5 reasons to start Post-Natal Pilates
Great job mama, you’ve created a tiny human! First things first - give yourself some credit for the amazing job you are doing. Whether it’s been weeks or months since your bundle of joy arrived in the world, it’s time to give a little more focus back to you; showing yourself the same care and attention that you show your family. And one of the best ways to do that is with some gentle movement - helping to mobilize and strengthen your body, reduce aches and pains, and calm and re-centre your mind.
There’s no doubt pregnancy and labour take a toll on your body, as do the early years of motherhood. And as blissfully happy as you are with your new baby, you might be left with a few issues that you need a little help correcting or eliminating. Pilates is a great way to start addressing some of those issues, and as it’s low-impact, it’s the perfect choice for easing yourself back into exercise.
Here are 5 ways Pilates can help you on your post-natal journey…
1. Strengthening Up Your Core (And Tackling Diastasis Recti)
Diastasis recti is one of the most common after-effects of pregnancy. In fact, it’s said to effect 1 in 2 women. So if this is you right now, you are certainly not alone! Put simply, DR is when the rectus abdominis muscles (aka the six-pack muscles) become partially or completely separated. It happens due to the muscles being stretched as the abdomen expands to accommodate the growing baby. If not properly dealt with, it can make the belly protrude or bulge for months or even years post-partum. Unfortunately, many gynaes tend not to check for or discuss the condition, meaning that many women don’t even know that they have it. Getting back to exercise - particularly vigorous exercise - too quickly without the necessary re-strengthening of the core muscles can worsen the issue and may put the woman at risk of injury down the line.
Speaking to SmartFit post-natal instructor Grace, she explains how she helps her post-natal clients to recover from DR; saying, “I structure a bespoke Pilates programme for the client designed to release, realign and restore the fascial connections through the pelvic floor and abdominals. This systemic and progressive approach (of the Center Method) not only helps to improve the shape and tone of the stomach overtime, but also enables the client to breathe better and establish a proper and deeper connection to the core.”
Naming just one of her go-to Pilates exercises for DR, Grace highlights the pelvic rock exercise. “It helps in re-establishing alignment of the pelvis to the spine, lower recti muscles, as well as the obliques and transverses,” she explains. When performed safely and correctly under the watchful eyes of experienced post-natal instructors like Grace, Pilates exercises such as these are highly effective in helping to close up that abdominal separation, and strengthen your core musculature so you can move through daily life with confidence and stability.
2. Perfecting Your Posture and Reducing Aches & Pains!
The first few months of motherhood see new mums spending a lot of time hunching over their babies. And it’s necessary, of course! But take a moment to consider how your body looks and feels while you are - for example - strapping them into the car-seat, breast/bottle feeding, leaning into the crib to lay them down or pick them up for morning cuddles, walking with them balanced on one hip, or even simply trying to staying perfectly still as they fall asleep on you. The list of potentially harmful body positions that new mums have to deal with goes on and on!
Without due attention and rehabilitative exercises like Pilates to strengthen and mobilize the body, these new movements and positions can lead to negative (and possibly long-lasting) postural changes. And as a result, the risk of shoulder and neck pain, pelvic instability, lower back pain, and more. Much of this is likely to be leftover from pregnancy too, and is now being exacerbated as you care for your baby while focusing far too little on yourself.
As explained by senior instructor and certified physiotherapist Jhen, there are multiple reasons that pregnancy and early motherhood can impact your posture. “The normal pregnancy weight gain, increase in breast size and increased size of the womb mean that a woman's center of gravity naturally shifts,” she explains. “This affects the natural curves of her spine and in doing so, her posture. As anyone suffering with lordosis (exaggerated curve in the lumbar or lower back) or kyphosis (exaggerated curve in the upper back) will attest, this can lead to increased tension in the muscles, ligaments and joints. The glutes tend to weaken, hip flexors tighten, and pelvic floor strength is diminished – all of which leads to poor posture and alignment, leaving you with mild or even chronic pain throughout your body.”
That’s why private post-natal sessions and group post-natal Pilates classes at SmartFit include a mix of mobilization and strengthening exercises for the entire body, and plenty of stretching to ease out the tightness, reduce aches and improve your daily posture. “Helping the body to move more freely, while strengthening it, is the key,” continues Jhen. “With all the effects of pregnancy and birth, we focus on mobilizing and lengthening the short, tight muscles in the front of the body, working the posterior chain (back of the body) to strengthen the glutes and back muscles, re-training the deep core stabilizing muscles and pelvic floor, and addressing other issues like diastasis recti that require particular attention. With Pilates, you can achieve it all!”
