2nd Trimester Exercise

[Corinne87]

What is the BEST exercise for pregnant women in their 2nd trimester?  I heard it was best to exercise while pregnant but don't know what will help my baby and NOT hurt it, so I've just been trying to walk ALOT to help circulate my blood flow, but is there anything else I can do?  Are there any good programs or websites I should check out?  

Any help on this issue would be great, thank you!

[Corinne87]

Thanks, I had never thought about swimming before and my neighbor has a pool she NEVER uses!  I can get away with asking her if I could use it since I'm pregnant ;)

[stacey10]

as everyone else has said pregnancy yoga, walking and swimming are all great forms of excercise right up until you feel like popping :)

[steph_ut]

I second swimming! I swam from ~14 weeks until the week I had my daughter with my first pregnancy - it was great exercise that I could pace to how I was feeling that day. It works all muscles concurrently and the buoyancy was great for not feeling heavy/cumbersome.

This time, due to time/schedule constraints, I have been doing more walking and using a bike trainer (turns a bike in to a stationary bike). I just hit 30 weeks and think I may only have a few weeks on the bike left - it's starting to get harder to avoid whacking baby with my thighs!

Ultimately, as claire said, it depends on what activities and fitness level you pursued prior to pregnancy. I would venture to say I toned down to about 60-70% of normal for my first pregnancy, and more this time (bad nausea, child already at home, older, etc). I know someone who ran until a few days before she had her baby and another who rode a 62 mile bike ride at 32 weeks so if you were very active before, keep it up!

[Mom2bejuly18]

Shiva Rea's prenatal yoga

[claire5522]

It depends on what exercise you did before you were pregnant and how fit you were. Walking swimming and yoga are all good if you weren't an exerciser before  And they are safe for until the end of you pregnancy.

If you did exercise before, for example run every day you can still continue just not as hard as you used to as your body is used to it and it will not be strained or under pressure. In your third trimester you would have to stop.  No abdominal exercise is a must.

Keeping fit is good for and baby.  Fresh air is great to help with getting a good nights sleep and the fitter you are the easier labour is (thats what my midwife told me)

[Corinne87]

Thanks, whats the name of the video, I'll check it out!

[Mom2bejuly18]

I got a pregnancy yoga dvd. I am 22w 5d and I love it