Postnatal Exercise and Pilates
Introduction:
Bringing a new life into the world is an incredible journey, and as a new mother, your body undergoes significant changes during pregnancy and childbirth. Now that your bundle of joy has arrived, it’s essential to focus on your own well-being. Postnatal exercise, can be a transformative and fulfilling experience for mothers looking to regain strength, flexibility, and overall vitality.
Women are encouraged to undertake a new exercise regime post pregnancy. This can include both aerobic and strengthening regimes with consideration to contraindications. Stationary cycling, swimming, walking and Pilates are recommended among a large variety of other exercise.
The Benefits of Postnatal Exercise:
- Boosting Energy Levels: Sleepless nights and exhaustion are common with a newborn. Regular postnatal exercise, including Pilates, has been shown to increase energy levels, providing a much-needed boost to navigate the challenges of early motherhood as well as improve sleep quality.
- Promoting Mental and Emotional Well Being: Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural mood enhancers. Engaging in postnatal workouts, such as Pilates, can contribute to combating postpartum blues and improving overall mental well-being.
- Injury Prevention: Exercise strengthens muscles and can correct any existing imbalances. It can improve stability and mobility, which in turn will reduce likelihood of injury.
The Benefits of Pilates:
- Restoring Core Strength: After childbirth, many women experience a weakening of the abdominal muscles. Postnatal exercises, including Pilates, are designed to target these core muscles, helping to restore strength and tone. This is particularly crucial for women who may have had a separation of the abdominal muscles during pregnancy.
- Enhancing Flexibility: Pilates, known for its emphasis on controlled movements and stretches, is ideal for improving flexibility. The gentle yet effective exercises can help relieve postpartum stiffness, promoting a greater range of motion and reducing muscle tension.
Conclusion
Before embarking on any postnatal exercise regimen, it’s crucial to consult with your physiotherapist or a healthcare provider. They can assess your individual health status, ensuring that you are ready to engage in physical activity and tailor a program for you. Consider joining a Melbourne Physiotherapy Pilates and Fitness Group clinical exercise class or one-on-one sessions to ensure the exercise programme is tailored specifically to your needs. Our physiotherapists are trained to monitor and provide modifications for those recovering from childbirth. If attending classes is challenging our physiotherapists can create a personalised exercise programme for you to do at home while still ensuring you are exercising safely. Here at Melbourne Physiotherapy Pilates and Fitness Group we would be happy to book you a physiotherapist appointment today so that you can begin your professionally supervised fitness journey whatever your wishes may be!
Pre-natal Exercise and Pilates
The Importance of Prenatal Exercise and Physiotherapy for a Healthy Pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a miraculous journey for women, marked by physical, emotional, and hormonal changes. In the past, women were advised to avoid exercise in fear that this would harm the mother and baby however after recent research it has been found that exercise is very beneficial during pregnancy, given there are no contraindications from your GP/ Obstetrician or allied health team. Prenatal exercise and physiotherapy play a crucial role in promoting the well-being of both the mother and the developing baby. In this blog, we will delve into the guidelines, benefits and considerations and recommendations surrounding prenatal exercise and physiotherapy.
What are the guidelines saying?
The Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists concluded that:
- Regular aerobic and strength conditioning exercise for pregnant women without contraindications is important.
- There is no evidence suggesting harm from regular exercise during an uncomplicated pregnancy.
- It is recommended to assess medical and obstetric risks before starting an exercise program and to consider factors like frequency, intensity, duration, mode of exercise, baseline fitness, and physiological adaptations to pregnancy when prescribing exercise for pregnant women. Physiotherapists are qualified health professionals that will be able to prescribe the correct exercises and ensure all the guidelines are followed.
- Contraindications to exercise include cardiovascular disease, poorly controlled asthma, poorly controlled diabetes and bone or joint problems that may be made worse by physical activity. Make sure you always check with your health team before starting any exercise.
Benefits of Prenatal Exercise
- Improved Physical Fitness: Engaging in regular, moderate-intensity exercise during pregnancy helps improve cardiovascular health, maintain muscle strength, and enhance flexibility. This is particularly important as the body undergoes significant changes to accommodate the growing baby.
- Emotional Well-being: Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural mood enhancers, helping to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Enhanced Posture and Body Awareness: A tailored prenatal exercise program can help alleviate back pain and discomfort, that could come associated with the baby growing and shifts in the centre of gravity.
- Improved Sleep: Regular exercise contributes to better sleep quality, aiding in the management of sleep disturbances common during pregnancy.
- Prevention of Disease: There is growing indication of benefits of regular exercise for the prevention and management of gestational diabetes and hypertension related disorders, maternal-foetal diseases and neonatal complications as well as less complex labour.
How much and what exercise should you do?
Here at Melbourne Physiotherapy Pilates and Fitness Group our physiotherapy team can complete a thorough assessment and prescribe a safe and personalised exercise programme for you. We offer one-on-one training and a variety of group exercise classes as well as hydrotherapy. If you are too busy to come into us every week our physiotherapists can design a tailored exercise programme for you and supervise you though your pregnancy journey. Your physiotherapist can help advise on what exercise options are best for you. Book in with us today to begin your journey!
If you are interested in joining our ongoing classes, call us to book your initial assessment with our amazing Maria Carreno!
MPPFG TEAM!
