Leisa Hart's FitMama: Prenatal Workout

Prenatal exercise will help you:

- Ease back pain
- Improve digestion
- Avoid calf cramps
- Increase energy levels
- Avoid excessive weight gain
- Ease emotional highs and lows
- Prepare for labor and delivery
- Bond with your baby
- Bounce back more quickly after delivery

Stay fit through each stage of your pregnancy with International Fitness Expert and expectant mom Leisa Hart. This innovative method helped her stay fit and energetic during her first pregnancy. FitMama Prenatal Workout follows the guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. Leisa will help you increase your self-confidence with your changing body and feel great from conception to delivery!

INTRODUCTION - Leisa Hart first tells you what to expect in her video. She explains that the abdominal exercises have been modified to prevent the vertical muscles, the recti abdominis, from separating during pregnancy. Guidelines from the American College of OBGyNs are listed. Leisa recommends a frequency of 3 to 4 times per week, but completing one section at a time vs. the entire 60 minutes fit my schedule better.

SALSA (20 min) - The setting is bare: one large room with hardwood floors and two glass paneled doors in back. The participants are separated into groups. Leisa, in her third trimester, stands in the center. On her left are two women in their second trimester. Two women in their first trimester are on her right. All movements in the Salsa portion of the tape, such as the mambo cha-cha-cha, are acceptable for moms at any stage. I salsa on carpet and find it sometimes tough to slide. When Leisa introduces a new move, she performs it twice, then asks you to join her. Her arm cues make it easy to follow along. She frequently asks, "How do you feel?" so that you can monitor your intensity level.

YOGA FAT BURN (20 min) - This section helped ease my lower back pain. Leisa focuses on breathing techniques and stresses correct knee placement. In the Warrior position, the moms in the first tri put their hand on the floor, second tri put forearm to thigh, and Leisa places her hand on her thigh. But she suggest you do the position most comfortable for you. They complete 3 repetitions for each side.

LABOR AND DELIVERY PREP (6 min) - Yoga ball and strap are optional. I had neither, but performed the exercises, like Kegels, with no trouble. Different variations for the ab exercises match the stage of pregnancy.

PRENATAL STRETCH AND RELAX (8 min) - This sections includes cat stretches, breathing techniques, and positions for each stage of pregnancy. Leisa inserts helpful tips, such as the importance of laying on your left side to get nutrients to the baby.


Great Pregnancy Exercise Video   January 6, 2004
Lisa Manske (Wauwatosa, WI USA)
121 out of 122 found this review helpful

I bought this video as the weather turned bitterly cold and I could no longer continue long walks outdoors. It is great for getting your heartrate up, breaking a light sweat, stretching and toning, and preparing for birth. The salsa section was a little hard for me to follow at first, but once I got the hang of it I found it a fun way to exercise. On the DVD, there are bonus sections about moves and positions to help you during labor, provided you are not confined to a hospital bed. I also like that once you know the routines, you can turn the narration off and just follow along with the music.

One note, the "yoga burn" section is not really yoga. I like this section, but if you're accustomed to practicing yoga you may find it to be quite different from your expectations. It is based on a few basic yoga postures, like warrior and mountain pose, but there is quite a bit of fast movement and no long, meditative poses.

I use this video alternately with "Yoga Journal's Prenatal Yoga" and find them to be excellent complements to each other. The Prenatal Yoga video has many quiet, meditative yoga poses (modified for pregnancy) to build strength and tranquility while FitMama is fast-paced and upbeat to build cardiovascular fitness.


a comparison of 3 prenatal fitness videos, including Leisa Hart's FitMama   December 15, 2005
R. Underwood (USA)
75 out of 80 found this review helpful

I purchased and tried 3 prenatal fitness DVDs around the same time:

* Perfect Pregnancy Workout
* Prenatal Yoga
* Leisa Hart's Fit Mama Prenatal Workout

Here's how I thought they compared. (Note that I do yoga and walk regularly; while I enjoy dancing, I do not dance regularly. I'm not overweight.)

