I’m Pregnant, what is OK?
Listen to your body
When I found out I was pregnant I started to look into research on recommended exercise and there is a lot of dispute on what is good for you and what is bad.
I really truly believe that listening to your body is the most cliché but best advice to give anyone. Personally, there are days when I can go spinning and others when I want to lie on the sofa with my legs up! It is all about Balance! And Balance being a good exercise to continue throughout pregnancy which can be as simple as standing on one and engaging your pelvic floor!
The last few months have been an eye-opener for me as I have treated numerous Pregnant (Pre NATAL) woman and post partum patients but being on the other side has been exciting /interesting!
It has become even more evident to me just how important looking after your body is. There are so many different ways to look after your body but I wanted to focus on the exercise and physical side.
There has been so much research out there on exercise on pregnancy and I am not going to read off all the research papers but when I started to look at what I should be doing when pregnant I got even more confused.
My advice re: pregnancy and exercise so far!!
EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!
IF YOU HAVE ANY NIGGLES DO NOT LEAVE THEM – whether it be back pain, foot pain, neck discomfort, sciatica, pubic pain leg swelling, or struggling to sleep – GET TO A PHYSIO as they can advice you on best way forward.
HORMONES:!
PROGESTERONE AND RELAXIN play a pivotal role during pregnancy, their job is to relax ligaments in order to facilitate childbirth. Although this is incredibly clever of the body it has got some down points as the relaxed ligaments can cause back, sacroiliac, and hip pain.
Sometimes lumbar /sacroiliac supports can really help.
PELVIC FLOOR
Some thing you can do anywhere! On the train /tube/ having a cup of tea!
SLEEP
Lack of sleep can increase your cortosil levels ( stress ) and also affect your attention therefore invest in a pregnancy cushion that works for you! I believe that doing a little exercises most days helps your sleep pattern as well.
PILATES AND YOGA
During my first 6 months I have made sure that I have continued with my 1x week Pilates class and I really believe this has helped me keep my core and gluts strong helping me carry the extra weight without pain! I LOVE reformer pilates but that is my preference – find what suits you. ALWAYS tell the teacher you are pregnant as they will adapt some of the exercises for you.
WALKING
I chose to walk into work 3x week to save myself from the busy tube and to get my 10,000 steps in before even starting my day at work!
I have noticed that I need to slow my pace down or I start to get slight hip pain – But again LISTEN to your body.
SWIMMING
I would advise my patients to swim when pregnant but I personally have not managed to fit this into my weekly routine yet! I hope that as I find walking more difficult I will get in the pool.
ALL in all I feel incredibly lucky as I have been able to keep away from back pain /sciatica in the first 6 months of my pregnancy and I really believe that my Pilates and exercises helps.
Do not get me wrong I need to rest more and put my feet up but I am a big believer in keeping as strong as possible to help take the pressure off the spine. I can not stress enough that this is my little routine and everyone is different, if you have any worries or pain it is work seeing a specialist as usually we can help you!
