Need Simple Exercise Equipment During Pregnancy!

A side walk and walking shoes... or one of Leslie Sansone's Walking DVD's :) I had a couple of pregnant fitness DVD's, too.

Congrats on the Pregnancy! What I did to keep the weight down was buy several pregnancy work out videos ( I bought a Pilates at Pea in a Pod but did not really like it too much) and I bought a salsa one at Motherhood Maternity (it had 3 different workouts and I really liked it). I also walked around the park and this was the cheapest thing of all. But, when it got too cold to walk I bought a used a treadmill to continue walking....I bought it used so it was pretty cheap. Good Luck
Lace- Mother of a 7 1/2 mth old boy and caring for my 8 year old neice

My secret is taking my 2 y.o. to the park. I pull him in his wagon there and back so my arms get a mild work out. I do lunges as I push him on the swings, and step up and down on the bottom steps of slides as he plays. I get some great quality time with him and a great little low key work out perfect for pregnancy!

A.,

The butt and thigh master are GREAT! Also, try the Leslie Sansone in home walking tapes. You can also get one of those bicycle / pedal things that old people use. You know, the thing that just has the pedals and sits on the floor. You can use that while you are watching TV. Really, if you have been exercising all along, you can continue to do pretty much the same thing - just ask your doctor.

Or, you can always just put on your tennis shoes and go walk outside! (It might be a little to cold for that this morning though!)

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
E.

I know this is a couple of weeks late but I wanted to let you know of a great program for pre and post natal moms looking to get/stay in shape and get support from other moms. Check out www.strollerstrides.com to see if there is one in you area. I absolutely LOVE Stroller Strides and what is has provided for my son and I, and the great shape I have gotten in.

Hope this helps and congrats on your pregnancy!

M. :)

You should try walking briskly for about 15 minutes, two or three times a day around your neighborhood, and if you have a dog, be sure to take him/her with you. (With a pooper scooper, of course.) Or, if you have a bicycle, ride it around your neighborhood in nice weather. If you don't want to be outdoors to exercise, try doing half-squats with your arms extended in front of you a few times, and lay on your sides to do leg lifts. It's important that your exercise be NOT too strenuous or tiring, but consistent.

Hi!
I am an older mom, but I think some things never change.
I exercised per Jack LaLane up to 2 weeks before birth. I never felt so good and the delivery was less than 6 hours. I am sure his exercise videos are out there and can be checked out. Good luck. Yea, on your wonderful gifts!

Yoga is wonderful and will help ease your delivery as well!!!

Hi A.... Congrats on your pregnancy. I wanted to let you know that I am a yoga instructor and offer private yoga sessions at your home and/or other location. Yoga has so many wonderful benefits, especially during your pregnancy. Visit my website - www.totalharmonyyoga.com - to see more about me, my classes and how to contact me to set up and appointment for a yoga session. By me coming to you, you can schedule sessions that are convenient for you and you are not committed to attend a gym or fitness center at a specific time and you are not rushing to get there. Hope to hear from you soon!

A.,

The "resista-ball" or "gym-ball", with it's hundreds of uses from basic sitting-on, to stretching, to sit while upper body strengthening, to lower body strengthening. They normally come with a chart inside its' box showing pictures of uses/exercises/stretches. One may be purchased for as low as $15 to $19 dollars at Walmart or Target.

Have fun. Be careful. Be safe. Please consult your OB prior to using the ball. Thank you.

D. P.
###-###-####
____@____.com

Congratulations A.!!
There are a couple of things that you can get for your home to have a very effective prenatal exercise program.

First, a good set of exercise shoes. I would recommend getting a new pair now and getting rid of them once you have the baby. You'll need the extra support and because your gait changes so much during your pregnancy as you shift your posture to balance your pregnancy, the shoes won't be comfortable post partum.

Second, Get a large exercise ball. A good burst resistant ball is only about $25-$30. Be sure to get a burst resistant ball so that if it is punctured, it won't slam you down on the floor for a possible injury.

Finally, get some exercise tubing. These are the stretchy tubes with handles. You can perform a myriad of strength training exercises.

I highly recommend the book "Fit to Deliver". It's a whole book on how to exercise during pregnancy and offers many great exercises.

Hope this helps!!
D. Turner-Lee
Certified Perinatal Fitness Instructor.

during both of my pregnancies i walked A LOT! i did pilates with my first pregnancy, and with my second i did actually go the gym several times a week. but, walking is so great when you are pregnant. getting a yoga or pilates dvd to do at home could be good.

I just read an article on belly dancing and how much the movements help with labor and it is exercise... you could probably get a belly dancing dvd or vhs pretty easy and do it from home...

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TurningPoints/story?id=4071888&...

you may have to copy and paste the link...

Good luck...

I read your responses, i am a certified yoga instructor. And can tell you that yoga is great! Especially if you do safe for pregnancy yoga. You have to be very careful with tapes as they cannot see you through the tv to tell you if you are doing anything wrong or simply unsafe for you or your baby! Also no one seemed to mention that you are not supposed to "start" anything new after you become pregnant, but it is usually safe to continue anything that you were already doing until it becomes too cumbersome. I have had students who had already been doing yoga, who were able in my classroom to continue with a few adjustments right up until their due date! Even with that said, if you walked into my classroom today i would tell you that under my supervision it would probably be safe for you to start, but only if you were going to be faithful in doing it regularly (about 3 times a week most weeks). If you must "start" some thing new now i would suggest the walking! It's great for anyone of any age in almost any condition. Start slow and build up your speed and duration . Then as your pregnancy progresses, you will most likely slow down again and or lighten up on the duration. Please do keep in mind some yoga post delivery! It can change your life! Good luck, feel free to contact me if you need more info

You can buy some Yoga tapes pretty cheap, probably even second hand. I did it with my second baby and stayed in great shape, plus she is a super laid back little one and likes to do yoga now. Good luck, and congrats!!!!

I bought an inexpensive Pregnancy Yoga CD at Half Priced Books when I was pregnant. It was a very relaxing 'workout'.