Exercise DVDs/Classes

Evanston Athletic Club has great prenatal yoga classes. The classes are free if you are a member. They also have free child care. If you join a club, you should look into using a personal trainer that can work with you during your pregnancy & after the birth.

N.,

I took prenatal yoga starting around 24 weeks and it was the best. I was pregnant in MI, but I have a friend who takes prenatal yoga at the LVAC (Lakeview Athletic Club) and enjoys it. I'm pretty sure they offer it at the LPAC (Lincoln Park) and I would imagine the EAC (Evanston) has a class, too. They also offer prenatal yoga at Be By Baby (Roscoe & Lincoln -- www.bebybaby.com).

I would also recommend Kathy Smith's Pregnancy Workout DVD. I love Kathy Smith!

Best of luck to you and best wishes for a continued healthy pregnancy!
R.

Hi N.,
I'm a licensed massage therapist with a pre/perinatal and a pain management specialty. With massage therapy you may be able to continue the workouts you love! Let's check out your back pain and see - I'd love to try and help. You can take a look at my website www.massageisagift.com and give me a call if you'd like some help along these lines.
M.

Bloom Yoga in Lincoln Square has prenatal yoga classes. I took the Sunday class, with Dee. She's terrific! The class isn't very rigorous -- until you reach your third trimester and then it feels really, really difficult. I also used a yoga dvd, by Shiva Rea, and enjoyed it. Finally, there's a new prenatal yoga class at Shakti Yoga in Edgewater -- I've never been there, so I can't recommend it from experience.

Actually I've heard that any exercise that involves kicking while pregnant can potentially be unsafe. Better to avoid anyway. I just had my 2nd baby on June 10th. Throughout this pregnancy I did the dvd "The Perfect Pregnancy Workout" - I ordered mine from amazon.com. It's awesome...has beginner and advanced levels for milder or more intense workouts. It's tailored specifically for the pregnant body. I went full term, gained 28 lbs, no back pain, and didn't tear at all during my vaginal delivery (which my husband is totally convinced is because of all of the kegals I did when using this dvd!).

Prenatal yoga is a great way to stay toned and prepare your body for childbirth. I really like Bloom yoga studio (www.bloomyogastudio.com). They have mommy and baby classes for after the baby is born, too!

N. -
I just received some information from an acquaintance who has a pilates studio (Twist) that I thought I would share, as well.
I hope this is helpful for you!

"We will definitely do pre and post-natal pilates at Twist. Privates are usually recommended during pregnancy just because correct form is absolutely crucial to counteract all of the changes your body goes through, but I have also taught pre-natal in duet session and in small groups of 4. Mat classes are a little tricky, because your growing body really needs extra support that the equipment can offer. Pilates helped me immensely during my pregnancy, and re-bounding afterward.

Would love for her to get in touch with us. The studio phone number will be hooked up after July 15th. That number is ###-###-####. My cell is ###-###-####, and she can feel free to call me on that if she is interested before then, I can take her at the current studio in Chicago. I can also be contacted by email at ____@____.com "

I had extreme lower back pain during my pregnancy as well (actually, I had it a long time before that as well, due to a hairline fracture in one of my lower vertebrae). I know this isn't excercise, but just a suggestion. Acupuncture during my pregnancy was the only thing that seemed to help the back pain. Good luck! And don't forget to swim - wonderful workout and feels great on a pregnant body.

During my pregnancy, I found a 4-DVD set through Amazon with Lindsay Brin. The set includes Pre-Pregnancy/1st Trimester, Second Trimester, Third Trimester, and Post-natal Boot Camp. Although I did a pre-natal yoga class weekly, it was nice to have these at home, too. Each Pre-Natal DVD has 2 Total Body Workouts to choose from and a Prenatal Yoga routine.