• Are you currently pregnant, needing safe guidance with your exercise?
• Are you longing to feel fit, toned & confident with your body, pre or post-pregnancy?
• Do you exercise postnatally yet still feel discomfort in your lower back, shoulders, hips or knees?

If so…read on!

Due to a misinformed mindset some people still look upon exercise & pregnancy as incompatible. Understandably they’re worried about the safety of the mother and baby, and the success of the eventual birth.

If you’re a regular exerciser or a complete beginner, you can relax and be re-assured they are compatible. Providing medical complications don't limit your ability to exercise, and you seek professional advice, the benefits of an active pregnancy are as follows:

• Prenatal aerobic exercise helps combat stress, anxiety and depression. It will also boost energy levels and revitalise you by releasing endorphins (naturally occurring ‘feel good’ chemicals in your brain).  Exercise also improves sleep by relieving stress and anxiety which can make you restless at night.

• Exercising outdoors offers healthy exposure to sunlight/daylight. An outdoor environment helps vary your day whereas sitting at home makes someone feel lethargic, confined, with no change of scenery.

• Exercise improves muscle strength and tone, making it easier to carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, helping prepare you for the physical challenge of labour.  Women who do selective strength exercises during pregnancy tend to have a shorter labour time and fewer delivery complications.

• Selective strength and stretching exercises help relieve back and joint aches, counterbalancing the effects which pregnancy has on postural misalignment

• You'll gain less fat weight during pregnancy if you exercise. This makes it easier to regain or improve upon your pre-pregnancy weight/figure. The aim though is to be safely active throughout pregnancy rather than striving to reach peak fitness levels or lose excess body weight which puts the unborn baby’s health at serious risk

Many ‘mums to be’ wisely choose to exercise. As each trimester sees a gradual change in body shape, alignment and physical capability, exercise should be modified accordingly.  For safety and guidance, consult an exercise professional, qualified in the prescription of pre/post-natal exercise.

Like their pre-natal counterparts, the post-natal exercise benefits are a great incentive to follow an active lifestyle. Whether it’s a few months after birth or much later when time allows a regular exercise routine to be possible, the benefits include:

• Weight loss. The average weight gained during pregnancy is 12-14kg. Comprised partly of fat, this serves a, specific purpose in the 3rd trimester fuelling the mother’s body for all daily activities. Exercise helps lower body fat levels back down to a healthy amount

• Improved posture and body alignment from selective, corrective exercise. This will ease discomfort commonly felt (e.g. lower back or hip pain). Post-natal postural misalignment around the lower back, hips and stomach can give a visual impression of excess weight being carried. Selective stretching & strengthening exercises help re-align posture, firming and flattening muscles around this area, complimenting weight loss and increasing self-confidence.

• Exercise helps reduce feelings of tension, anxiety and depression caused by the demands of a newborn baby and the loss of confidence from a change in a body shape.  It will also revitalise you, increasing energy levels and general wellbeing

To maintain posture, balance and to support the growing weight of the baby, certain muscles work harder in a pregnant woman. These will tighten considerably, weakening other muscles and prohibiting them from aligning limbs or stabilising joints correctly during body movement.   Though often prescribed and eagerly pursued postnatally, certain exercises (e.g. running, lunging or squatting) aren’t advisable for many ladies due to these postural changes. Despite time, they will remain unless selective stretches and exercises are used to rectify these misalignments and reactivate dormant muscles essential for correct body function.

Some commonly prescribed post-natal exercises can actually overwork tight muscles, or overstretch already weak, elongated muscles, increasing postural misalignment and the discomfort felt. People differ in posture which explains why some feel the benefits from certain exercises whilst others experience pain and discomfort in areas such as the neck, lower back, hips and knees.  Exercise prescription should therefore be selective according to the postural condition of the individual and be preceded ideally by a ‘biomechanical assessment’. Carried out by a corrective exercise specialist, osteopath or physiotherapist, this involves a detailed analysis of your posture. This will identify any misalignments, faulty body movements and tight or weak, inactive muscles. The exercise specialist can then establish which corrective strength and flexibility exercises are appropriate to start you on. These will help you re-align your posture, ease discomfort, avoid injury and excel with your post-natal exercise with peace of mind.

As a Master Personal Trainer in Corrective Exercise, a Sports Massage Therapist and with 10 years industry experience, Bodyrefine’s David McGill has successfully worked with a number of pre and post-natal ladies. For more information, visit www.bodyrefine.co.uk