* Perfect Pregnancy Workout - 5 stars. Designed and narrated by a Cirque du Soleil acrobat (faint French accent), this video is my favorite of the three. The woman demonstrating the workout is about 8 months pregnant and in amazing athletic shape (visible muscle definition). The theme of this video seems to be preparing for birth and staying strong and fit. It has two sections: (a) workout and (b) instructions.

(a) After a mercifully brief cheesy earth-mother introduction, the yoga-based workout is vigorous yet flowing and straightforward, building incredible muscle strength, flexibility, and stamina. It includes squats, lunges, lots of ab work, lots of great hip stretches, kegels, lots of different arm strengtheners. At the end I am sweating, breathing harder, relaxed, and satisfied. The next day my muscles are sore (in a good way) and feel stronger. The music is world-beat without vocals, easy to exercise to.

(b) The instructions section is excellent as well. Animated anatomical graphics clearly illustrate diastasis, how to check yourself for it, and how to modify your workout to avoid further muscle separation, as well as exactly what kegels are. This part also explains in depth how to do the moves in the workout.

* Prenatal Yoga - 4 stars. Designed and narrated by a UCLA-graduated yogi, this video is my second favorite. Shiva is under 3 months' pregnant in the demonstration but has women behind her in second and third trimesters. The theme of this video seems to be relaxing and preparing for motherhood. It has three sections: (a) workout, (b) massage, and (c) interview.

(a) The workout is much less vigorous than Perfect Pregnancy, but includes squats, lunges, many spinal twists, kegels (no deep explanation, just metaphor), lots of different stretches. At the end I am sweating a bit, relaxed, and satisfied. The music is new-age without vocals. For some reason, Shiva does not pronounce the "h" in "exhale" which can be distracting. Also the narration gets slightly out of sync with the demonstration in a few places, which can be confusing.

(b) The massage section is fabulous if you have a partner willing to watch it and give you one! Great techniques for feet, legs, back, and neck.

(c) Shiva explains her story in the interview, how her father named her after an Indian god, how she took up yoga in college, etc.

* Leisa Hart's FitMama - 2 stars. I bought this on Amazon's recommendation and I'm sorry I did. My biggest gripe is that this video doesn't focus on smooth continuous deep breathing, unlike the other two DVDs. Leisa is a perky actress who does infomercials. She is 8 months pregnant in this but her body looks very different (thin, wiry) compared to the woman's in Perfect Pregnancy (athletic). The theme of this video seems to be feeling better (sexier) about oneself while pregnant. It has basically two sections: (a) workout and (b) bonus stretches.

(a) The workout is much less vigorous than Perfect Pregnancy yet goes at a faster, more erratic pace than either of the other two videos. It has four parts: salsa dance, "yoga fat burn," labor and delivery prep, and prenatal stretch and relaxation. The dancing is about 8 moves repeated, with a few squats. I feel foolish and bored doing this. The yoga fat burn is more aerobics than yoga, includes ab work, squats, no twists, never holds any pose for long, is repetitive. Labor and delivery prep includes kegels (no real explanation), many boring arm swings, ab work. Prenatal stretch and relaxation includes leg stretches, ab work, is repetitive. The music is salsa, soft rock, and world beat without vocals; very good workout music, loud in places.

(b) The bonus stretches are the best part, but are buried under Special Features (the DVD doesn't seem very well organized). These include leg, back, hip and shoulder stretches actually held for several seconds, squats, plenty of rapid boring arm swings.

All three videos show women in different trimesters doing the exercises and mention appropriate modifications. All three videos explain how to do the exercises safely and how to recognize warning signs of overdoing it.

