Our resident fitness guru Vicky Warr of Beez Kneez (www.beez-kneez.co.uk) explains why strength training is a plus for expectant mums and new mums.
As your baby is growing stronger every day, so should you as a mother to be. When the baby arrives, you may have a 3-4 kg weight to carry and lift all day!
Many think of exercise as cardiovascular exercise – walking, jogging, or swimming and many other activities that increase your heart rate.
Pregnant exercise choices are often yoga, swimming and walking. Yoga is great for flexibility and breathing. Swimming is cardiovascular so it will improve your lungs and heart and prepare you for to cope with labour. Whilst yoga and swimming are good to include in your exercise programme, the missing link for many prenatal fitness programmes is strength training.
Strength training prepares you for the physical demands of being a mum. It keeps your body strong, boosts your endurance to give birth and push the baby out and increases muscle tone, playing a big role in getting your pre-pregnancy body back.
All of the lifting, bending and carrying you have to look forward to in the upcoming months will be much easier?with a functionally strong body.? In?the mean time, gaining or maintaining strength during pregnancy is the key to reducing aches and pains as your body continues to change.
Pregnancy strength training will help:
- reduce back pain
- increase your energy levels
- make labour and delivery faster
- keep you strong and injury free
- combat postural changes and muscle imbalances during pregnancy
- make post-baby weight loss MUCH easier and faster
- flatten your tummy after delivery
Celebrities like Nicole Kidman have taken advantage of such training during her pregnancy, and she barely put on any weight at all.
So for a well rounded pre-natal exercise routine look out for a prenatal DVD your can do at home or for exercise technique instruction join a pregnancy fitness class that incorporates strength training.
