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A Healthier Pregnancy
Exercise Trends That
Make a Difference
Make a Difference
By Teri Brown
Exercise can fix everything. Well, maybe not everything, but according to research, exercise can certainly make you a healthier and more energetic person. Being physically fit can also make for an easier pregnancy and delivery, not to mention helping you get back that pre-baby body!
When Joanna Strong Millsap's running routine became too much for her during pregnancy, she switched to yoga to keep her body in shape. Millsap, a mother of four from Redlands, Calif., continued yoga after she had her daughter.
"I feel confident that yoga was the quickest, best choice for me in regaining my body," says Millsap. "Not only is it challenging physically, but it helps to diminish the stress of balancing all of my original responsibilities with the responsibility of being a new mom."
The good news for moms-to-be is that exercising during pregnancy is in vogue. In fact, there are a number of hot new exercise trends designed to keep you in top shape for pregnancy, delivery and beyond!
"Pilates is an excellent choice of exercise to participate in during your childbearing years," says Bryan. "It focuses on areas of the body that will go through remarkable change during pregnancy. These areas, if strong and supple, can help make pregnancy, labor and delivery easier and more comfortable."
Because Pilates targets the body's core or center, it strengthens the area around your mid-section, which includes the abdominals and pelvic floor muscles. "As pregnancy progresses, a woman's center of gravity shifts, and balance and control also are affected," says Bryan. "During delivery, the abdominal muscles become very valuable during the pushing phase. Both body positioning and abdominal strength are key, and keen awareness improves the efficiency of delivery."
Bryan says that because body awareness is a big part of Pilates practice, continuing your workouts after pregnancy helps you regain "control" after labor and delivery. "Stretching exercises and gentle strengthening moves can be performed immediately after delivery," says Bryan. "I have provided a short routine of very basic movements and isometric exercises that a woman can do even following a C-section on my Pilates After Pregnancy
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