Why is Pilates good during pregnancy?
If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, and wondering how Pilates can support your pregnancy, this video is for you. But you’re gonna want to know a few things like when you should start and what are the benefits of Pilates during pregnancy, and if it’s too late to get started. So let’s talk about it.
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Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, co-founder of OnlinePilatesClasses.com™. And I’ve been teaching Pilates since 2008. And I’ve taught many women before their pregnancy, during their pregnancy and after their pregnancy. And so I am excited to talk about a Pilates practice for you and when you should get started doing your Pilates practice if you’re considering becoming pregnant or if you are.
Strengthening Your Body Through Pregnancy with Pilates
Pilates is a full-body workout. And so as your belly grows during pregnancy, and you are unable to do certain exercises, the cool thing is that your entire body is still getting strengthened and can work around your baby. It improves posture and balance, which is super great for keeping pain away from your lower back and also as your center of gravity changes Pilates is going to help you maintain your balance.
And speaking of lower back pain, we actually have a whole video on how Pilates helps with lower back pain but also lower back pain happens when there’s often a lot of pressure being pulled on the lower back due to things getting out of alignment or weak muscles in the core. So as you do your Pilates, even before you’re pregnant, it’s going to help strengthen those muscles, reducing the back pain and supporting those muscles as you become pregnant and as your pregnancy starts to pull on your lower back.
Does Pilates make childbirth easier?
And most importantly, Pilates does help prepare for childbirth, not only with the strength of the core, but also stamina, endurance, and breathwork, all of these things are going to be needed as you go through your delivery. And finally, Pilates helps boost your mood and energy. And let’s just be really honest, as you are going through pregnancy, you will need some time to yourself to care for you. And so Pilates, a Pilates practice, can actually be time to set aside to take care of you while you’re going through your pregnancy process.
If you’re interested in exercises that you can do for yourself, pre-baby, and then also post, we’re actually gonna have a specialist come into OnlinePilatesClasses.com™ to teach a workshop you could actually get on that waitlist at opc.me/workshops. She is going to really run through, the exercises are going to be safe for you to do during each trimester of your pregnancy and then post-baby. Also at OPC we actually offer new classes every single week on the Mat and Reformer. So if you don’t have a Reformer, you can just do the Mat. And then we have longer versions of our classes that release at the beginning of every month that are 50 minutes. And what’s so cool as you know your body and what you should be feeling and what you should be doing you can omit the exercises that you can’t do yet and replace them with ones you can do which is going to boost your confidence but also keep your body moving. You can check that out at onlinepilatesclasses.com/free.
Is Pilates safe during pregnancy?
Now let’s talk about if you can start a Pilates practice while you’re pregnant. Pilates is a low-impact exercise routine which makes it safe for anyone to do with injuries, aches, pains, chronic pain, and especially during your pregnancy. However, it is best for you to start a Pilates practice before you are pregnant. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t do it during pregnancy. If your doctor advises you to do Pilates during your pregnancy and you haven’t yet started a Pilates practice that make sure you find a instructor who specializes in pre and postnatal, they have taken many extra trainings. And they’ve worked with women who have a type of pregnancy that you are currently having and that can help you tailor a workout program that works for you.
Now, if you start a Pilates practice before you become pregnant, what is so great is that you’re actually going to make some connections that you and your current Pilates instructor can actually work through. Because as your body grows and changes, you’re going to feel exercises in a different way. And you will then know the difference between ‘this feels normal’ and ‘this exercise no longer feels okay’. And that’s how exercises can be removed from your practice. Doesn’t mean your practice gets less, doesn’t mean it gets easier. In fact, it just becomes more tailored to what your body needs and is able and capable to do in that moment.
What not to do in Pilates when pregnant?
And I hope that you have a relationship with your medical professional that allows you to ask your doctor if it’s okay for you to start your prenatal Pilates classes or to do Pilates as you’re trying to become pregnant. For example, there are some ways of becoming pregnant where twisting can be counterintuitive to you becoming pregnant. So your medical professional might advise you to remove those even before you are pregnant. So you want to make sure that as you’re trying to become pregnant that your Pilates instructor knows that you’re trying to so they can work with you and your doctor’s advice and also so that they can tailor the workout to work for you as your pregnancy journey continues.
And it kills me to say that I don’t recommend Pilates for some persons. But if you are in your third trimester, if you have anything that is inconsistent or you’re concerned about in your pregnancy, I do not advise you to start a Pilates practice during your pregnancy. I would love for that to be an option for you but it’s just not the right time. And Pilates will be there for you after your pregnancy.
When is the best time to start Pilates during pregnancy?
So those of you who have not become pregnant yet and you’re wanting to, this is the best time to start, it makes it so much easier for Pilates part of your pregnancy journey. But if you are already pregnant and you’re getting close to the halfway mark, or further, it’s just really not the right time. And all people who are starting Pilates during their pregnancy, I do not recommend classes, I do recommend that you work with a one-on-one person or in a group of people who are pregnant, so that the classes are tailored to you.
And speaking of one-on-one, I hope that you find a pre-natal Pilates specialist. If you already have a Pilates instructor who you trust and you’re working with, there are ways for them to continue to work with you. I did it with many of my clients during their pregnancies. However, if you know that you are going to become pregnant and you want to start working with a prenatal specialist that is a great way to get started and to have someone who supports you throughout your journey. And if you’re not pregnant yet, I hope that you come and try out our beginner workout series here at OPC. There are several on this channel. In fact, we have a 30-minute beginner workout you can do and all of our classes at OnlinePilatesClasses.com™. And to be there for you wherever you are in your practice before you become pregnant, what’s so cool is that workshop that is being led by one of our prenatal specialists and clients, she is creating it based on the OPC workout so that as a member, if you become pregnant, you’ll be able to know what are the benefits of pilates during pregnancy, what to omit and what to do during your pregnancy.
Postpartum Pilates: Recovery Tips
So lastly, what happens after you’ve had the baby? Well, here’s the deal. You and your teacher might have a plan that you’re like ‘I think this is we’re gonna start back up’. And that’s all going to be determined by how you have your baby. And then you’ll have to have advice from your doctor. So it is something to make sure you are in communication with your teacher about but also that you know that there’s many things that can happen. It can be amazing and smooth and easy, and you can have permission within six to eight weeks to go back to your Pilates practice. Now, that doesn’t mean you go back to the practice you had before you got pregnant, you will actually have to re-learn some of your core connections because, well, it’s been stretched out. There’s a lot that has to go there.
Also, depending on how your pregnancy went, if you end up with diastasis, you may want to continue working with a specialist who works with postpartum because there might be some things you have to do to reconnect some things in your core and work around a diastasis recti. Not to scare you, not to concern you. But just to know like it’s always good to have a plan afterwards. And it’s also good to know that there are other options you might need to dive into after that baby is born based on how your journey goes.
Balancing Pilates and Pregnancy: An Exciting Journey
And also let me just say congratulations wherever you are in your journey. It’s very exciting when people get to go through their Pilates practice and a pregnancy journey at the same time. It’s just an exciting thing. So we’re excited for you! We can’t wait to celebrate you. If you have any questions or concerns, I’m happy to answer them, you can put them in the comments below. And we will be live on Sundays at 9 am answering the questions from your comments. Thank you so much, until next time!