Pre & post pregnancy Pilates!

Now, I've never been pregnant so, of course, I don't actually know exactly how it feels to have your posture dramatically change and your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles stretch and weaken as your baby bump grows. However, what I do know (and what I have had confirmed by many of my wonderful pre/post natal clients) is that Pilates is one of the safest and most effective exercise methods for staying strong, fit and active during your pregnancy and to help you get your pre-baby body back post pregnancy.

Pilates focuses on developing a strong core. Core strength is invaluable because if your abdominals, back muscles, and pelvic floor muscles are conditioned and strengthened they will support your pregnancy and delivery effectively and comfortably. Additionally, once the baby is born, it doesn't take long to get those core muscles back into shape with Pilates. Your muscle memory will kick back in (even after muscles have been weakened by pregnancy) and muscle fibres will quickly regain their strength through basic yet super effective exercises which engage your deep, core muscles through very targeted and controlled movements. 

Another wonderful aspect of using Pilates as a method of fitness is that it is very adaptable and flexible. Most of the exercises used in Pilates workouts can easily be modified to accompany a belly, a sore back, or stretched belly muscles that are aching to get back into shape. Modifications are an important aspect of any exercise program because they allow you to do the exercise to gain the benefit, yet work within your present limitations. For example, for some women towards the end of their pregnancy, the two large parallel bands of muscles that meet in the middle of the abdomen (Rectus Abdominals) separate (a condition called diastasis recti). This causes a bulge in the middle of the abdomen where the two muscles separate. Post-pregnancy, much care must be taken not to over engage these muscles in this weakened state and to ensure they are not contracted whilst still in this weakened state. Safe, functional post-pregnancy Pilates exercises will focus on engaging the deeper abdominal muscles (the Transverse Abdominals) and not over-activating the Rectus Abdominals until they have returned to their ore-natal state.

My advice to new mummies? Spend the first five or six weeks (at least - longer if you had any complications during your pregnancy) focusing 100 per cent on your new little bundle of joy and getting used to being a mummy! Then, if and when you feel ready to start moving your body again and re-activating your core muscles, then some gentle Pilates matwork would be an ideal place to start! If you are new to Pilates, check in with your doctor or midwife before you get started. You will need to find a good Pilates instructor who can give you some one-on-one time and who will be able to help you make the necessary modifications in order for you to optimise the exercises. If you've never worked with Pilates exercises before, it's best not to try to do it on your own initially. Pilates exercises are very exact, so in order to get the most benefit, get the proper instruction. If you don't have access to a one-to-one instructor, perhaps try and find a specific post-natal group class, which would be ideal for meeting other new mummies as well as learning Pilates exercises suitable for post-pregnancy!