Q: I’m a very active woman, and now that I’m pregnant, I want to stay in the best possible shape without overdoing it.
A: There are plenty of fitness and yoga centers that offer prenatal classes, emphasizing proper breathing and stretching techniques used in childbirth. Monday and Wednesday evenings or Tuesday and Thursday mornings, you can catch Making Waves at Battery Park Swim and Fitness (375 South End Avenue; 212-321-1117). It’s a low-impact-aquatic-aerobics class with light kicking and little jumping. Conveniently, the club offers a monthly membership. Prenatal, and postnatal, classes are offered at Peggy Levine Total Fitness for Women (212 West 92nd Street; 212-362-5176). The 70-minute prenatal basic low-impact-aerobics class focuses on stretching, alignment, and circulation. Or you can take a prenatal yoga class, incorporating breathing and posture exercises to prepare for labor and delivery. Each class is $18, and a monthly discount card is available. Sign-up is five minutes before class, but don’t forget your doctor’s note. (Really.) Jivamukti Yoga Center (404 Lafayette Street; 212-353-0214) has prenatal yoga classes with an emphasis on stretching and breathing. Classes are $15 and meet every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Maternal Fitness (108 East 16th Street; 212-353-1947) offers two workshops. Workshop A is for those who have never taken a prenatal exercise class; the emphasis is on muscle strengthening with light weights, focusing on the abdominals. Most of the activities are seated. Workshop B is more advanced. Each workshop is six weeks long and costs $225. Sign up early: This month’s classes are almost filled to capacity.