Pilates is a safe way to exercise during pregnancy
Pilates is low impact and easily adapted to you as an individual, and to your stage of pregnancy. Pilates goes hand-in-hand with pregnancy.
Benefits of pregnancy Pilates include:
- Improves your breathing technique, concentration and body awareness - makes your labor easier.
- Improves your blood and lymph circulation - relieve leg cramps and helps to prevent varicose veins.
- Increases muscle tone and endurance - abs and pelvic floor muscles are most important, they are expanding most during pregnancy
- Improves your joint stability - hormonal changes during pregnancy makes your joints and ligaments more flexible (less stable) and increases risk of injury
- Maintaining good posture and balance – good posture means less back pain and less uncomfortable feeling in your own body
Back in shape after delivery with Pilates
Pilates can be a fast, safe and effective way to get in shape in postpartum. After an uncomplicated delivery, you may begin Pilates 6-12 weeks after delivery. (Note: Check first with your health care provider before starting Pilates).
The goals of the restoration include:
- Kegels (pelvic floor exercises) to heal the pelvic floor and tone stretched muscles --> Pilates exercises engage pelvic floor muscles and strengthen them.
- Stretch the shortened low back muscles and pectoral (chest) muscles to improve posture --> The goal of Pilates is a good body alignment and muscle balance
- Tone slack abdominal muscles to help support the lower back --> This is something unique in Pilates; you are working deep abs muscles in every exercises in Pilates, which is an absolutely safe way to reshape your abs and good way to avoid “Diastasis Recti”.
- Improve your mood by taking good care of your body and self-image --> Pilates is body and mind exercise which helps you better understand your bodily needs and gives you more energy to take care of your baby.
Our Pilates teacher, Tuula, has worked as Physical Therapist in Women Health Clinic and taught many years pre/ postnatal fitness classes as well as taught several educational workshops about this expertise field to fitness professionals.
