Personal Training for Pre-natal and Post-natal Women

For many women exercising while pregnant is something they want to do, but are also highly fearful of doing.  Sometimes friends and family, and sometimes-complete strangers, will disapprove and expectant mothers desperately want to be seen to be doing the right thing.

The truth is that for most women, exercising when pregnant is of immense benefits:

• Helps to promote healthy lifestyle after the birth
• Alleviates many symptoms of pregnancy (eg back ache, varicose veins)
• Enhanced self-esteem and positive feelings
• More oxygen rich blood via the placenta
• Increased endurance levels for labour
• May help decrease the time in active labour
• Less likely to need obstetric intervention (eg forceps, caesarean)
• Increased ability to cope with labour anxiety and pain
• Faster recovery from labour
• Better posture and reduced back pain
• Improved sleep patterns
• Less likely to suffer stress incontinence
• Quicker return to pre-pregnancy weight, stamina, strength and flexibility
• Enhanced body image and confidence

Surprisingly, while pregnant, your body is at a physical peak that you could struggle to reach before hand!

For most women, the baby will be completely safe while exercising at an appropriate intensity: your body will protect your baby.  It's you that needs looking after!

Every pregnancy is different.  Every day is different.  I will create a very personal plan for exercise while pregnant and adapt it based on how you feel and what you are capable of.

After pregnancy, it's often safe to start exercising again at close to pre-pregnancy levels, provided your doctor or midwife has signed you off.  Training after pregnancy will need to take into account the dramatic changes that have happened to your body and may still be happening.

Give me a call or an email to have a chat about what I can do to help you.

Why eat regularly?

Eating regularly gives structure to your eating habits and helps avoid eating too often or not often enough

• Eating regularly will lead to having regular meals and snacks and avoids unstructured eating, such as grazing
• Carry a healthy snack around with you, such as a muesli bar, or a little bit of dried fruit or some nuts
• It will help you to make healthier food houses because you won't go shopping hungry or feel the need to have unplanned snacks
• Keeps your blood sugar at a steady level and avoids the spikes and dips associated with sugary snacks
• Eating regularly keeps your metabolism steady (this is improtant for weight loss and weight management): if you leave more than 4-5 hours between meals your body goes into starvation mode and will lower your metabolic rate as a result .... And then when you do eat it'll end up storing more of what you do eat as fat! For many, this will be the very thing they are hoping to avoid my skipping meals!