Pregnancy Pilates & Its Benefits
If you’re hearing about pregnancy Pilates, or you’ve recently given birth and want to know how to get back in shape, you’re on the right track. One of the highly recommended forms of exercise for pregnant and postpartum women is Pilates. If you’re wondering why women are turning to this form of exercise, read on to find out.
Better Posture Overall
While you’re pregnant, doing Pilates can be a great way to keep your muscles longer and stronger rather than tighter and shorter. Your body can also better manage the stress that pregnancy places on your joints and muscles with better posture.
Less Back Pain
Back pain is a common complaint during pregnancy. Pilates can help you adapt to your changing body and reduce back pain by strengthening the core, working to maintain proper posture, and gaining deeper body awareness.
Improved Core Muscles
During pregnancy and labour, the core muscles go through a lot of stress and change. The hormone relaxin is released during pregnancy. Relaxin makes your ligaments more flexible in preparation for birth, as its name suggests.
The ligaments become longer as a result of this increased flexibility, which can cause pelvic and lower back pain. During pregnancy, strengthening the deep core muscles may help prevent or alleviate low back and pelvic pain and counteract ligament laxity.
Diastasis Recti Prevention
Keeping your core muscles strong can also help lessen the severity of diastasis recti, which affects approximately 23 per cent of pregnant women.
Diastasis recti result from inside strain on the abs of the developing child. The linea alba, a thin band of connective tissue that runs along the front of the abdominal muscles, may become damaged as a result of this pressure.
Stronger Pelvic Floor Overall
Alongside the fantastic strain put on the centre muscles during pregnancy and birth, the pelvic floor likewise goes through a lot of pressure. Your bowel, bladder, and internal organs are supported by the pelvic floor, which acts like a hammock under your pelvis. During and after pregnancy, having a weak pelvic floor increases your risk of incontinence.
Low Impact But Still Effective
During pregnancy or post-pregnancy recuperation, Pilates offers a delicate yet extraordinarily compelling method for testing and toning the muscles. Pilates is a gentle, low-impact, easy-on-the-joints exercise that can be modified to suit any stage of your pregnancy or postpartum recovery, in contrast to many higher-impact exercises that are not recommended for pregnant women.
Stronger Muscles
Pilates is an excellent exercise for strengthening your chest and upper back muscles. Keeping these muscles solid will assist you with going about everyday exercises, for example, conveying your child, taking care of your child, and pushing a buggy serenely and securely.
Have a Healthy Weight
Although pregnancy-related weight gain is completely normal, it is essential to maintain a healthy weight. A woman is more likely to develop gestational diabetes if she gains more weight during her pregnancy than the recommended amount. Pilates can help you maintain a healthy weight throughout your pregnancy and help you feel great
Stronger Legs
Varicose veins, leg cramps, and fluid retention may occur during pregnancy for women. Having strong legs can help you move comfortably throughout your pregnancy and lower your risk of developing these conditions.
Faster Postpartum Recovery
Keeping fit during your pregnancy and following a healthy exercise routine can speed up your recovery after giving birth.
Where Are The Experts?
To do pregnancy Pilates properly, you need to choose the right people to guide you safely along the journey. This is where Propel Physio comes in. Their team of pregnancy physiotherapy experts are fully licensed and will guide you through bettering your health before and after the baby is born.
