Review: The Balanced Life Prenatal Pilates
When entering the unknown landscape of your first pregnancy, it can be hard to know what you should and should not eat (goodbye hot dogs and sausage), what you should and should not feel (hello morning sickness), and what you should and should not do.
From the end of my first trimester until now (week 38) I have participated in a prenatal Pilates series that is safe for moms to do throughout all three trimesters. Of course, before beginning any exercise routine you should consult your doctor especially if you did not previously participate in that type of exercise prior to your pregnancy.
The Pilates series I participated in came from The Balanced Life with Robin Long.
Review:
I've participated in Pilates for 5 years now and have gone through a number of Pilates instructors (in person and online) and Robin has been one of my favorites so far. Each exercise program walks you through exactly how to get yourself into the shown position and offers alternatives if the current position isn't working for you. Everyone needs this type of flexibility to increase or decrease the load during pregnancy!
The program costs $200, which breaks down to about $22/month for the 9 months you would need to use the program. That's a very reasonable price when you consider gyms often charge much more than this... and you have to drive to a gym.
As this program is self-guided, it was very nice to be able to pick and choose from the workouts available to suit my mood each day. Let's be honest - as a pregnant woman, that roller coaster can give you whiplash sometimes.
The program includes the following workouts:
I rotated my workouts daily (supplementing them with walking) and the exercises I learned from Robin proved to really help me during those days when I just wasn't feeling great. I used the exercises during my workouts, before bed, and all throughout the day when my upper back needed a stretch or when my pelvis was sore.
I would recommend this prenatal routine to anyone looking for a simple, effective way to keep your body moving safely during pregnancy.
The only con I found, which may not even be a con, is that many of the actual exercises in each workout can be found in Robin Long's free YouTube videos. The Balanced Life program does include more instruction and a few more exercises per workout to keep you healthy, but I'd definitely recommend testing out the course from the free YouTube videos to see if it's a right fit for you.
So if you are already into Pilates or would like to find an exercise regime to help you through to the end of your pregnancy, I'd definitely recommend The Balance Life's Prenatal Pilates.
From the end of my first trimester until now (week 38) I have participated in a prenatal Pilates series that is safe for moms to do throughout all three trimesters. Of course, before beginning any exercise routine you should consult your doctor especially if you did not previously participate in that type of exercise prior to your pregnancy.
The Pilates series I participated in came from The Balanced Life with Robin Long.
Review:
I've participated in Pilates for 5 years now and have gone through a number of Pilates instructors (in person and online) and Robin has been one of my favorites so far. Each exercise program walks you through exactly how to get yourself into the shown position and offers alternatives if the current position isn't working for you. Everyone needs this type of flexibility to increase or decrease the load during pregnancy!
The program costs $200, which breaks down to about $22/month for the 9 months you would need to use the program. That's a very reasonable price when you consider gyms often charge much more than this... and you have to drive to a gym.
As this program is self-guided, it was very nice to be able to pick and choose from the workouts available to suit my mood each day. Let's be honest - as a pregnant woman, that roller coaster can give you whiplash sometimes.
The program includes the following workouts:
- Strengthen & Tone (50 minutes)
- Stretch & Relax (26 minutes)
- Lower Body Lift (20 minutes)
- Upper Body Upkeep (25 minutes)
- Core & Back Care (32 minutes)
- Pilates for New Moms Part I & II (13 - 15 minutes)
- Simple Guide to High-Level Pre-Natal Nutrition
- Pregnancy Affirmations
- Prenatal Exercise Safety 101
The program comes with a lot of options and material, which is great to try and suit each pregnancy and mom's needs. I, personally, did not find much use for the nutrition guide (as it was pretty simple), the pregnancy affirmations, or the Strengthen & Tone workout, which you need a Thera-band for and I didn't own. I have not yet used the Pilates for New Moms workout, but am excited to see what it contains after my baby gets here.
I would recommend this prenatal routine to anyone looking for a simple, effective way to keep your body moving safely during pregnancy.
The only con I found, which may not even be a con, is that many of the actual exercises in each workout can be found in Robin Long's free YouTube videos. The Balanced Life program does include more instruction and a few more exercises per workout to keep you healthy, but I'd definitely recommend testing out the course from the free YouTube videos to see if it's a right fit for you.
So if you are already into Pilates or would like to find an exercise regime to help you through to the end of your pregnancy, I'd definitely recommend The Balance Life's Prenatal Pilates.
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