I cannot even imagine what my life would be like without my father-in-law’s pool.

I am very fortunate to have access to this beautiful in ground pool all summer long.  Between the summer heat, constant hot flashes and feeling approximately the same size as a baby hippo, the water is just what I need for a day of relaxation.  With both kids grown and out of the house– and grandkids only over on weekends– I’ve had the great fortune of having this beautiful space all to myself for most of the summer (so far, at least).

As you can imagine, finding a great swimming workout was a must.

When I went to see my chiropractor a few weeks ago, I told him that I was suffering from a lot of lower back pain, stiffness and other problems.  He immediately suggested swimming as a way to not only get in a good workout, but also to help relieve the stress on my joints.

I took to the web immediately (poolside, of course) and began researching different routines.  I’m not a strong swimmer by any means (I can do a mean doggy paddle) and have this weird thing about putting my face in the water (mostly because I have to plug my nose like a toddler) so I was looking for something really simple and user-friendly.

I came across this workout from Fit Pregnancy magazine (FYI- they are no longer publishing paper issues) and it has really done wonders!

This is my first pregnancy so a lot of things are really taking some getting used to.  When I began swimming around for the first time (as I described to my husband) it felt as though someone had strapped a cantaloupe to my torso.  It was the strangest sensation to swim around with what felt like a little boulder.  Of course, I was alone (and am a hypochondriac) so I immediately convinced myself that I was sinking.  After some more compulsive Googling I decided that I was fine to continue.

All you really need is a decent swim suit, some goggles and a paddle board.  But really, you could to this workout without equipment.  There’s a decent selection of maternity swim suits out in stores right now.  I own three, personally… One from Kohl’s (not pictured), and two others from Target (pictured).  Besides, is there a better excuse to buy a new, cute suit for summer?!  I opted for a bikini top (which I would never ever wear in my pre-preggo life) to show off the bump.

Here’s the link to the workout again.  Happy swimming!

Have you tried this workout routine?  Found another that works for you?  What is your experience swimming while pregnant?  Leave it in the comments!