Sabrina Ovadya-Lenson is a certified Personal Trainer, Pilates and Barre teacher with pregnancy and postnatal qualifications. She is also the Co-founder of URWell, a holistic wellbeing and fitness concierge platform – www.urwell.co.uk – Sabrina shares here her expertise and best workouts during pregnancy.
In the absence of any contraindications, it’s crucial to keep moving during pregnancy. This could be in the form of lower impact exercises such as walking, pregnancy Pilates, or swimming. In addition to physical benefits, exercise promotes emotional health. Most important is to listen to your body – relax and sleep when you need to, move your body when you feel energised. Eat when you feel hungry. Don’t put unnecessary strain on the body or the mind. If something doesn’t feel right, do not push yourself and speak to a doctor and midwife when appropriate.
1st trimester
Prenatal Yoga or Pilates exercises are effective yet safe during pregnancy. Some women may feel a bit apprehensive especially in the first trimester with a higher risk of miscarriage, so the recommendation is to listen to your body and perform gentle exercises as long as you are cleared by the doctor.
Pelvic tilts: It is best to learn to activate and release the pelvic muscles sooner rather than later in the pregnancy. This exercise can be performed standing, sitting, or on hands and knees.
- Stand tall in a neutral alignment. Take a breath in to prepare, tuck the pelvis under as you exhale. This means the hip bones travel up towards the belly button. Release as you inhale. It is also important to change the breathing and learn about the release (this is crucial for a natural birth).
Gentle abdominal exercises: We certainly want a strong core during and after pregnancy but the abdominal exercises especially as the pregnancy progresses should be performed with caution and only the ones that are appropriate as to not break the abdominal muscles (Diastasis recti). The following exercise can be done throughout with some adjustments each trimester.
- Sit on the floor and bend the legs slightly. Bring the arms in front of the chest in the air. Tilt the pelvis tucking it under and roll back the spine lightly with the exhale. Bring the spine back with the inhale. The same exercise can be performed with hands on the knees to reduce the load on the belly. During the last trimester, the rollback can be skipped.
2nd trimester
Arm exercises with small weights are excellent during this trimester. They can include working the biceps, triceps, and shoulders. It is important to ensure that the weight is not felt on the abdominals if you are lifting the arms above the head. All these exercises can be performed standing or seated. Seated versions with the back against a wall or chair will provide more support and maybe more accessible as the bump grows.
Glute exercises on hands and knees are fantastic to strengthen those areas which make it easier to carry the weight of the growing baby.
- Once you have good alignment, bend one leg and press it up towards the ceiling in a bent position 10 times. Add 10 small pulses towards the ceiling.
- Bring the leg in towards the chest and extend it behind 10 times. Repeat on the other side. If it feels good, perform one more set.
3rd trimester
Swimming: Swimming is a very gentle form of exercise and feels great especially during the last trimester as it gives the back a break from carrying the load. It mobilises shoulder and hip joints.
Cat cows on hands and knees: This exercise is gentle and feels fantastic for the spine which takes a big load during pregnancy. Usually, this last trimester is accompanied by lower back pains. The upper back also tends to get stiff so this exercise will help mobilise the whole spine. It also feels lovely as the bump can simply hang and the weight is not felt on the joints.
Side lying leg exercises: Side lying exercises are still accessible during these last months. Sometimes it feels more comfortable to put a towel under the bump. Support your head with the bottom hand. Try to keep a long spine and the top shoulder away from the ear. The bottom leg is bent on the floor. Make sure to do both sides.
- Lift and lower your top leg 10 times.
- Draw small circles with the top leg 10 times and reverse.
Chest openers and shoulder mobility: These are feel-good mobility exercises. Sit on the floor in a comfortable position keeping the spine long.
- With your arms draw circles in the air 10 times one direction and 10 times reversing it.
- Flyes: Now hold the arms in front as of you are holding a beach ball, with a small bend in the elbows. Inhale to open the arms and exhale to bring them back.
