The No-Time No-Excuses Workout

Just a half-hour of exercise each day will benefit you— and your baby. Check out our simple (and effective!) 30-minute workout, plus tips on overcoming those pesky pregnancy symptoms.

Between childbirth classes, shopping for baby gear, negotiating with your spouse over the baby’s name and—oh yeah—life, what mom-to-be has time to exercise? Actually, you do. “Thirty minutes is all you need,” says Susan Hoffman, a trainer and prenatal fitness specialist at Boca Raton Life Time Athletic Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

Exercising for just a half-hour a day is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your baby. Pregnant women who work out regularly have a lower risk of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and excess weight gain, plus fewer aches, more energy and, after delivery, a faster return to their prepregnancy shape. What’s more, new research shows that babies of exercising moms have lower rates, years later, of obesity and diabetes.

Make the most of your 30 minutes

A half-hour a day is ample time to fit in your weekly dose of cardiovascular exercise, strength training and stretching. Here are some tips for organizing your workout:

•  On three to five days per week, do a purely cardio workout. Try walking, swimming, the elliptical trainer or stationary bike. If you can’t fit in 30 minutes all at once, break up your workouts into 10- or 15-minute increments; you’ll still get the benefits. 
• Twice a week, do a 10-minute, total-body strength circuit. Repeat the circuit (if you feel up to it) for a total of 30 minutes. Susie Shina, a trainer with prenatal expertise in Atlanta, recommends doing each exercise for 60 seconds using bands, dumbbells or simply your body weight (e.g., squats and push-ups).
•  Don’t forget to stretch. Finish your cardio or strength workout with a few minutes of simple stretches, focusing on your chest, lower back and front and rear thigh muscles.
•  If you’re a working mom-to-be, make the office your gym. “Work is the perfect time to do your Kegels,” says New York City fitness consultant Liz Neporent, M.A. Neporent also recommends squats (lowering yourself only a few inches in your third trimester), wall push-ups (stand with your hands pressed against a wall, then bend your arms to move your chest toward the wall), and standing pelvic tilts (stand with your palms on your thighs, gently squeeze your butt and tilt your pelvis forward, holding for two slow counts). Do 15 repetitions of each.
• Don’t waste any time commuting to the gym. Pop in a prenatal Pilates or yoga DVD and work out at home.

Overcoming The Obstacles

How to conquer common pregnancy symptoms:
Exhaustion Exercise early in the day, before you feel even more wiped out, and divide your workout into short sessions. “Throw in a prenatal DVD and stop it after 10 minutes,” says Sabrena Merrill, a trainer in Lawrence, Kan., and a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise. If you feel up to it later in the day, tackle the rest of the DVD.

Nausea Notice what time of day your nausea hits hardest and avoid exercising then. Also, don’t exercise on an empty stomach, advises Merrill. Thirty to 60 minutes before your workout, eat bland crackers or half a bagel.

Swollen feet and ankles Exercise early in the day, before the swelling is full-blown. Buy athletic shoes a size larger, and if possible, try swimming or the recumbent bike instead of walking.

Back discomfort Stretch your lower back with the Cat Cow move: Get down on your hands and knees, wrists directly under your shoulders. Slowly round your back, holding for one breath. Then, arch your back, tilting your pelvis toward the floor. Repeat.

Feeling big and heavy “Remember that pregnant women are sexy!” says Atlanta-based trainer Susie Shina. “Treat yourself to cute maternity workout clothes. Take care of the parts that aren’t getting fat by getting a manicure or haircut.” Plus, remind yourself of all that you are doing for your health and your baby’s.

Click here to see The 30-Minute Workout

April/May 2009