3. Regaining Control Of Your Pelvic Floor
Pregnancy and labour put a lot of pressure on the muscles of your pelvic floor. Stress incontinence and prolapse are more common than you might think among new mums, and can be hard to deal with as you try to regain some sense of ‘normal’ in your new life as a mum. Luckily for you - and every other new mama out there - Pilates is a great way to strengthen and reconnect with your pelvic floor to help you say goodbye to uncomfortable issues like these for good.
The problem, however, often comes with understanding exactly how to properly engage these elusive muscles. That’s where a qualified, experienced instructor is worth their weight in gold!
They will guide you gently, clearly and supportively through each exercise and movement so you get the most from every pelvic floor contraction, every repetition of an exercise and every powerful breath. Even if you don’t feel you are suffering with these conditions right now, it’s possible that a weakness has developed without you knowing it. After all, your growing baby’s weight pressing down on those muscles for the nine months of pregnancy is no mean feat! It’s for that reason that post-natal classes at SmartFit pay particular attention to the pelvic floor, whether you have expressed this as a problem area or not.
4. Improving Your Overall Fitness & Health
Now that you’re a mum, you need to be a whole new kind of ‘fit’… Mama Fit! Tackling tasks one-handed while you support a baby on your hip requires great uni-lateral strength and stability. Carrying your baby in a sling / papoose will put strain on your back and neck unless you have a strong core to counter their weight. Bending down to pick up their dropped toy or muslin cloth while they’re still in your arms (and without injuring yourself) needs you to be strong with good balance and mobility in those joints. Bringing those endless bags of groceries (mostly diapers and wipes, of course) in a single trip from the car to your kitchen before the baby wakes up demands the strength and speed of a ninja. Lifting, squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling… all the movement patterns that we focus on in Pilates will stand you in fantastic stead for life as a mum.
And if, prior to your newborn’s arrival, you played sport or were a runner for example, you might be keen to pick these activities up again but perhaps can’t imagine being able to right now. Pilates is the perfect stepping stone - and one you’re likely to want to continue even after you’re back on the court / pitch / track! As a rehabilitative form of movement, its holistic approach means that your entire body is being attended to from head to toe. Your mobility, balance, flexibility, strength, stability and even your breathing will all be improved, and because Private Sessions at SmartFit are personalized to your specific goals, will help you get to where you want to go in the safest and healthiest way possible.
5. Providing Mental & Emotional Support
It’s no secret that new mothers tend to be a Iittle lacking in sleep! This, combined with the bounty of hormonal changes and life changes that you are going through can leave you with all kinds of emotional feelings including anxiety, low mood and many more. Science has shown time and time again that engaging in regular - albeit low-impact - exercise like Pilates will help to energize you and lift your mood. And it will help to improve your sleep quality too, which becomes even more important when you’re not getting much of it!
Your confidence, too, will receive a boost as you start to regain strength and control over your body. Yes you are now a mum to a beautiful baby, but you are still you, and you should make time to care for yourself as much as you care for your little one. Post-natal Pilates classes with experienced, knowledgeable and (most importantly) incredibly kind instructors like ours at SmartFit will help you to reconnect with your body, quieten the negative thoughts and build the healthy body that you deserve. Our private studio space is designed to be supportive, intimate and totally non-judgmental, so you can feel comfortable and safe from start to finish.
The most important thing you can do is to be kind to yourself. Setting aside time to focus on your own health - mental as well as physical - is important. After all, a happy healthy mama is the best kind of mama your baby could ask for.
Nervous about your first post-partum workout?
If you’re currently post-partum and the thought of your first workout is a little daunting, you're not alone. Your body has changed, your priorities have shifted, and there's a new bundle of joy keeping your hands full. To help you get started, instructor Hui Lin - now a mum to two beautiful babies, aged 3 years and 6 months - has a few gentle reminders to all of you new mums looking to get back to exercise after giving birth:
"Don't be in too much of a hurry to get back into shape or rush into exercising intensively to lose weight,” says Hui Lin. “As breastfeeding mums, our ligaments are still loose, so too much stretching or strength training may hurt the body. Keep it simple: eat healthily and in moderation, ensure breastmilk supply, sleep as much as you can, and try to enjoy some gentle movement."
"For me, Pilates has helped me gradually find my core and the connection in my body again. It also helps me exercise safely and with awareness. Most importantly, this gives me the confidence to carry my baby safely as I know I’m stabilising from my core, even during wee hours of the morning when I’m half asleep!"
"It sounds obvious but breathing is very important and is something to focus on soon after giving birth. Practicing diaphragmatic breathing with Pilates teaches proper breathing technique and core activation, especially since the diaphragm is an important part of our core."