When you’re pregnant, it can be hard to know how to stay active safely.
Which forms of fitness are beneficial, and which moves should be avoided?
It’s important to say, first of all, that every woman is different, and no two pregnancies will be exactly the same – so always speak to your doctor before trying anything new while you’re expecting.
But once you’ve had the sign-off, the best place to start would be these five moves recommended by expert Pilates instructor and founder of The Bump Plan, Hollie Grant.
Hollie says there are some key areas of the body that are essential to train during pregnancy to help maintain good posture, reduce your risk of pregnancy related lower back pain, and ensure you’re strong and functional for when your baby arrives.
These are the glutes, upper back extensors, transverse abdominis, and the pelvic floor.
Here are Hollie’s top five exercises for engaging these areas of the body during pregnancy:
Bend and extend
This exercise keeps the glutes and hamstrings active, whilst challenging your back extensors.
Stand with your feet hip width apart and parallel, knees soft, pelvis neutral and shoulders back and down.
Bring your hands to prayer position at your chest. Inhale and bow forward, hinging from your hips, as far as your hamstrings will allow and maintaining a neutral spine.
You don’t want to go lower than hip height. Exhale to press the feet into the ground and slowly return to the start position.
Repeat for 12-14 reps.
Zips
This exercise activates the transverse abdominis muscle and the pelvic floor, both important for stability of the spine.
Start on hands and knees with your spine neutral. Allow your tummy to relax. Imagine a zip running from your back passage, past your front passage, along your bump and ending at your boobs.
Inhale to prepare and as you exhale imagine zipping yourself up. You should be feeling your back passage close, then your front passage close, and then your bump rise up slightly. Inhale to release.
Repeat for 12-14 reps.
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Spiders
Great for the upper back extensors which have a huge demand placed on them when your baby arrives.
Sit on the floor in a comfortable position with your spine neutral, eye line forward and fingers to temples, elbows wide.
Imagine there is a spider on the wall directly in front of you. Inhale and watch the spider climb up the wall towards the ceiling.
As you take your eyes up allow the spine to follow.
You’re aiming to lengthen out your upper back (don’t arch your lower back). Exhale to slowly return to neutral.
Repeat for 8-10 reps.
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