This workout plan is created to help you along your pregnancy journey and is safe for every trimester. The goal is to help with balance, mobility, strength, and encourage stretching. Physical activity during pregnancy helps: • Reduce back pain • Ease constipation • May decrease your risk of gestational diabetes • Promotes healthy weight gain during pregnancy • Improves your overall general fitness and strengthens your heart and blood vessels • Helps you to lose the extra baby weight after your baby is born

All levels welcome, but these workouts have been modified to ensure a safe and practical workout during each of your trimesters.

I highly encourage dumbbells, resistance bands, yoga ball, bosu ball, and a step stool.

Find the time that works best for you. I prefer the morning because later in the day I find myself extremely tired from baking a baby all day!

Consult with your doctor first to ensure you’re in the clear to workout, eat a balanced diet with enough calories, and try to workout at least three times per week.

Ideally, pregnant women should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. Moderate activity means you are moving enough to raise your heart rate and start sweating. You still can talk normally, but you cannot sing.

• Joints - The hormones made during pregnancy cause ligaments that support your joints to become relaxed. This makes joints more mobile and at risk for injury. Avoid jerky, bouncy, or high-impact motions that can increase your risk of being hurt. • Balance - The extra weight in the front of your body shifts your center of gravity. This places stress on joints and muscles, especially those in your pelvis and lower back. Because you are less stable and more likely to lose your balance, you are at a greater risk of falling. • Breathing - When you exercise, oxygen and blood flow are directed to your muscles and away from other areas of your body. While you are pregnant, your need for oxygen increases. This may affect your ability to do strenuous exercise, especially if you are overweight or obese.

• Contact sports • Skydiving • Abdominal twisting • Hot yoga or Hot Pilates • Scuba diving • Activities performed above 6,000 feet