8 Ways Pilates Can Help You Prepare For Pregnancy
We’ve all heard that exercise is great for pregnancy but there are so many options out there it can be hard to determine what type of exercise is best.
While I’m certainly biased, but many doctors would agree, Pilates is one of the most effective and beneficial forms of exercise to accommodate a healthy pregnancy along with a healthy delivery and recovery.
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How Pilates Can Help You Prepare For Pregnancy:
1. It builds strong abdominal muscles to support your back, hips and spine while carrying around the extra weight and mass of a growing baby belly (which will also pay off when you’re constantly carrying around 8+ pounds when baby arrives)
2. Many women suffer from back pain while pregnant which is often caused by an underlying postural problem that is made worse by the growing belly. Pilates builds strong back muscles that can help you maintain a healthy posture , leading to less pain and discomfort.
3. Forward, rounding shoulders are a common side-effect of carrying a child (both in pregnancy and with an infant). Pilates corrects wrong postures and pulls the shoulders back into place, reducing neck and shoulder tension so you can care for your child with ease.
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4. Pilates strengthens the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is crucial to a healthy pregnancy, delivery and recovery. The pelvic floor is a like basket of muscles that hold everything in down below. A healthy pelvic floor is able to contract on demand, and release on demand. Pilates is the ideal exercise to ensure that your pelvic floor will remain strong and healthy throughout pregnancy and perhaps just as important, post-pregnancy.
5. Joseph Pilates believed that healthy circulation was the key to a healthy body and mind. Pilates improves circulation throughout the entire body which is especially important when you’re pumping enough blood to sustain two lives. Did you your blood volume increases by 40% during pregnancy? It’s important to keep that blood pumping to grow a healthy baby, keep your energy up and reduce swelling in the later months.
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6. Through deep breathing and focus, Pilates calms the mind during a time that is often filled with worry. Pregnancy can be an anxious time! There is so much to think about, so much to know, so much to plan for and so much to figure out – keeping a calm, sound, mind is imperative to a healthy, enjoyable pregnancy. Pilates can do just that.
7. One thing unique to Pilates is the focus on healthy feet. Building strong muscles in the foot and ankle to protect against fallen arches, a troubling side-effect of carrying around an extra 30+ pounds for 9 months.
8. And my favorite reason to practice Pilates during pregnancy: it gives women a sense of control over their body during a time where most things feel out of control.
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The list could certainly go on, but one of these alone should be enough to get you in the Pilates studio!
As an instructor, it is always my recommendation that you begin a regular Pilates practice BEFORE you conceive. It’s important to learn the principles and get comfortable with the exercises before you are carrying a little life and exercising for 2. That way, you will know what feels right and what feels wrong once you begin your Pilates training program.
If you are pregnant and interested in doing Pilates contact a professional for one-on-one training and/or enroll in a pre-natal specific class. I’m happy to help you navigate the process if you’re interested. Simply post a comment below and I’ll help in any way I can!
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