Fit Mama Secrets: Celebrities’ Favorite Antenatal Workouts to Try Now

Expecting mums often look to celebrity mums for inspiration, not just in fashion but also in fitness. Many high-profile women have embraced antenatal workouts that help them stay active and support a healthy pregnancy. With a growing focus on wellness, these celebrity-inspired workouts include everything from gentle yoga and Pilates to low-impact strength training. If you’re wondering what your favourite stars are doing to stay fit during pregnancy—and how you can do the same—this guide is for you.

Always remember that the exercises recommended by a celebrity’s trainer may not be suitable for everyone, so it’s best to consult your doctor or midwife before starting any new antenatal routine.

Why Celebrities Embrace Antenatal Workouts

Antenatal workouts are not just about keeping fit; they help boost energy, ease pregnancy discomforts, and prepare the body for labour and recovery. Celebrities are often vocal about the benefits of their pregnancy exercise routines, sharing how they keep them feeling empowered and energised.

Some reasons celebrities and fitness trainers recommend antenatal workouts include:

Improving Strength and Flexibility: Pregnancy exercises can help with the physical demands of carrying and delivering a baby.

Supporting Mental Wellness: Many expectant mums find that regular exercise helps reduce anxiety, improve mood, and manage stress.

Preparing for Labour: Exercises like yoga and Pilates often include breathing techniques and positions that can be beneficial during labour.

Exercises to Consider and Celebrities Who Love Them

Here’s a breakdown of popular antenatal exercises used by celebrity mums-to-be. These routines are gentle yet effective, helping maintain physical strength and emotional balance.

Pilates: Strengthening Core and Posture

Pilates is a top choice among many celebrities for maintaining core strength during pregnancy. Pilates exercises focus on stability, balance, and flexibility—all essential elements for supporting the body through pregnancy.

Celebrities Who Swear by Pilates During Pregnancy

Kate Hudson – Known for her commitment to wellness, Kate Hudson has shared her love for Pilates during her pregnancies. She often mentions how it helped her stay strong and centred.

Meghan Markle – The Duchess of Sussex has long embraced Pilates and continued to practise it with modifications during her pregnancy. Meghan has spoken about how it helped maintain her posture and core stability, which are especially helpful for avoiding back pain.

Pilates Exercises to Try at Home

Cat-Cow Stretch: This classic Pilates-inspired move helps with flexibility and relieves lower back tension.

How to Do It: Start on all fours and gently arch your back upwards (like a cat) and then let it sag towards the floor (cow position).

Benefits: Eases tension in the lower back and engages the core muscles gently.

Pelvic Tilts on Stability Ball: Helps with core engagement and supports lower back strength.

How to Do It: Sit on a stability ball, rock your pelvis back and forth gently, using your core to control the movement.

Benefits: Provides gentle core strengthening and stabilises the spine.

Prenatal Yoga: Relaxation and Flexibility

Prenatal yoga is a favourite among celebrities for good reason. Not only does it increase flexibility, but it also encourages relaxation and mindfulness. Many prenatal yoga poses help open the hips and align the body, making it a fantastic way to stay limber during pregnancy.

Celebrities Who Practise Prenatal Yoga

Gisele Bündchen – The supermodel is an advocate for yoga and has shared her experience practising it during her pregnancies. She found that it not only helped with physical alignment but also provided a calm, mindful approach to prepare for labour.

Jessica Alba – Known for staying active, Jessica incorporated yoga as part of her prenatal exercise. She found the stretching and relaxation techniques beneficial for mental well-being as well as physical comfort.

Prenatal Yoga Poses to Try

Warrior II: A great pose to build strength and stability in the legs while also helping open the hips.

How to Do It: Stand with feet wide apart, one foot facing forward and the other turned slightly inwards. Bend the front knee and stretch your arms out to the sides. Hold for a few breaths, then switch sides.

Benefits: Strengthens legs, improves balance, and opens the hips.

Seated Forward Bend: An adapted pose that stretches the back and legs.

How to Do It: Sit with legs stretched in front of you, then gently reach towards your toes, bending from the hips.

Benefits: Stretches the lower back and hamstrings, reduces tension.

Walking: Low-Impact and Accessible

Walking remains one of the safest and most accessible forms of exercise for pregnant women. Many celebrities enjoy walking as a way to stay active without overexerting. Regular walking improves circulation, boosts energy, and helps maintain a healthy weight.

Celebrities Who Love Walking During Pregnancy

Reese Witherspoon – Reese Witherspoon kept active by walking daily during her pregnancies. She often walked with friends or family, making it a social activity as well as a way to stay fit.

Chrissy Teigen – Chrissy is known for her approachable and relatable take on fitness. She often shares her love for walking and how it kept her moving comfortably without too much strain.

How to Include Walking in Your Routine

Aim for 20-30 minutes of walking daily, either outside or on a treadmill if the weather isn’t ideal.

Keep the pace steady and ensure you have supportive shoes to avoid strain on your feet.

Take short breaks if you feel tired; walking doesn’t need to be intense to be beneficial.

Low-Impact Strength Training: Preparing for the Physical Demands of Motherhood

Low-impact strength training, especially using body weight or light dumbbells, can help strengthen the arms, back, and legs—muscles that play a major role in carrying a baby and adjusting to postnatal physical demands.

Celebrities Who Incorporate Strength Training

Serena Williams – The tennis superstar modified her usual strength training routine to include lower weights and gentler exercises while pregnant.

Gal Gadot – Known for her action roles, Gal prioritised low-impact strength exercises during her pregnancy to maintain muscle tone without risking injury.

Safe Strength Exercises to Try

Bicep Curls with Light Weights: Builds arm strength, which can be useful for lifting and carrying your baby.

How to Do It: Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding light dumbbells. Bend elbows to lift the weights towards your shoulders, then slowly lower.

Benefits: Builds arm strength, useful for postnatal carrying and lifting.

Wall Squats: Strengthens the legs and glutes while taking pressure off the lower back.

How to Do It: Stand against a wall and lower yourself into a squat, keeping your back against the wall. Hold for a few seconds, then rise back up.

Benefits: Strengthens lower body muscles needed for balance and stability.

Core Exercises: Strengthening Abdominal Muscles Safely

While crunches and sit-ups are generally not advised during pregnancy, there are many safe ways to engage the core that can support posture and ease discomfort.

Celebrities Who Focus on Core Stability

Blake Lively – The actress worked with her trainer to adapt her core routine during pregnancy, focusing on stability exercises.

Beyoncé – Known for her disciplined approach to fitness, Beyoncé used stability exercises to support her core throughout her pregnancies.

Core Exercises to Try

Standing Side Bends: Engages the oblique muscles, helping to maintain core stability.

How to Do It: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms by your side. Slowly lean to one side, reaching towards the knee, then return to standing.

Benefits: Works the obliques gently, supporting core stability.

Pelvic Tilts: Simple and safe for strengthening the lower abs and easing back pain.

How to Do It: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Gently tilt your pelvis upward, squeezing the core as you lift slightly.

Benefits: Engages lower abs, supports the back, and improves posture.

Final Tips for Staying Active During Pregnancy

Consult Your Doctor or Midwife: It’s essential to get medical advice to ensure the exercises are safe for your specific pregnancy needs.

Listen to Your Body: If something doesn’t feel right, stop and modify it. Pregnancy isn’t the time to push limits.

Focus on Comfort Over Intensity: Gentle, consistent exercise is more beneficial than pushing yourself too hard.

Stay Hydrated: Pregnancy increases your body’s need for water, so drink plenty throughout your workout.