Antenatal exercise video for porky mum-to-be

[Marina]

Anyone got any tips for a good, safe, effective video for use throughout pregnancy? I am particularly interested in something that uses Pilates techniques. I walk everywhere which helps my stamina but my muscles really need toning up.
And are there any satisfied users of that Deborah Mackin video, "Getting Back", out there? (Thinking ahead now).
All ideas and suggestions welcomed with thanks.

Oh marina, don't waste your energy. The weight will come off once you have the baby. It's just hormones putting the weight on now. And they also wreck havoc with your muscles. I have always been very skinny, but I put on 45 pounds with my first pregnancy. It came right off when I started to wean my son. I was back to my prepregnancy weight within a year, without dieting and without any serious exercising (yoga once a week). This time around I am 27 weeks pregnant and 30 pounds up so far.... You don't say how pregnant you are, but you shouldn't do anything too active during the first trimester, and you will be too tired during the last trimester to do any real exercise. That only leaves 3 months to do much of anything and you might want to use that time for nest building...

Agree with Sofia - this is the time when you never have to worry about sucking your stomach in all the time!

SofiaAmes, Tinker, thank you for your kind words. However, it did not all come off last time, even after weaning, so I am entering this pregnancy about 3 stone overweight, and I regret I am not exaggerating. I am eating more healthily this time round, and aware that any kind of diet in pregnancy is bad for the baby (besides, my dh is a demon cook and I love good food), but I do honestly think I need to do some safe, gentle toning.

Marina (congratulations!!), I didn't follow a video but I did enrol in a 'Body Balance' class at the gym. It is a mixture of pilates, yoga and a bit of tai-chi chucked in for good measure. It was great, and its lovely to keep moving around when you are pg, but I did give up last week (26 weeks) as I found some of the movements were making me feel dizzy and a bit weird.

I sympathise about the weight, I remained almost 2 stone overweight for at least a year after dd was born, despite bfeeding for ages hoping desperately that was going to help me lose. Luckily I was very sick with this pg and lost some in the first 3 months (although have put it again during second trimester!!)

Swimming, swimming, swimming and walking. I'm afraid I never found a decent video (I bought the Carol Smillie one - DONT - it doesnt have any ante-natal exercise on it despite saying that it does).

I have an excellent book of yoga during pregnancy and a lovely pregnancy book that has LOADS of exercises in it that I can highly recommend (also good for a bit of late-night indulgence in birth positions, how much your baby has grown etc).

Old but brilliant birth encyclopedia with loads of exercises

and
newish yoga book

Marina you may well find that second time around, controlling your weight isn't such a problem. While I remain well over a stone overweight from my pre-baby days, I didn't really put on any weight with number 2. The stresses of working AND looking after an active toddler (who developed a burning desire to be carried in direct proportion to my growing bump) meant that it wasn't really a problem. Good luck anyway!

Marina, I have a Y plan exercise video and it is designed for post pregnancy as well as antenatally. It has a different exercise for each trimester and a relaxation part. It is a bit dated (hairstyles/music/environment but worked (such a shame I let it all go in the aftermath!

Marina, don't do it! In my first two pregnancies, I walked everywhere and was incredibly healthy - and suffered horrendously from painful hip joints. In my third pregnancy, I had a desk job and a car, and an incredibly lazy life style. Guess what, no hip pain. Coincidence maybe, but I have gone off the idea of exercise in pregnancy anyway!

Marina, I would speak to a health professional before undertaking any sort of excercise regime while pregnant. I put on 2.5 stones after I had my son, I got the Carol Smile video from the library (after I gave birth) and found it really good, it really improved my waist line and slightly improved my very flabby tummy. It does show some (but not alot of) antenatal excercises, mostly gives advice about walking and shows how you can help with things like backache. I also have the Deborah Mackin video and it's very good too, she's not in to dieting as such but gives advice on how to eat healthily. However my willpower is not very strong and so am still a stone overweight, my son is almost 2!!

I would stick to healthly eating and walking while pregnant and worry about the weight loss excercises afterwards.

Good luck!