If you're a yoga gal like me and you want to buy just one prenatal yoga video, get Perfect Pregnancy. If you want your partner to give you a great massage too, get Prenatal Yoga.


excellent, i really liked this video   March 8, 2003
Pam (Los Angeles)
44 out of 49 found this review helpful

EXCELLENT CHOREOGRAPHY IN THIS PRENATAL WORKOUT VIDEO...THE INSTRUCTOR LEISA IS VERY PREGNANT, I BELIEVE NINE MONTHS, AND SHE VERY POWERFULLY LEADS A GROUP OF OTHER PREGNANT WOMEN THORUGH A SALSA DANCE ROUTINE THAT WAS 20 MINUTES AND NOT COMPLICATED, THEN A YOGA FAT BURN THAT TONED THE BODY(MAINLY THE HIPS AND THIGHS AND BUTTIE) WITHOUT ANY SPIRTITUAL MUMBOJUMBO AND THEN SHE DID TWO REALLY NICE SEGMENTS ON LABOR AND DELIVERY PREP AND THEN A STRETCH/RELAX SEGEMENT. ALL IN ALL, THIS VIDEO WAS FLAWLESS. THE MUSIC WAS GOOD, AND THE OTHER 4 WOMEN OR THE CAST WERE COMPRISED OF FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD TRIMESTERS, AND ANY MOVES THAT WARRANTED IT WERE MODIFIED FOR YOU, WHICH WAS HELPFUL, YET NOT OVERLY TALKED. THE INSTRUCTOR DID NOT OVER TALK OR OVER STATE ANYTHING, SHE WAS IMPECCABLE IN HER CUEING OF THE MOVES, WHICH MADE THE DANCING VERY EASY. I REVIEW LOTS OF VIDEOS FOR MAGAZINES, AND NOT MANY, MAYBE 1 PERCENT OF THEM, DESERVE 5 STARS, AND FITMAMA GETS MY VOTE FOR BEING A 5 STAR WORKOUT FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. MY BABY WILL BE ENJOYING THE MOVES WITH ME AS I AM ONLY 7 WEEKS PREGNANT, SO I WAS GLAD TO REVIEW THIS FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING A PRENATAL FITNESS PROGRAM, I RECOMMEND IT.


Jennifer from Kennesaw, GA is so wrong, this video is great   October 20, 2003
Lois Garza (Richardson, TX)
43 out of 52 found this review helpful

FITMAMA IS GREAT...I usually don't bother giving reviews of videos and stuff, but after reading the ignorant review from "Jennifer from Kennesaw, GA" titled "Don't be fooled by this video", I was very annoyed with her....again, FITMAMA IS GREAT!

First, Leisa Hart was over 8 months pregnant when she produced this video. I should know, my friend was an extra on the video rehearsals, she had the same doctor as Leisa, and was due around the same time as Leisa. Leisa did not have a "fake" belly, that is such a stupid comment...and rude! No one would be so stupid as to choreograph and shoot a pregnancy video while not being pregnant. FYI- she had her baby the week before Christmas, and the video was shot the first week of December, so do the math Jennifer from Georgia(you must be a fake by making such a mean spirited comment, Leisa was over eight months pregnant when she filmed FitMama !

When I got pregnant earlier this year, my OB recommended this workout for several reasons. First, it was approved by several ob/gyn's for safety and effectiveness for pregnant women. The cardio keeps the heartrate at the proper level, taking into consideration all the variations of women doing the workout, and Leisa gives tips as to what you should expect. Jennifer from GA must be someone who is in great shape and when she got pregnant expected everyone else to be in top shape and can't find anything good to say about a workout that is not "extreme" enough for them. Kathy Smiths video is very old, outdated, with unsafe moves that are no longer part of the American College of OB/GN's guidelines, her video should be off the market! If that's what Jennifer from GA likes, then that explains the ignorance of her rude comments about this video.

I was so upset I was compelled to write some good things about FitMama, as it is a great video...but at least I know, you can't please everyone, that's our freedom to choose! But if you have negative comments, express them constructively!

Also, the toning was the yoga fat burn. That was a very effective segment, with great moves utilizing the bodies own weight as resistance. I found it to be challenging and motivating. I especially liked the breathing tips that were very straightforward and helpful with daily life.

Finally, I see Leisa Hart on tv being very professional and looking very classy, she is very fit and her approach to fitness is easy to follow, she teaches great and is a role model for many, so I give my two thumbs up to FITMAMA and highly recommend it!!!!!!