Pregnant women and Pilates

It is every pregnant woman's dream to have a less stressful pregnancy journey, childbirth and an easy after birth recovery! in order to achieve this, some measures and steps can be used to aid pregnant women throughout their pregnancy journey. Pregnancy in women is a mixture of different changes both physically and mentally and even though not advised to perform intense exercises, less intense exercises can aid to keep them active and engaged in their bodies, we need to move the body and work on different muscles that aid in a smooth pregnancy journey, delivery and recovery and even ways of preventing surgery during or after pregnancy, not moving the body can lead to stiffness, fatigue and general body weakness unless advised not to exercise due to complications. Pilates is an ideal exercise for this.

Pilates is a form of low impact exercise that indulges full body by challenging the mind and the body of an individual through focusing on strengthening the muscles while improving mobility and flexibility. Such low impact exercises can help pregnant women learn and become more in tuned and engaged with their bodies throughout the different changes and cycles. Pregnancy in women on the other hand is a condition of having a developed embryo or fetus during the period of carrying a baby or babies in their womb. This condition typically lasts for nine months thereabout, and the recovery depends on the individual and on whether it was a normal childbirth or if it was through surgery, most common being Caesarean section. Ideally, we want a smooth pregnancy journey, delivery and recovery. Pilates, helps us work with pregnant women in a safe way to aid them in understanding their bodies, working on muscles that aid throughout the entire pregnancy while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

We will talk more about why Pilates for pregnant women.

Why Pilates?

-Pilates as a form of exercise has important impacts on the human body, with fundamental principles like breathing, alignment, stability, mobility and balance, through these fundamentals, I will discuss into details why they are important and how it can aid pregnancy, at childbirth and after childbirth. These exercises are Prenatal exercises.

BREATHING: Pilates breathing is a very crucial and the most important part as stated by Joseph Pilates, 'Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it.' The Pilates method of breathing by taking deep inhale into the ribs, on the sides of the body and exhaling though the mouth helps expand the ribcage and stretch all the intercoastal muscles that can get tight during pregnancy and aids in preparation of labor though the emphasis on deep breathing and body awareness.

STABILITY/MOBILITY/BALANCE/CORE: The goal of stabilization is to stay connected to the core, Pilates aids in engaging the core by emphasizing on awareness and one's range of motion during workouts, working the core during pregnancy helps relief back pain, works on posture, aids during labor and easier post-partum recover. As a woman's uterus expands and the pelvis compensates by moving forward, hamstrings and glutes can weaken and cause leg cramps and calf cramps, Pilates help strengthen the glutes that can create more support in the back side of the body, stability and mobility during Pilates also helps maintain and regain flexibility during and after childbirth in the abdominal area and other parts of the body, lastly, concentrating on spinal mobility by different movements of the spine in flexion and extension emphasizing the mobility of the spine aids in preventing discomfort and back pain during and after pregnancy.

During Pregnancy, the pelvic floor muscles can be weakened, incorporating different Pilates exercises that target the pelvic floor helps restore strength, stability and function during and after pregnancy.

Pilates has a form of exercise has a lot of different modification and props used to aid different exercises for special populations like pregnancy. With these different props and modifications, it allows everyone to be able to exercise regardless of any health issues or restrictions.

Pilates exercises emphasize on shoulder stability, ribcage, hips and spine placements that aid in reducing pain and stiffness in the said areas during pregnancy.

There are Pilates exercises that safe and are advised for pregnant women either in the reformer or in the mat and can be done at any stage before, during or after pregnancy, these are less intense exercises that works for different parts of the body.

lying down on the back either on the reformer or the mat is only okay until at some point but ideally for a pregnant woman, we can use a wedge as a prop to aid in lifting the heart higher than the pelvis.

Some of the BEST Pilate's exercises for pregnant women are:

*Side lying series

-Foot in straps (for bend and stretch, lower and lift)

-Arm in straps (arm adduction), can also be done on short box

*Knee Stretches:

-On a round back

*Standing exercises:

-Side Squats

-Side Splits

*Short Box Series

-Hug a tree

-Offering