Top Five Pregnancy Workout DVDs

Exercising while you're pregnant is not only a way to keep your body in shape and prepare for labor, but it also helps you bounce back from having a child faster. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise a day, unless medical complications prevent it. When shopping for pregnancy workout DVDs, it's easy to get overwhelmed. There's quite a few on the market, ranging from simple stretching to more advanced workouts. The pregnancy workouts found below are ones that I enjoyed while carrying my daughter.

10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates

I've long been a fan of the 10 minute solution series. I love that you can mix and match the workouts or do the whole DVD, depending on the amount of time and energy you have. So when I saw their Prenatal Pilates pregnancy workout, I had to try it. The DVD is broken down into five 10-minute workouts: Pilates for Buns & Thighs, Standing Pilates, Core Pilates, Pilates for Flexibility, and Total Body Pilates. There's also a bonus workout, Flat Belly Fast, included to get you back into shape after your baby has arrived. If you're looking for a pregnancy workout that is fairly gentle and helps relax you, I highly recommend this DVD. You can find this at Amazon and wherever fitness DVDs are sold. It's also available for rental on Netflix if you want to give it a try before purchasing it.

The Perfect Pregnancy Workout: Volume 1

If you prefer a more challenging workout, I highly recommend The Perfect Pregnancy Workout. The DVD consists of 5 minutes of warm up, a 33 minute workout, and 12 minutes of instruction to ensure you know how to perform the moves properly and avoid injury. This pregnancy workout also includes modifications for women with diastonis recti. There is a volume 2, but I didn't enjoy it as much.You can find this DVD at Amazon and other stores where fitness DVDs are sold.

Tracy Mallett's 3 in 1 Pregnancy System

When it comes to most pregnancy workout DVDs, your partner gets left out. I love that Tracy Mallett's 3 in 1 Pregnancy System has a segment that includes your partner. Other segments include workouts for your core, lower body and upper body. Each segment is about 20 minutes long and you can customize your workout by doing just one, mixing and matching a couple, or do the whole DVD. It's available at Amazon and other stores that sell fitness DVDs. Netflix users can also rent it to see if it works for them.

Lindsey Brine's Moms Into Fitness Complete Pregnancy 4 Pack

This one is a little pricey, but it offers a lot for the money. It consists of 4 DVDs that keeps you in shape from the first trimester to after the baby comes. The first DVD focuses on the first trimester and has 2 workouts, a 30 minute cardio and toning workout and a 20 minute yoga workout. The second DVD focuses on the second trimester, helping you to build lower back and abdominal strength. It has a 35 minute cardio and toning workout and a 20 minute yoga workout. The third DVD-you guessed it-is for your third trimester. This DVD helps strengthen you for the rigors of childbirth with a 35 minute cardio and toning workout and a 25 minute yoga workout. The last DVD, Boot Camp 2, is a mix and match program of workouts to get your body back into shape. With six different 10-minute fat-burning workouts, six 5-minute core workouts and warm ups and cool downs that you can combine any way you like, you're not likely to get bored. It can be found at Amazon, Target and stores where fitness DVDs are sold. If you're a Netflix subscriber, you can rent each DVD separately.

Complete Pregnancy Fitness with Erin O'Brien

If you like the idea of a combined set of prenatal and postnatal workouts, but price is an issue, Complete Pregnancy Fitness is a great alternative. The first DVD, Prenatal Fitness Fix, includes a 40 minute workout and a 20 minute partner workout. The second DVD, Postnatal Rescue, has 3 workouts, plus a bonus section of gentle first stretches to get you on your way to being fit again. It's available on Amazon and in stores as well. Netflix also offers these DVDs separately.