Prenatal Yoga

Yay! Had my first session of Prenatal Yoga today!  I've been feeling a bit restless (and unfit) during the past 4 months that I was not "allowed" to do any exercise - or even lift a shopping bag for that matter. 

According to what I've been reading online, it's "safer" to wait till you are at least 16 weeks (or 4 months) before doing any exercise in order to make sure the foetus has properly attached to your womb (and to avoid any chance of a miscarriage). 

So I'm so glad I'm finally able to do some stretching to relieve all that shoulder and backache that I've been feeling lately.  If you have not tried yoga before, it's pretty much the safest exercise a pregnant woman can do (since it's low-impact) apart from swimming.  It stretches your limbs, relieves aches, increases strength and flexibility (great prep for the tiresome labour that is about to come!), plus you get to meet other pregnant ladies and share some experiences with each other.  I'm also hoping it will do something about the leg cramps I've been getting recently in my sleep due to the pregnancy.

As I already had a previous yoga membership, I didn't have to sign up for anything new to start these classes. But if you do not have a regular class to go to, you can try buying some DVDs to try out in the comfort and privacy of your own home, or download Prenatal Yoga with Mimi Solaire to your computer so you can start practicing NOW!

If you don't mind waiting for the DVDs to be delivered to your home though, try Suzanne Bowen's Long and Lean Prenatal Workout and Yoga for Pregnancy which has 6 individual workouts to follow (keen to get this one myself!).

Manduka Yoga & Pilates Mats

Don't forget you will need a good mat to lie on to support your knees and back while you exercise.  If I didn't already have one (and wasn't on a budget), I'd be tempted to get these Manduka Yoga Mats! I saw them on Martha Stewart's show the other day and apart from all the goodness about this mat (life-long guarantee, comfortable, slip-resistant, non-sticky), they are Green and support a charitable cause as well.

Happy exercising!