Prepping for D(elivery) Day!
Serena Williams won her recent 23rd Grand Slam title held in Australia in January this year while pregnant. Gal Gadot filmed reshoots of Wonder Woman while 5 months pregnant. Joanne Peh was pregnant when she shot intense scenes for local movie 1965. Pregnancy is all about understanding your body, and fitness goals and safety precautions should change along with your mental and physical changes. One of the best ways to keep yourself active is with Prenatal Pilates, as it still encourages engagement of the core, pelvic floor muscles, while still being a full body workout. Our Preggi Bellies instructors chip in on what they focus on to help you get ready for your new bundle of joy!
Arms and Upper Back
Postural changes during pregnancy includes rounding of the shoulders and producing a “hunched over” position, which means there is a need to strengthen the arms and upper back. Mari favours a full 360 arm workout through a series of Back Row, Front Row and Side Arm exercises. You will also need that arm strength to carry your new baby!
Pelvic Floor Engagement
Pelvic floor muscles tend to weaken and overstretch during pregnancy due to the constant weight bearing on it. Strengthening the pelvic floor is essential for preventing incontinence during and post pregnancy, as well as help with your delivery. Betsy uses Kegel exercises to introduce pelvic floor to ladies who are unsure of how to engage, while Svenja keeps it simple but mindful through Breathing with pelvic floor engagement.
Glutes, Hips and Leg Work
Both Svenja and Daisy agree in the importance of building the surrounding hip muscles with the Side Lying Hip and Leg Work for weight bearing and endurance during birth, and Joyce, who is currently pregnant, tells us how the Hip Flexor Stretch is saving her life right now, as another main postural change during pregnancy includes an anterior pelvic tilt, and stretching it out relieves the lower back and hips. Another favourite of Joyce’s is the Glute Bridge to counter Lordosis (when your natural spinal curve arches too far inwards) and because the bum invariably gets fat! Lastly, Gemhl combines stability work with pelvic floor engagement in the Standing Leg Press.
Core
Lastly, it wouldn’t be pilates if the core training was not involved. It is still possible to build core strength safely, and Betsy uses Baby Planks as it is the best way for pregnant ladies to activate and engage the core muscles without any strain.
If you are unsure whether you should try prenatal pilates, do approach your gynaecologist to get the green light. Here at Breathe Pilates, we highly recommend that you only start in your second trimester, so do give us a call to book your session with us!
Svenja, Daisy, Betsy, Mari, Gemhl and Joyce (mentioned in this article) are all trained Pilates instructors who teaches Preggi Bellies classes and private sessions at Breathe Pilates. For more information, head over to www.breathepilates.com.sg now!
