My Go To Exercise Equipment for Pregnant Women
Exercising while pregnant is beneficial for many reasons. It can help prepare your body for labor, reduce labor complications and help ease common pregnancy aches and pains. Many pregnant women want to exercise at home, especially during these times. Having the right exercise equipment will help you get a beneficial work out. Please read below to learn more about my go to exercise equipment for pregnant women.
In my opinion, an exercise ball (aka stability ball/birthing ball) is the most beneficial piece of exercise equipment for pregnant women. An exercise ball will help you with many core and strengthening exercises while pregnant. It’s also beneficial to use during labor to help your baby get into position. Bonus, it’s a great way to help bounce your baby to calm them or help them go to sleep.
The foam roller is a great tool to help release tension in muscles. During pregnancy, due to changing hormonal levels and physical changes to our posture, tightness in muscles is extremely common. Muscles that tend to experience tightness are your hamstrings (back of your thighs) and inner thigh muscles. This is also helpful to use for sciatic nerve pain which is common in pregnancy.
Some pregnant women prefer not to use dumbbells while exercising due to safety concerns. A great alternative to dumbbells are exercise/resistance bands. I use them often with my pregnant clients to strengthen key muscles necessary to help support the extra pregnancy weight and help prevent common aches and pains associated with pregnancy.
After your first trimester, it is recommended that you do not complete exercises lying on your back. Your growing uterus places pressure on key blood supply when you are lying on your back for an extended period of time. A great modification is to place a yoga bolster pillow under your back when lying down. This allows you to safely complete exercises as it elevates your upper body which decreases the risk of your growing uterus placing too much pressure on key blood flow.
These are my top exercise equipment for pregnant women. Honorable mentions are a pilates ball which is helpful to use for core and pelvic floor exercises. Also, a simple yoga mat to allow you to complete floor exercises.
If you need some tips for safely exercising at home when pregnant, The Health Mamas is here to help. Our motto is Functional Fitness for Motherhood because we provide 1:1 services and custom fitness plans in order to help you exercise with a purpose. We help you prepare your body for the physical demands of pregnancy, labor, and motherhood. Schedule your free consultation today!
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.