It’s no secret that I am an absolute advocate for exercising while you’re pregnant, but there are specific exercises that are especially beneficial to your prenatal body. This exercises are not only completely doable, even with a big belly, but they are also excellent for keeping your body strong in all the right places and preparing your body for your big due date. Try them as a workout on their own or incorporate them into your regular routine to reap the amazing benefits of these exercises.

1. Walking

Walking is one of the best exercises you can do whether or not you’re pregnant, but it is especially great for pregnancies because it’s easy on your joints and still provides you with a great cardio workout. The best part is that you can completely control the resistance, based on where you’re walking or your treadmill settings, the speed, based on your pace, and your duration, based on how long you set aside for your walk. This makes it a great workout for any fitness level.

Kick it up a notch and try power walking, which is really just walking at a faster pace. However, when you’re walking, focus on standing up tall, squeezing your butt cheeks, sucking your belly in to engage your core and you’ll notice a big difference in how your walking feels, and how effective the exercise is.

2. Planks

Planks are another great workout for pregnant women because often you want to strengthen your core, but you aren’t always able to get down on the ground and do crunches. Planks are great for tightening and toning those tummy muscles, but also your back, arms, legs, and pretty much your whole body. And this is another exercise you can do at your own pace.

Start small with just holding for 10-30 seconds, or by doing them on your knees until you build up the strength to do a full plank. You can challenge yourself by holding them longer and longer. There’s no limit to what you can do and you don’t need any additional equipment to do it.

3. Deadlifts

Deadlifts are one my favorite exercises to do whether I’m pregnant or not, and that’s simply because it’s a great exercise that works your entire core and you don’t have to do much to get great results. Now I’m not talking about the deadlifts that macho gym buffs are moaning and groaning about in the heavy weight room at the gym. You can do a much simpler version of that at home.

Just take two dumbbells, one in each hand, and let your arms hang down by your sides. Slowly bend at the waist,  keeping your back straight, with a slight bend in your knees and let your arms continue to hang freely. Then just simply stand up. It’s that easy! Really focus on tightening the muscles in your back and trust me, you will feel this one the next day! You can also do these very effectively without weights by simply placing your hands behind your head and bending at waist. As long as you are focused on squeezing those back muscles, especially on the way back up, you will definitely see results.

4. Ball Wall Squats

This is an exercise I’ve incorporated into my Total Body Series and I continue to promote them because I love this move so much. They are a great alternative if you aren’t used to doing squats and you want to get the benefits of having the full range of motion, but don’t quite have the strength built up enough yet to do it on your own. Plus, it can ensure that you are keeping good form and not hurting your knees.

Start by standing about a foot or so from any clear wall that provides a flat surface. Take a stability ball and place it behind your back, between you and the wall and adjust it so that it is about at your hip level. (You want to leave room for the ball to roll up your back as you squat down). Position your feet so that they are hips-width apart and slightly out in front of your body. Then all you do is squat, making sure your knees are staying behind your toes and try to get your knees to a 90 degree bend, with your thighs parallel to the floor. As you get stronger, you can definitely go beyond the 90 degree bend, but I recommend starting there because even 90 degrees will be a deep squat for those who are used to doing them.

You can get a little extra bonus work with this move if you really push into the ball as you squat. It will activate muscles in your butt and make the move even more effective. Be careful to not let your heels come off the ground, which can be tempting, especially when you have the ball to push against.

5. Shoulder Press

I started doing more shoulder presses when I was pregnant with my first son because I knew that I was going to have to pick up a baby a lot and I wanted to pre-condition my body to be able to do it without becoming fatigued. I even deemed a move that I like to call “Pick Up The Baby,” which involves squatting down and picking up a weight and then standing up and pressing the weight over your head, as if you were playing with a baby. It’s also called “Squat Pick Up” and can be found in my Total Body Workout 3.

Shoulder presses are a great way to build your upper body strength, which is usually not the strongest part of a woman’s body, even though it will be one the greatest parts you use with your new infant. In fact, many women experience shoulder and neck pain from constantly holding or nursing their little one and if you build up your strength ahead of time, you can offset some of those aches and pains.

6. Crunches

I hesitate to even mention this one because so many people are against doing crunches when they’re pregnant. And that is understandably so, but I asked my doctors the entire way through my first pregnancy and they encouraged me to do them if I could. That being said, definitely check with your doctor before you start and get the go-ahead.

There are two main reasons why doing crunches is so important while you’re pregnant. First of all, it tightens and tones your core and your tummy muscles, keeping your muscles tighter and therefore, making your belly smaller. It’s no secret that a smaller belly is much easier to manage when you’re pregnant. I mean who wants to lug around a 50 pound gut. The stronger your core muscles are, the more support your back will get while you’re pregnant as well and it will help to alleviate some of the back pain many women experience.

Secondly, cruches are vital to pregnant women because when you do a crunch, you are essentially training your tummy muscles on how they will need to push to deliver your baby. The stronger your muscles are, the faster you’re pushing will go and the easier your overall delivery will be. If that’s not motivation enough to do crunches while you’re pregnant, I don’t know what is.

