by Elaine Vella, Physiotherapist
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps build flexibility, strength, endurance, and coordination without adding muscle bulk. Maintaining body alignment is one of the main key principles of pilates. If your body is habitually out of good alignment it places an enormous strain on your joints, ligaments and muscles and has a detrimental effect on how you move. In fact posture and movement do go hand in hand. To facilitate any lasting changes to posture and movement patterns you must understand and experience how to use your body efficiently.
How can Pilates help me in pregnancy?
During pregnancy, your tummy muscles are stretched over your growing baby and if they are weak, you may develop back or pelvic pain. Pilates exercises strengthen the deepest layer of your tummy muscles, the pelvic floor muscles and the back muscles, thus providing support to the growing belly. Pelvic floor muscles may become less supportive to your bowel, bladder and uterus (womb), and weaken under your baby's weight.
During pregnancy, the changes in the hormones results in ligamentous laxity. The ligaments (which join bone to bone) in the body soften to allow the pelvis to expand. This means that many of the joints become unstable, in particular the sacroiliac joints and the pubic symphysis. Pilates exercises aim to strengthen the muscles, therefore supporting these joints.
Is Pilates a strenuous activity?
Once you are pregnant it is very important that you adapt your fitness routine accordingly. Most Pilates exercises can be modified as your body and abilities change. These modifications help you keep an optimal exercise intensity.
What are the main benefits of Pilates?
• Pilates teaches you correct body awareness.
• It helps to improve posture which in turn reduces the strain on joints.
• It can teach relaxation and breathing skills which will be invaluable throughout pregnancy and also during childbirth.
• By improving upper body posture and movement, pilates will help decrease shoulder and neck discomfort, which is usually associated with increased ligament laxity and increase in breast size.
Medical approval
Although pilates is a gentle form of exercise, all pregnant mothers regardless of level of fitness should seek medical approval prior to joining a pilates class. If you are new to exercise, it is recommended to start pilates in the second trimester (after 13 weeks).