Avoiding physical activity during pregnancy used to be the standard advice given to women; however, in the past decade, an increasing body of research shows that when done correctly it is, not only safe, but also has huge health benefits for mum and baby.
Whether you have been exercising prior to becoming pregnant or not, taking part in regular physical activity will help you cope far better with pregnancy and labour. It will also prepare you for the physical demands of motherhood.
Our top benefits include:
1. Prevent Injury & Pain
During pregnancy, women commonly experience lower or upper back pain and pelvic pain. We focus on specific strength and mobility training to help prevent these common pregnancy ailments and teach you how to assist and support your body as it goes through the on-going changes and different stages of pregnancy.
2. Mobility & Flexibility
Maintaining good mobility and flexibility can help counterbalance the biomechanical effects of pregnancy, such as changes in your centre of gravity, posture and gait, just to name a few. In turn, this will also be key in the prevention of injuries.
3. Maintain Functional Strength
Pregnancy and motherhood can be physically demanding. It is important to maintain and build strength during pregnancy for some of the physical tasks to come, such as; lowering your baby down into the cot, or into a car seat, even maintaining good posture when breastfeeding. With the correct technique, you will be less likely to injure yourself and will therefore enjoy pregnancy and motherhood a lot more!
4. Feel Happy
Exercising increases your serotonin levels and leaves you feeling happy, stress free and energised. This can make a huge difference to some of the hormone imbalances that women experience during pregnancy and in the post-partum period.
5. Increase Stamina
In many ways childbirth can be like a marathon and any marathon runner will tell you that training is key. Pregnancy is your training period. Regular physical activity during pregnancy will enhance both your body and mind’s ability to keep going until you achieve your goal!
6. Increase Self-Belief
Taking part in regular fitness training and witnessing your improvements will positively influence your mind into realising that your body can achieve things that you may have thought were not possible. If you go into labour with the confidence that your body can do it, you are already half way there.
7. Recover Better
Women who exercise during pregnancy experience a quicker post-delivery recovery and find that it is much easier to return to an active routine. It is also far easier to get back into shape after your baby is born if you haven’t had nine months off physical activity.
8. Meet other mums-to-be!
They will be the best people to support you during and after pregnancy, as they are going through it too. This type of support is invaluable and if you needed one single reason to join our PregnaFit classes, this is it.
If you are interested in joining PregnaFit, our fun, pregnancy-specific training sessions, or have any questions, then please do get in touch!
Next time, we’ll be looking at the benefits that exercising during pregnancy has on your baby’s health.
Aude Fellay
Registered Osteopath & Head of Pregnancy
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