Now once you start to get a little belly, crunches can become more difficult to do on the ground. I suggest that once you start your second trimester, try doing them on a stability ball. I also like this method because you can arch your back before you crunch and get a bigger range of motion that you can’t get from the floor. I like to combine a crunch on the stability ball with a shoulder press, by doing a full sit-up on the ball and raising your arms above your head, holding a weight, when you reach the top of the sit-up. This move can be found in my Total Body Series 2. As always, if something doesn’t feel right, stop immediately and ask your doctor, but otherwise, crunch away little mama!

7. Standing, Weighted Side Bends

This is a great way to work your abdominal muscles without doing crunches, and it’s a great alternative for those who can’t do crunches. You simply stand with a weight in one hand and with your arm hanging down. Bend your upper body toward the side with the weight, keeping your legs still and engaging your core, and return to standing straight. I like to do 20 repetitions on each side. If you want to challenge yourself, try holding yourself in the bent position and pulse up and down with the weight, really squeezing your oblique muscles.

This move is great to use while you’re pregnant because so many women develop the dreaded love handles with their growing bellies, which can make it way harder to find any clothes that fit you as you progress through your pregnancy. This move tightens and tones your sides and back, keeping your belly in your belly and keeps those oh so loved, “You can’t even tell you’re pregnant from the back” comments coming.

8. Bent Over Rows

This is another exercise that is great for strengthening your back and core while you’re pregnant, which as I said earlier, is extremely beneficial as you progress in your pregnancy. It’s also a great move to get the most bang for your buck because it really does work every major muscle group in your body.

Start by holding one weight in each hand and bending your knees slightly. Holding this position with your legs, bend forward at the waist to about 45 degree angle and let your arms hang down in front of you. Complete the move by bending your elbows to a 90 degree angle with your elbows in line with your shoulders, pause at the top, and return arms to the starting position. Really focus on squeezing your back muscles and stabilizing your body through your legs, core, and butt and you’ll feel this move all over.

9. Band Exercises

Band exercises are a great alternative to using free weights or weight machines because they are compact, easy to carry with you, and still provide a great workout you can do anywhere. For us busy moms, that can make all the difference. You can virtually use bands to do any exercise you can think of, as long as you know the right way to modify it.

When you use exercise bands, you can very easily change the resistance level based on which band you choose, and you can easily work multiple muscle groups because you are fighting the resistance of the band with any move you do. For example, you can hold a band in each hand with about 6-8 inches of tight band between your hands and your arms outstretched in front of your face. Pulling the bands apart, as far as you can, will primarily work your arms, especially your shoulder and triceps. However, because of the nature of pulling the band, and your arm position, you will also work your core to stabilize your body while you are doing the exercise. Therefore, it has multiple uses with just one move.

One of my favorite moves to do with an exercise band is a band walk. Start with a looped band and standing with your feet hips-width apart, the band should create a slightly tight loop around your feet. Side step, leading with one leg for 20 repetitions and then repeat with the other, across the floor and get a great inner/outer thigh exercise that also works your core and hips.

10. Yoga/Stretching

Yoga and stretching are two of the most important exercises you can do, especially while you’re pregnant. Not only do they help your tired, sore muscles recover, but they can also alleviate a lot of typical aches and pains that come from being pregnant. Many people suggest doing yoga while pregnant because the more flexible and limber you are, the easier your changing body can adapt to your shifting anatomy and cope with the discomforts it can cause.

For example, a lot of pregnant women experience sciatica, which is a pinching or shooting pain that goes from your sciatic joint, right about the top of either butt cheek, and can go down into your hip or the entire way down your leg. I’ve experienced it myself and it can make it extremely difficult to walk, stand, or even sit in certain positions. However, not many people realize that a pinched sciatic nerve can be caused by a tight psoas muscle. Your psoas muscles runs from your back, down into your butt and when it is tight, it can cause the sciatic nerve to be pinched. Therefore, one of the biggest ways to alleviate mild sciatica is to stretch this muscle so that it is no longer tight.

One of the easiest ways to do that is to lay on your back and pull both your knees or whichever side is bothering you, to your chest. Holding this position continuously will cause that muscle to relax and ease the stress on that nerve that is causing you so much pain.

This is just one example of how yoga and stretching are crucial to do while pregnant and even though it may seem like a pain to do, it’s a lot better than being uncomfortable your entire pregnancy. Check out my article Why Stretching Is Essential To Your Health for more insight.

Wrap It Up

Let’s wrap this up by saying that hopefully I’ve convinced you by now that exercising while you’re pregnant is extremely important. After your doctor gives you the ok, I recommend doing something active every single day to stay in the best prenatal shape of your life! Try these moves as a workout themselves, or just incorporate them into your established routine and you’ll notice that your pregnancy will likely be a lot more comfortable and easier to manage. I’ve used them with two pregnancies so far, and I will say that I am not deterred from going for a third pregnancy yet. Life when you’re pregnant doesn’t have to be miserable! Enjoy your body and enjoy your pregnancy. Taking care of yourself can make all the difference!

For more information about how to have a happy and safe pregnancy, check out my article, Mommy Update: Taking Care of Yourself, or any of my Healthy Moms articles.