benefits of Pregnancy Pilates in East Sheen
Pregnancy Pilates is a form of exercise that helps to build a strong muscular core and eases the discomfort of some pregnancy-related aches and pains. It also prepares your body for labour and delivery by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles, ensuring that your uterus is properly supported so it does not cause strain on your back or pelvis. It also aids breathing, which is crucial in labor.
Many pregnant women are concerned about the safety of exercising while pregnant, but studies have shown that physical activity carries minimal risk for most healthy pregnancies and can improve your posture and stability. It can even help to alleviate the aches and pains associated with a more difficult pregnancy, such as sciatic nerve issues, hip and back pain, sacro-iliac joint (SIJ) problems, and swelling of the feet and ankles.
In fact, multiple studies have shown that pregancy Pilates East Sheen is a safe and effective exercise for pregnant women. It can be tailored to your specific needs and modified as you progress through your pregnancy. It combines strength, flexibility and breath work to create a well-rounded, balanced workout.
What are the benefits of Pregnancy Pilates in East Sheen?
The movement in Pilates increases your muscle strength and balance, which is important for a healthy pregnancy. Especially in the first trimester, when hormonal changes can make you feel clumsy. Pilates strengthens the deep abdominal muscles to counter the release of a hormone that makes your pelvic ligaments more flexible, causing lower back and pelvic pain. It is also great for stretching and strengthening the gluteus medius to minimise pain in the sacri-iliac joint.
It helps with breathing, too, as it teaches you to breathe through your diaphragm, which is beneficial during pregnancy and childbirth. This type of breathing can also help to calm the nervous system and lower blood pressure, which can contribute to a less complicated labour and birth.
Pregnancy Pilates can even help to prepare the body for a vaginal birth, as it focuses on improving alignment and re-educating the pelvic floor muscles. This can help ensure that your uterus is positioned more in the centre of your pelvis, which reduces the risk of an episiotomy during labour and can also decrease postpartum pain.
In addition, it can improve balance and posture by helping you to focus on a deeper, more grounded center of gravity. The movements in Pregnancy Pilates also increase awareness of the body and promote good posture and alignment.
A final benefit of Pilates is that it encourages mindfulness and a mind-body connection that can be beneficial during pregnancy and childbirth. This is particularly true of the breath work in Pilates, which focuses on posterior lateral rib cage breathing to help expand the lungs and stretch out those intercostal muscles.
Whether you are just starting out on your Pilates journey or are well into it, it is important to listen to your body and stop whenever it feels uncomfortable or over-stretched. Your instructors will always be on hand to offer support and modifications where necessary.