“It goes without saying, staying active with healthy nutrition throughout your pregnancy only makes for a more pleasant journey during and postpartum.
Those first 12 weeks for many can be tough, nausea and tiredness; the last thing you feel like doing is eating the right things or moving your body any where far from the couch.
A few key takeaways I found helpful during my experience over these 12 weeks – when you get a window of feeling better, take it. Move your body even if it is for ten minutes. Yes you feel like eating burgers 24/7, opt for healthier options. Don’t skip out on hydration, sparkling water can be a lifesaver!
The second and third trimester for the most part can be glorious up until a certain point. You start to feel like yourself again. Using this to your advantage is key. Start slow if you stopped altogether during the first trimester. Generally you can keep doing the majority of your previous workouts. Stay away from any abdominal work that causes coning of your stomach – this disengages our pelvic floor and can cause further separation of the rectus abdominous.
Something super simple to do in this time is establish working on your pelvic floor activation/function. Your pelvic floor is important for many reasons. It is a vital part of our core along side our diaphragm, transverse abdominous and multifidus muscle. During pregnancy and birth many women can lose function or strength in their pelvic floor, this is a vital group of muscles not just for pregnant women but for everyone.
One simple exercise to practice is as follows –
Breathe in to your diaphragm spreading the ribcage filling up your stomach. Exhale, draw your stomach in and lift up through your rectum, vulva and urethra. This simple exercise can be repeated as many times as you like and is extremely beneficial to add into your strength workouts. Consulting a pre and post natal trainer to help you further this practice is highly recommended.
At Nimble we have trained many women right through their pregnancies, setting them up for the best journey possible. It truly makes for a better recovery on the other side.”
