To stay active while pregnant doesn’t have to mean a workout. It can absolutely be a workout, but I wrote below ways that generally focus on just moving your body in some capacity!
I want to preface this by saying… I didn’t move an inch when I was in my first trimester. I was barely eating and barely getting out of bed because I was so sick and felt absolutely miserable. I really went into survival mode for like six weeks. And that’s OKAY!
When the second trimester hit, it was almost like instant relief and I made it my goal to try and be as active as possible for the rest of my pregnancy.
Some weeks I did great, some weeks I didn’t, but I learned a lot along the way that I’m going to share with you guys today!
1. Walking
Some days may bring an actual full blown workout, but on the days that can’t happen a walk is TOTALLY appropriate and has lots of benefits.
For you physically. For you mentally. For the baby.
Even better is if you can go walk outside in fresh air and get some Vitamin D.
This past summer in Oklahoma was brutal because it was so hot. It was hot starting at like 7 am in the morning and didn’t cool down until 10 pm at night. Not ideal for walking outside, but the cool mornings and cool evenings that I could make it happen… I shoot for 10 minutes.
My motto for a lot of physical activity is just start. Do it for 5-10 minutes and if it’s not feeling good, then that’s fine you tried and you can try again the next day.
I love walking though because it doesn’t have to be a hard, fast paced workout. It can be leisurely and enjoyable. Like I said before, it’s great for you physically but also mentally.
Sometimes there’s nothing else that can beat being outside. Humans are inside so much these days!
2. Bird Dog exercises
If you haven’t done bird dog exercises before… it’s a very interesting move, but it’s really good for you while pregnant and also for you when you’re postpartum when you’re easing back into working out.
I always feel like I look around the gym to make sure no one is watching me before I perform them… but I’ve learned over time that there’s no shame in your bird dog game. Get it girl and don’t worry who is watching!
You’ll start on your hands and knees. Then, you will reach out with your right arm and extend it in front of you (reaching out, keeping your arm parallel to the ground) while at the same time you extend your left leg behind you (same idea – keep leg parallel to the ground). Come back to the starting position after this and that counts as 1. Next, you will do the same thing but this time with your left arm and right leg.
I like to take these slow and really do mind body connection while performing them. I think about tightening my glute muscles while extending my leg and using my shoulders and traps to extend out my arm. I also think about a nice neutral spine and engaging my transverse abdominals while I balance on one leg and one arm.
I try to do around 10 per set 3 or 4 times. Whatever feels good to you!
3. Squatting/Lunges
I love squats and lunges because you can do them literally anywhere! I used to have this weird habit where I’d do 10 air squats before I went to the restroom and then did 10 afterwards too. Even in public bathrooms.
It doesn’t take much time. It doesn’t take much effort either if you just do a few sets throughout the day. You don’t need any equipment to do them or a lot of space either!
If you’re feeling froggy, for sure grab some dumbbells and add them to your squats or lunges!
For squats I like to load them up and rest one of each the dumbbell heads on my shoulders so when I squat I’m getting that extra weight plus some extra abdominal work with added work balancing.
When I add weights to lunges I usually hold them at my sides, but you can also load them up in a front rack position like I mentioned above with the squats.
Additionally, with the lunges you can either do forward lunges, reverse lunges, or even side lunges. It’s all about hitting the different muscles and angles!
My favorite squats to do are just the traditional squats – feet spread about hip width apart, but sometimes I’ll do sumo squats (wider stance and toes pointed out a little more). While pregnant make sure to go slow with these ones and keep a nice flat back like you’re sliding your back down a wall.
4. Dancing
You don’t have to be a dancer and you don’t have to dance in public… (unless you want to) but moving and groovin’ is a great way to stay active AND have fun!
I like to tell Alexa to play some music while I’m cooking dinner or washing the dishes and just move to the beat. Partly to make the time go by faster and partly because if I’m going to be on my feet – I can’t just stand still.
You’ll commonly find my entire family dancing in the living room to this song called Astronomia. It’s a fun song that gets us all hyped and basically consists of us all bouncing around trying to shuffle. Hahaha.
There’s actually a video/song that pregnant women everywhere are dancing to literally called the baby mama dance. Look it up if you haven’t seen it! It’s funny and also quite impressive that some of these women can squat down so low and pop back up with big ole bellies.
5. Cleaning house
Last but not least (definitely my least favorite though), cleaning your house is legit a great way to stay active. Especially when you have an extra 20+ pounds on your body that you’re carrying around with you.
Have you ever vacuumed your house and not broken a sweat? If you haven’t, I’m jealous. I always feel so accomplished after I vacuum because I cleaned up but I also feel like I got a good workout in.
Just me? (lol)
Sometimes the laaaastttt thing I want to do is clean so I usually do 10 minute spurts here and there throughout the day to keep myself sane not spending my whole day cleaning, but also… at 26 weeks pregnant my back hurts when I’m bending over picking up toys or washing the dishes bent over a sink.
What are some of your favorite ways to stay active while pregnant? Let me know below!