Exercise during pregnancy has many benefits, not just to you, but to your unborn baby as well. There’s definitely truth in the saying “Fitter mums, have fitter babies”. When you study the anatomical and physiological changes that occur in a pregnant person’s body, what happens to you is really quite dramatic. It really is a life-changing experience. There are several postural changes that happen to your body eg your shoulders start to round forwards, your hips get tighter, your back gets more of an excessive lumbar curve, your gluteals weaken etc. So, what does exercising during pregnancy do? Here’s a little list for you to read through:
improves your circulation to stop you suffering with cramp, heart burn or indigestion
reduce pregnancy aches and pains eg back ache, sciatica, stiff shoulders etc
combat excessive weight gain if you’re doing the right types of exercise 3-5 times a week
helps you maintain your fitness level if you’re doing 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular fitness 3-5 times a week
maintain a strong heart and lungs to prepare you physically for labour
helps you focus on your breathing during labour
keeps muscles strong and toned to help you with the physical demands of motherhood when baby arrives
improves your general well-being and lifts your mood
helps fight insomnia
helps you relax and de-stress after a long day
gives you some ME time
aids your postnatal recovery
This list is by no means exhaustive, but I hope it’s given you some motivation, to get you up and about and a little more active throughout your day-to-day activities. We are now offering safe and effective ante natal Pilates classes for mums-to-be on Thursday evenings in Chilton. Contact Gemma for more information (in confidence if you haven't announced yet) or visit this page for more information and booking.