Why You Should Do Pregnancy Pilates
Being pregnant means something amazing is about to change your life - but it doesn’t always feel like it. You can often feel uncomfortable and in pain, and you know that it’s all building up to an event you have very mixed feelings about. Finding something that can help to ease your discomfort and perhaps prepare you for giving birth, as well as for recovery afterwards, can be a gamechanger. Pregnancy Pilates is an excellent choice, whether you have done any Pilates before or you want to pick it up to stay healthy during your pregnancy. As long as your midwife or doctor says it’s ok, it has a range of benefits.
Strengthen Your Muscles
Pilates is a great choice for strengthening your muscles, which has a number of advantages when you’re pregnant. Firstly, it can help to reduce your pain. As your pregnancy progresses, your ligaments become more flexible, which can cause back and pelvic pain. Strong abdominal muscles can help with this, and Pilates is excellent for strengthening your core. It can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles too, which helps to support your bladder and bowel to make your recovery easier after you have your baby. You could even get stronger arms so you’re ready to carry your newborn around.
Get Control of Your Breathing
Pregnancy Pilates is also idea for learning to control your breathing. This is useful for both preparing for labour and for relaxing during pregnancy. Controlling your breath is one of the important elements you’ll focus on in a Pilates class. It will help you to get enough oxygen for both you and your baby while you’re working out, as well as giving you some breath control techniques that you can use when it’s time to welcome your baby into the world. Breathing techniques are great for meditation too, helping you to relax and keep your blood pressure regulated.
Keep Your Weight Healthy
They say that pregnant women are eating for two, but really you only need to eat little bit more than normal while you’re pregnant. Regulating your weight is an important part of keeping you and your baby healthy. Although you should be putting on weight, it should be mostly baby and not fat. If you start putting on more than the recommended weight during pregnancy, you could be at higher risk for gestational diabetes. Pilates during pregnancy will help you maintain a healthy weight with regular exercise.
Recover Faster Postpartum
Your body might be built for pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean it can just spring back into shape once your baby has arrived. However, doing regular exercise like pregnancy Pilates can help to prepare you. Staying fit before you have your baby can make it easier for your body to bounce back postpartum. Some women get back to working out just days after having their baby - although you might want to take a bit more of a break!
If you’re looking for a way to stay fit during pregnancy, Pilates is a healthy choice. Just make sure you have your doctor’s approval first.
