I discovered my love for postnatal Pilates when I started to see changes in my body. Pilates changes the way you stand, walk and feel. It’s about posture, energy and strength. I have to admit, I was very sceptical at first and found the lack of energetic jumping and sweating meant it was a very different kind of exercise. I had tried Pilates previously before pregnancy and found I was a little bored and the instructor didn’t explain the reason why we were doing the exercises – something that I now explain in classes in great detail! You can’t fix or strengthen something when you don’t understand why you are doing the exercise in the first place.
So how does Pilates help postnatal recovery?
Pilates really does get forgotten muscles working again. It teaches you to strengthen both sides of your body equally which in turn helps keep your body aligned and with less aches and pains. It also teaches you to stand taller, so that you instantly look slimmer and fitter and also helps you to understand how your body moves.
During pregnancy, breast feeding, pushing the pram and rocking your child your body is often hunched up, shoulders rounded and hips hitched – all this leads to an imbalance in your muscles and no amount of strength training, running or jumping around will help you align these muscles. That’s where Pilates comes in.
How I integrate Pilates into my postnatal exercise classes…
My Zipped Up Mums Postnatal Pilates Classes focus on the Stott Pilates principles, however I have adapted the class to suit mums that bring along babies, breast feeding mums and also mums with Diastasis Recti (separated tummy muscles) or for those with pelvis pain or pelvic floor weakness.
The aim of my classes are to get you strong again so that you can increase your fitness levels or start a new fitness lifestyle. After childbirth the last thing our bodies need are high impact sports. We really need to remember the major transformation that our bodies go through. Your pelvis and internal organs have all shifted out of their usual position and whilst our bodies are programmed to do this, they also need some tender loving care to get them back functioning as they should. Unlike the HIIT (high impact interval) training and Boot-camp style workouts, Pilates exercises help rehabilitate you and focus on recovery as well as strengthening the entire body. My Core classes use Stott Pilates to focus on the posture, core and shoulder stabilisation however the Zipped Up approach also offers you more challenging exercises by incorporating resistant bands and body weight strength training.
Go on – do it! And do it FOR YOU!
I understand that for a lot of us spending time and money on ourselves doesn’t seem right, but if you want to be fit and healthy and run and jump around with your soon to be active toddler then YOU need these postnatal pilates-based recovery exercises. Maternity leave is about YOUR recovery too.
How long you attend these specialist classes really depends on the individual and if you decide to come with or without your child (as those gorgeous tiny people are a distraction)! Attending once a week is amazing, however if you can do twice a week then that’s really going to benefit you, and the quicker you get stronger then the quicker you can move onto more energetic workouts….that’s if Pilates hasn’t got you hooked!
It’s really important that you think about your posture during everyday activities too. That’s why at each class I give you homework such as addressing your posture when walking with the pram, altering your breast feeding position, learning to hold your baby differently – all these tiny adjustments can make a huge difference to your posture and any aches and pains you may experience. Remember our bodies carried a baby for 9 months, our bodies weren’t able to twist and turn and stretch like they could before.
Take a look in the mirror from the front and the side, are you standing up tall? Or are your shoulders rounding? Is your tummy rounded? How is your bottom looking? Flatter? Does your back look flat or are you sticking your bum out more than before?
Do your shoulders ache? Does your back ache? Do you feel lopsided? Can you see your lopsided-ness in the mirror?
Zipped up Mums is all about learning to respect, appreciate and fall in love with your changed body shape. We can’t be 10 years younger however we can be a better version of ourselves. Pregnancy shouldn’t leave you weak and not functioning properly. Muscles can be trained and made stronger. Many physios agree that postnatal Pilates should be done as a routine after childbirth and available to all mums.
Watch this short video for more information on postnatal posture.
To join my Zipped Up Mum’s pilates and exercise classes click here to BOOK NOW.