Pre-natal exercise; the more "pre" the better!

The importance of fitness and exercise is becoming firmly established advice given to expectant mums which is great news, it’s something we've been advocating for years now. As we’re fond of saying: Pregnancy (let alone labour!) is an endurance event and you should train as such.

As with training for any event the earlier you start the better prepared you’ll be on the big day. With pregnancy this couldn't be truer; we often find that pre-natal clients come to us late on in their pregnancies seeking help with pain relief due to the stresses and strains that are placed on the body by the growing bump.

With earlier intervention we can help you to stop these aches and pains from happening at all allowing you a more enjoyable pregnancy. Ideally your physical preparation would start as soon as you make the decision that you’re are going to try to get pregnant. That way you can have all of the postural stability, functional strength and metabolic benefits in place right from the first day you need them rather than trying to play catch-up.

Not only is early intervention important but the type of exercise is vital to reap all of the benefit. Pregnancy places great stress on the postural muscles (this is why you get the back ache and sore shoulders in the 3^rd trimester) so don’t waste lots of time on exercise bikes and cross-trainers. The thing to do is mix in some resistance work, whether it’s body-weight, swissball or weight training.  A properly tailored program of strengthening for your unique posture, core strength and fitness will pay massive dividends as the weeks tick along and your bump grows.

There should also be some consideration to the specific exercises that you perform during different stages of your pregnancy.  For instance it is not advisable (nor practical in many cases) to continue prone floor exercises past the first trimester.  Strenghening the muscles of the back at an early stage with floor exercises such as the Cobra is therefore vital in the long-term prevention of back and shoulder pain.  Past the first trimester moving onto exercises such as the bent-over row and swissball bridging would be much more advisable.

As with all endurance events, the earlier you start your preparation the easier you find the big day.  So don't leave it until you start getting aches and pains, be proactive and have a happy, healthy pregnancy.

If you don't know how you'd go about adding "pregnancy safe" resistance training to your routine then pop along to our pre-natal exercise classes every Tuesday at 3pm.  Packed full of simple, effective exercises that don't require you to have much if any equipment at home, these classes are suitable for everyone.