Pregnancy and Postpartum Programs

“As a mother of two soon to be three I understand the challenges we face during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. I have developed these specialist programs using my 6 years of personal experience and expert knowledge”.

Importance of exercise throughout pregnancy

Advice around Pre and Postnatal exercise can be very confusing and overwhelming. As much as you want to exercise during pregnancy or start back to exercise following your baby, you may feel very nervous and unsure where to start. During pregnancy, focusing on what works for you and what feels good is important. Set no expectations and take each day as it comes.

Benefits of exercise during pregnancy

• Improve posture

• Reduce aches and pains

• Prepare the body for labour

• Strengthen the pelvic floor

• Improve energy levels

• Stay fit and healthy

It is important to consider the changes in your body as you progress through pregnancy and then adapt exercise to support these changes. If you are unsure of how to approach exercise during pregnancy and want support from an expert pre and postnatal trainer then you are in the right place. Our specialist pregnancy personal training sessions are bespoke to you and your journey. The programme is adapted as you approach the second and third trimesters, focusing on the pelvic floor.

Considerations for postpartum exercise

Many are very keen to return back to exercise quickly and often approach it in the wrong way. You may feel ready to start exercise; however, do not forget the changes your body has undergone and if you have hadth or c-section, you an assisted bir need to allow for healing. After having a baby the pelvic floor is weak and injured in most women and may need instruction and coaching as to how to perform an effective pelvic muscle contraction. It is very important to approach exercise post-birth in a gentle manner. Building a strong foundation by working on the core and pelvic floor will really help you long-term when you want to get back to pre-baby fitness levels. Guidelines currently recommend postnatal women avoid running or high-impact activity until 3 months or beyond this if they have any symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Before embarking on exercise post-birth we recommend booking in for a Mummy MOT, check out our Fit Mama Powered by Mari Carmen Fitness app for more information from women’s health physios. You will find within the app various articles written by experts to help you. In addition, sign up for our postpartum fitness programme to includes specialist coaching from Mari-Carmen, and specialist Pilates and Yoga instructors.

Benefits of exercise postpartum

There are so many physical benefits to exercise during postpartum from regaining core strength, and pelvic floor strength, reducing aches/pains, reducing the risk of injury, weight loss, and shaping and toning your body. However, most importantly exercise has a massive effect on our mental health. Being a mum is very hard and can be very stressful, exercise can be a useful tool to help burn off stress and gain mental clarity. If you are early on in your postnatal journey do not underestimate the power of a good walk in the fresh air, this can do wonders to your mental and physical health.

Our postpartum programmes are the perfect start to return to exercise safely. All programmes are bespoke and consider the changes in the body post-baby with a focus on core restoration and pelvic health. Our 1:1 postnatal personal training sessions will provide you with the confidence to exercise safely so you can get back to pre-baby fitness without injury.