Working out while pregnant

As my second trimester comes to a close, I've tried to become more diligent with my working out so that once I turn into my apartment's heavyweight champion in my third trimester I'll have a routine well in place to motivate me to keep going. Before getting pregnant, I was a 5-6 times a week gymgoer, usually taking cardio/weight classes, dance class or hopping on the elliptical for 45 minutes at a time. The first trimester fatigue forced my usual pace to stop dead in its tracks and take a few weeks hiatus from the gym. However living in NYC forces me to walk at least 30 minutes every day so I figured that was enough activity during those lazy times in the first trimester when my day consisted of going to work and going to sleep (with eating frequently mingled in between).

Since gaining my energy back around week 15, I've invested in a few prenatal workout dvds that have been making me keep up with a 3-4 day a week "workout" routine and feeling pretty good. I put workout in quotes here because really, I don't break a sweat with any of them, although since the apartment has thin walls and floors, I'm sure my neighbors below think that a herd of elephants is running around in my living room every time I go to town. I occasionally still go to the gym, but usually I just walk on an incline on the treadmill for awhile and read a magazine. Really, I'm the worst at motivating myself so thank god for the following dvds that have helped me keep my weight within range and my energy up:

I think my personal favorite is Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout. It consists of one workout for each trimester and you have the possibility of breaking it up into a 30 minute or 50 minute session. It starts you off with cardio but mainly focuses on toning the lower and upper halves of your body using a tension band (though I use 3 lb weights instead). Summer is beyond perky and frequently talks about her lack of coordination which is endearing. She also takes frequent water breaks which is key. The only downside is her "personal trainer" who is there leading her through the workouts. She's a bit of a dud, though during the stretch session it becomes clear that she's Summer's sister-in-law so I guess her participation is based on nepotism.

As a dancer I've done my fair share of Pilates, inside and outside of the studio, and enjoy it for the focus it forces you to bring to each move and the core work. However when I first got pregnant, I wrongly assumed that you couldn't work out your core anymore. I'm not sure why I thought this - maybe I thought if I crunched too hard the baby would shoot out - but anyway, it's not true. Pretty much every prenatal dvd I've tried focuses strongly on strengthening your core as an important piece of getting ready for labor. The 10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates has an entire 10 minute section devoted to the Core along with sections for Standing Pilates, Butt and Thighs, Total Body, and Flexibility. I tend to do all 5 of them when I do the workout though I have thought about doing one or two of them after going to walk at the gym (but once I get home I never follow through). The instructor moves fast with no breaks and I'm not even sure she introduces herself. However I do know that she will be naming her daughter Sienna Chili(?) and I always wonder if it's after the country or the pepper.

My original plan upon getting pregnant was to find an actual yoga studio with prenatal classes and take them and find pregnant friends and all would be very crunchy and namaste-like in my pregnant world. Then I saw what prenatal yoga classes cost in NYC and hence, my purchase of Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Ray. Unlike all my other dvds, Shiva isn't knocked up herself in the video though she has a couple of lovely preggo assistants named Britta and Poppy. The total workout is 50 minutes with a 10 minute meditation linked onto the end that I usually skip. The yoga is pretty standard and very relaxing. Britta and Poppy silently show you the modifications for each trimester like round, silent mannequins in the background. Perhaps the weirdest part of the dvd though is the lengthy section devoted to working on kegels or your "pelvic floor" muscles. I realize that kegels are important to do, but it's a bit offputting hearing Shiva's mannish monotone voice tell me to spread my legs and start squeezing.

I totally saved the best for last. Erin O'Brien Prenatal Fitness Fix is quite hilarious but a totally fantastic workout. Apparently Erin's claim to fame is that she is the wife of "Mike" from Desperate Housewives, and yes, that is mentioned on the cover of the dvd. He also makes an appearance in a 20 minute partner workout session where he silently and begrudgingly helps Erin do essentially the same workout as in the first 40 minute portion, but with a partner. However, her 40 minute workout is a great mix of cardio and toning and is the only dvd I have that actually makes me a bit out of breath. Sometimes though I think it's from laughing because frankly, the lady is crazy. Her eyes are kind of buggy and she talks very fast and gets really excited as her heart rate goes up. The dvd also pauses a couple of times because apparently Erin had to pee in the middle of the workout, no joke. Lettering comes up on screen to explain that. The production values are quite low for the dvd which makes it even more hilarious but I keep doing it because it is a good workout and it also includes a 30 minute Postnatal workout dvd as well. Two for the price of one, I guess.