Movement is essential for our health and wellbeing and that doesn’t change when you are pregnant. What does change is the intensity and amount of exercise you can do. Prenatal Pilates is tailored to your changing body and it is a great way to stay strong during pregnancy.
The benefits of exercise are well known; it keeps your muscles and joints healthy, ensures you maintain a healthy weight and is great for your mental wellbeing also. During pregnancy, it’s important to keep exercising for all of these reasons and pregnancy pilates is particularly beneficial.
Pregnancy Pilates focuses on the muscles you need most for childbirth
Pilates is designed to strengthen and lengthen your muscles through various exercises and is predominantly focused on your core. Your core muscles are the muscles around your lower back and abdominals. These muscles are essential for your posture and ease of movement. If you are planning a vaginal birth, they are also pivotal in ensuring that you are able to push when your baby is ready to come out. Strengthening these muscles through prenatal pilates will support you during your pregnancy, through the birth of your baby and in your postpartum recovery.
Prenatal pilates is low-intensity, yet effective
At the beginning of your pregnancy, you may be able to continue with higher-intensity exercises, depending on the advice of your healthcare professional. As your pregnancy progresses you’ll need to adjust the amount of exercise you do and the type. Pilates is a low-intensity option, especially if you go to a specific prenatal pilates class, which can be modified to suit your changing body while still delivering an effective workout.
Pregnancy pilates will help your postpartum recovery
Strengthening the muscles of your core, back and pelvic floor will support you during your baby’s birth and also ensure that your recovery is smooth. If you work on strengthening your muscles before you give birth by going to a prenatal pilates class, there’s more chance that your postpartum recovery will be smoother.
Prenatal pilates is a supervised, safe exercise for you and your baby
When you go to a pregnancy pilates class, your teacher will be clinically trained to support your body and will allow you to work to your limits and guide you to modify where necessary for your changing body. Your pilates instructor will ensure the exercises remain pregnancy-friendly and within the realm of what is safe exercise during pregnancy.