Pilate during Pregnancy- Prepares body for Labor and Delivery!!!
While cardiovascular exercise during pregnancy can be hard to maintain due to decreased energy levels, nausea, and uncomfortable with the added weight of your baby, Pilates provides a great, safe way for you to maintain fitness throughout your pregnancy. Pilates during pregnancy can be soothing, allowing you to focus on your body and your breathing, without added unnecessary strain. In the past few years, as Pilates has grown to be more and more popular, the number of resources on Pilates during pregnancy has exploded. You will not be at a loss to find classes and videos to get you started with a safe Pilate’s workout.
You can perform Pilates throughout the duration of your pregnancy. In fact, not only does this keep you in shape during your pregnancy, but Pilates also helps prepare your body for the process of giving birth, and even the process of getting back into shape after your baby’s arrival. By focusing on your body’s core, Pilates during pregnancy strengthens all the muscles your body will utilize during the birth of your baby. The more in shape these muscles are, the smoother the birth process will be, and the faster you’ll recover afterwards.
Benefits of Pilates in Pregnancy:
Pilate’s workouts are great exercises for pregnancy. Pilate’s workouts are designed to be non-sweaty and relaxing, making it different from prenatal yoga, and other cardiovascular exercises such as running, cycling and swimming. The five hundred controlled exercises that Pilates consist of focus on quality, rather than quantity, of movement. The idea behind Pilates exercises are to improve posture, reduce stress, create long, lean muscles and improve body awareness. Pilates works several muscles groups at the same time with concentration on strengthening and stabilizing the core. The core consists of the abdomen, back, and pelvic girdle region. It may also be referred to as the base or the solid core and the muscles as the deep stabilizing muscles.
Pilates during pregnancy is designed to strengthen and tone the muscles you use to carry the baby, making your pregnancy a little easier. Stomach muscles can weaken during pregnancy, causing back and hip pain. In addition, pregnancy can weaken your pelvic floor muscles (your perineum area), causing leakage of urine during late pregnancy and potentially a harder delivery. Some experts even claim that Pilate’s exercises during pregnancy will make labor easier and using Pilates will help you lose your pregnancy weight after you deliver.
Exercise during pregnancy encourages the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your baby. In addition, Pilates is designed to use breathing and relaxation exercises so stress in your life is reduced.
Since many of the Pilates exercises are performed on hands and knees, Pilates during pregnancy is great because these exercises will help rotate your baby into a good position for delivery. Hands and knees exercises during pregnancy will help keep your baby out of the dreaded posterior position that causes longer and more painful deliveries (think back labor).
How to Start Pilates during Pregnancy:
If you're curious how to practice Pilates during pregnancy, the following will help you to learn more about it. Remember that you should always check with your care provider before beginning any exercise program during pregnancy.
- Go to your local bookstore and check out Pilates for Pregnancy books.
- Buy a DVD or a video so you can actually see Pilate’s exercises being done by a trained instructor. A great DVD is "Pilates in Pregnancy," whether you already practice Pilates or know nothing about it.
- Take a Pilates During Pregnancy class. Ask your childbirth educator, care provider, hospital or health club for recommendations. If you still can't find a class, you can also search online or in your phone book for a local instructor.Perhaps you could get together with other women who are also pregnant--from your pregnancy class, school community or neighborhood--and get a group rate for private instruction.
Exercising Caution
Like most physical stress, you still need to be cautious about doing Pilates during pregnancy. If you’re taking a class, make sure it is geared towards pregnant women. Not all Pilate’s methods will be safe for you while you are pregnant. You will be the best judge of what feels right for your body during this time. If you’re doing Pilates and a move becomes increasingly uncomfortable for you, the best thing you can do is to just stop. Make sure you consult with your doctor about doing Pilates during pregnancy, especially if you experience any other risks or complications.
Summary
The most important thing during your pregnancy is obviously the health of you and your baby. Pilates during pregnancy is very possible, as long as you practice it more as a relaxation technique, and not as a power-house workout. Enjoy this time to just feel your body move, breathing and slowly strengthening.
