Exercise DVD Mini Review: The Perfect Pregnancy Workout

Originally posted to the anonymous pregnancy blog July 30, 2008.

I love the concept of exercise videos. They’re cheap compared to a gym, convenient, and can be done in the privacy of one’s home. However, many exercise videos require way too much coordination for my needs (I’m sorry, I can’t dance even if you try dressing it up as exercise). Before I was pregnant, I had finally figured out the ideal video combination for my daily workouts. I’d alternate exercises every other day between Kathy Smith’s Great Buns and Thighs Step Workout and a combination of Pilates Weight Loss Workout for Dummies, Total Body Toning One Minute Workout and Self’s Firm Flat Abs. This combination has taken me years to perfect. It gives me a decent workout without requiring too much coordination on my part. Yes, it’s repetitive but podcasts were invented to keep exercisers entertained :-)

While the Kathy Smith video seems like it’ll work with modification for as long as I have the energy, I wasn’t sure about the other three videos. Particularly later when I need to start avoiding exercises on my back. This meant that I needed to start looking for alternatives. As one commenter on Amazon stated, it seems like most pregnancy videos were created in the 80s. There are quite a few newer yoga themed pregnancy videos. However, yoga and I don’t get along. With great trepidation, I checked out several pregnancy related fitness DVDs from my library to preview. One was yoga based, two were pilates based, and then one was titled Perfect Pregnancy Workout. The yoga and pilates videos I ruled out fairly quickly. However, I really enjoyed the Perfect Pregnancy Workout DVD.

Pros:

  • Very easy to follow, doesn’t require much coordination

  • Well balanced workout

  • Shows beginner, intermediate, and advanced modifications

  • Doesn’t require much specialized equipment (weights and steps are optional for the intermediate to advanced levels)

  • The instructor makes a pregnant belly look sexy (okay, maybe just in my view but I’ll take any encouragement I can get :-) )

Cons:

  • Not much transition time

  • No real breaks for water

I’ve ordered it from Amazon and hopefully will get it soon as I had to return the library’s copy.