When I found out I was pregnant, the first feelings of course were extreme excitement but also terror!  As a first-time mom, I feel like I had a million questions for my doctor and so many things I researched about what I could and could not do pregnant.  One thing I had a pretty good knowledge base on was Pre-and Post-Natal Fitness since I already had one certification in that area from last year…but I knew that going through it myself was going to be the best learning experience I could have.  That being said, of course I spoke to my doctor about exercise at my very first visit right after I found out I was pregnant just to make sure.  My doctor told me I had no restrictions and could continue to workout as I always had…and I know well enough in addition to that recommendation that whether you are pregnant or not, you should always listen to your body and make modifications as necessary.  So that’s one thing my Pregnancy Fitness Guide will aim to do…provide you workouts that are considered pregnancy safe, but I also show modifications in case you’re experiencing pregnancy-induced aches, pains, or stability issues.

Pregnancy Fitness Guide

FUNCTIONAL WORKOUTS TO STAY IN SHAPE, FEEL STRONG, & STRENGTHEN AND PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR LABOR & MOTHERHOOD!

I created this guide when I was pregnant to give women workouts that would allow them to exercise in a safe, functional way while getting them stronger and ready for the task of both labor AND motherhood! I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a Pre- and Post-Natal Fitness Specialist, and I am simply going to share what I have learned, what I have been doing, and some recommendations set forth by the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, or ACOG, which is the premier professional organization that represents over 58,000 OBGYNs that is dedicated to improving women’s health and advocates the highest standards of practice.  You should ALWAYS talk to your doctor personally about your own individual needs and always get clearance from your doctor before doing any kind of exercise. Generally speaking, women with uncomplicated pregnancies should be able to continue with exercises that they were doing prior to pregnancy but everyone should receive prior clearance from their doctor as the first step.

Some exercise modifications will need to be made along the way with a growing belly and other physiological changes, but I’ll go through those in this guide so you can know what you want to look out for so you can listen to your body. So many different things happen with your body and there is so much noise out there about what you should and shouldn’t be doing when you are pregnant that I personally understand now how it can be so overwhelming to know what to do to have a healthy pregnancy. The goal here is to get stronger and build muscle as well as work on your breathing so you’re not only preparing for motherhood, but for labor itself!  Labor is the most physically intense and demanding thing you will ever do…why wouldn’t you train for it?

Every exercise I have in this guide aims to do just that, all while protecting your core to minimize risks for Diastasis Recti (a separation of abnormal distance between the right and left side muscles of the belly along the linea alba, since pregnancy causes a softening of the linea alba) and pelvic floor issues as much as possible. The end goal is to have you returning to activities you love post-pregnancy (after receiving clearance from your doctor to begin exercise again) and to be a strong mama!

There are 36 weeks of pregnancy-safe strength training workouts in this guide as well as core and pelvic floor exercises to strengthen and protect those areas. I am also sharing my prenatal stretching routine, that has some of my favorite daily stretches to do to help keep my hips open and aligned. This can help baby get into the best position for labor and prepare your pelvis!  They are laid out into a schedule for ease, but you can move workouts around as you need and you do not have to do all 6 workouts per week.  They are simply there for you if you’re feeling good enough to use them.  I outline the exercise recommendations from ACOG so you can make the decision with your doctor what schedule and amount of days to exercise per week is most appropriate for you!

There are amazing benefits to both mom and baby when mom exercises:

BENEFITS TO MOM:

• Reduces excess weight gain — there is a balance to be found here because we have to gain weight to support a healthy pregnancy
• Reduces risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia
• Reduces pregnancy-induced pains & injuries
• Reduces nausea, constipation, & heartburn
• Reduces swelling, varicose veins, & hemorrhoids
• Reduces intervention needed during delivery

BENEFITS TO BABY:

• Improved placental function
• Improved APGAR score
• Improved birth weight ( & reduces the risk of obesity later in life)
• Improved ability for baby to manage & recover from delivery
• Improved cardiorespiratory health into childhood & beyond
• Improved intelligence and language skills into childhood & beyond

GET THE GUIDE

The guide has:

• 36 WEEKS of pregnancy safe workouts…most women do not even know they are pregnant before 5 weeks, so this guide can cover almost your entire pregnancy
• Schedule laid out in the app
• Video demonstrations of each move in the Besst Workouts App so you know how to perform them. All you really need is a pair of dumbbells. A set of Resistance Bands would also be helpful (although moves can be done without the bands) …You can grab my 5-piece set HERE.
• Recommended sets and repetitions for each move based on your level, and direction on how to gauge intensity
• Modifications based on physiological changes of pregnancy
• Workout Session outline with Core Activations, Dynamic Warm Up, the Workout, Labor Practice Breathing, & Gentle Stretching
• Core Activations and Pelvic Floor Exercises to proactively protect and keep those areas strong, minimizing the potential to develop Diastasis Recti as much as possible. These are also great exercises for healing & regaining strength in the postpartum period!
• New Motherhood Daily Activities Workout – a bonus workout designed specifically to practice moves you will do every single day as a new mother, so you can be as strong and prepared as possible
• Since this is a lifetime purchase, you will receive all future additions and updates to the program free of charge
  & more!

The schedule laid out in the app with 6-workouts a week is just a sample schedule. You can do any workout on any day you wish, or take a rest day any day you wish, but each day is covered depending on how many days a week is right for you. Since every person and pregnancy is different, I have all the workouts available to you and outline the exercise recommendations from ACOG so you can make the decision with your doctor what is most appropriate for you!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR GUIDE!

xo,

Bess