach’s favorite resources for fitness inspiration to help power you through your pregnancy!
Coach Lindsay loves the Expecting and Empowered program. She was looking for a structured plan during her second pregnancy, and this program offers electronic fitness guides for each stage of pregnancy, including two post-partum guides. The site was started by two sisters, and in addition to the paid options, provides a lot of free content, tips, and guidance on Instagram. Lindsay says the bonus about this team is that one of the sisters is a physical therapist with a wealth of knowledge about both pregnancy and c-section recovery, after having been through three herself.
Coach Katie utilized yoga almost every day through her first pregnancy. She says the breathing and relaxation helped a lot with morning sickness. Katie’s favorite yoga video is on YouTube from the Prenatal Yoga Center, titled Alleviate Back Pain. She also recommends the Beachbody prenatal workouts. This site has yoga and full body workouts categorized by trimester or postpartum, and they range from 20-30 minutes each.
Coach Shannon, our fitness specialist for prenatal and postpartum moms, recommends Yoga with Adriene’s Prenatal Yoga - 5 Poses for All Trimesters for a prenatal yoga workout. Adriene shows five poses that are safe to do at home in any trimester. For postpartum moms, once you have received permission from your doctor to exercise, Shannon recommends MyWellbeing’s 20 Minute Post Natal Yoga Class. This video is designed to help you stretch and soothe your body, and encourages you to listen to your body and its readiness level for postpartum exercise.
I love the YouTube Channel “BodyFit By Amy” for its circuits and other free workouts with structure. Amy is a personal trainer and mom providing free workouts that are easy to access. She is so great about stressing safety and proper form for pregnancy.
For those in the Bozeman area, local favorites for fitness inspiration include personal trainer Camille San Souci at Inside Out Training. She is a mom and health blogger who uses a holistic approach, addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Another Bozeman favorite is the MommiesRFit classes at Lindley Park in the summer. They offer a 45-minute class weekdays, rotating between 6 am and 9:15 am, where you can bring your children. Prices range from $12/class to $85 for 12 classes.
Coach Rebecca recommends an episode of the Laura Thomas podcast titled “How Intuitive Eating Helped Me Find Peace With My Body During Pregnancy.” In this episode, Laura interviews nutritionist Kristin Kade where they discuss relationships with food during pregnancy, the principles of Intuitive Eating, particularly with morning sickness and cravings, and other great topics.
There are so many great resources out there – this is only a sampling. Talk to your health coach if you have specific areas where you’d like more information. Our team is here to find great resources for you, and help address your specific needs!
