Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Pregnancy Tips - 2nd Trimester Fitness & Yoga

Hi, I’m Latham Thomas, prenatal wellness expert with www.SureBaby.com.

So, you’re moving right along. You should feel better now and have more energy. Welcome

to the second trimester. Today, we are going to focus on fitness and yoga during this stage

of pregnancy.

There are so many changes happening in your body right now. With increased blood volume,

your heart is now pumping about 20% more blood than it did pre-pregnancy, your placenta is

now fully formed and functioning and your ligaments in your abdomen are stretching to

accommodate your growing uterus. You may feel fluttering inside, and that’s just the beginning!

So to keep fit, agile and strong for the remainder of the pregnancy and for your labor and delivery,

we are going to move through a choreography sequence to help to get the blood flowing.

Regular exercise will help to keep you feeling great.

You will want to stand on your yoga mat. Make sure your feet are about hip distance apart,

or a little wider (to accomodate your growing belly). From here, inhale your arms up and

over your head. As you exhale, bend your knees and sink your hips back behind you, then place

your hands at about mid-thigh. Pull your chest forward as you breathe, inhaling. As you exhale,

round and tuck. Chin to chest as you gaze towards your baby. Inhale forward. Exhale

back. Do this for four counts. And exhale. Once more, inhale. And exhale back and slowly

roll up to stand. Come all the way up. Roll the shoulder to your back.

From here, we're going to pivot. Make sure you angle your pelvis towards the floor here

and you have a nice, comfortable stance. As you inhale, take your arms up and overhead.

Exhale and sit. Good. Inhale and life. And exhale. Inhale. Exhale once more. Inhale.

And come down. Good.

From here, place your hands at the hips and reach across. Find length in the side of your

waist. Come back. And the other side. And back. Good.

Slowly come up to stand. Pivot the back foot. The front knee is going to bend. As the back

knee reaches towards the floor, don't go all the way down. Just a gentle stretch, so you

can lengthen the quad and open up the hip flexor. We'll do this for four counts. Once

more for four. Good.

You're going to pivot the feet again. Good. And two, three, four. Good.

Coming back to you're wide-legged stance, inhale, take your arms up and overhead, join

your feet together, palms at heart center.