We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: PVOLVE is right for just about everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete, a fitness newbie, a bodybuilder, or somewhere in between, our clinically backed method is designed to help you build strength, mobility and stability that will support your body now and for the long term.
But what about expecting mothers to be? Exercises for pregnant women are often a hot-button topic for two reasons: most of us don’t know if working out with a baby bump is safe, and if it can be, we’re unsure what exactly to do to keep moving in a healthy way during those nine months. And when those nine months are up, how can you safely return to exercise?
Dr. Amy Hoover, DPT, Chief Physical Therapist and member of the Clinical Advisory Board is here to answer your questions about exercises during and after pregnancy.
Is Pvolve safe during pregnancy?
Because the PVOLVE Method is a clinically-backed, functional, and mindful exercise program, it’s safe for pregnancy and postpartum as long as you do not have any restrictions from your physician. One of the biggest myths that I hear is that pregnant women should not work their abdominals or core. This is the opposite of the truth! Women need to maintain their abdominal strength to support their changing body and posture. PVOLVE focuses on postural alignment, strength training, flexibility, toning, and circulation—all things that are crucial focuses for expecting mothers.
Much of the equipment that we use in PVOLVE focuses on hip and core strength and balance, both of which are excellent options for prenatal workout. Specifically, the P.ball can help with keeping the pelvis balanced when done with correct core activation. Resistance bands (P.band, ankle bands, Booty Bands, Body Bands, P.3 Trainers) are great for building strength and muscle control. Gliders can help with balance.
But what about weight training? Another common myth is that strength training is not appropriate during pregnancy. Quite the opposite! Think about all the demands that are put on our bodies as new mothers. We need to lift, carry, hold, and wear our babies. Add all the equipment that comes with newborns, and weightlifting becomes part of our daily lives. Preparing your body for this with heavier lifting will not only support your body during your pregnancy but also prepare you for the heavy demands that come postpartum. Our new weight training workouts are designed to help give you the tools to continue your strength training throughout pregnancy. It was thoughtfully designed to focus on all the changes occurring with the changing body, and how to optimize our function while challenging our bodies and building strength.
The excitement and anticipation during pregnancy is a wonderful time in an expectant mother’s life. With it comes many emotions and significant physical changes that may make it difficult to know what your body needs. Rest assured, exercising throughout pregnancy has many physical benefits, and can aid in labor, delivery and postnatal recovery. And even more so, giving yourself ample time to move throughout the day is necessary to destress. Exercise has even been known to help treat postpartum depression.
Exercise during the first trimester
The first trimester often brings excessive fatigue due to the hormonal changes happening within your body, as well as the hard work your body is doing to grow your baby. You might not feel as energized as usual to exercise, but even 30 minutes of low-impact exercise can help improve blood flow and overall mood. It can also help prepare your body for the rest of your pregnancy by building or maintaining strong hips and abdominals, improving posture and facilitating proper movement patterns. Because of our mindful approach, you’ll be able to adapt to your changing bodies needs and continue to build strength and stability. In particular, this is a great time to begin to focus on posture so that you’ll be prepared to carry your newborn around with ease when the time comes.
Exercise during the second trimester
The second trimester brings significant changes to your body, including widening of the pelvis and ribcage and of course increased weight in the abdomen as the uterus stretches with your growing baby. These changes (because they happen relatively quickly) can be hard for your muscular system to keep up with. This is the time when common issues can pop up, including lower back, pelvic, rib, and sciatic pain. The best way to improve or prevent these issues is by maintaining good strength, flexibility and range of motion in the hips and working on functional core strengthening. Using resistance and weights will help you keep the muscles in the glutes and hips strong to meet the needs of your growing body and help keep the abdominals strong even as your baby continues to grow. The second trimester is also a time where you may feel more energized. Prioritizing weight training during this period is ideal. If modifications are needed as your body changes, using a chair for balance support or a wedge pillow for floor positioning can help you continue training in a comfortable, safe and effective manner and still get all the benefits of weight and resistance training.
Exercise during the third trimester
The third trimester is the home stretch, and with it comes more physical demand on your body as your baby continues to grow and change. Mobility gets more difficult as our brain wants to make us move how we did before pregnancy, but your body is not physically the same. Mindful exercise can help us map out more effective and efficient movement patterns to reinforce more comfortable movement, posture, and positions. Exercise in the third trimester is especially effective in helping prepare our body for labor. To optimize our bodies for labor and delivery, we need mobility in the hips and breathing techniques to encourage pelvic floor relaxation. Exercising may also help us maintain or improve our strength and endurance, which will help meet the demands of long labor. PVOLVE methodology and programming encourages hip, pelvic floor and postural stability and mobility, all of which will keep us feeling prepared as we transition into the next phase.
Check out our pre-natal workouts here.
Post-Natal Workouts
The first three months after delivery are more commonly known as the fourth trimester. During this period, your body is recovering from childbirth, adjusting to changing hormones and adapting to the dramatic physical changes that occurred literally overnight.
Postpartum checkups are usually scheduled around 6 weeks after your baby is born, but guidelines are changing and sometimes your physician will see you sooner. You can start doing PVOLVE as soon as you are cleared postpartum for exercise by your physician. If you have been doing PVOLVE during pregnancy then you should have no problem going right back to it. However, you may want to modify for the first week or two until you feel stronger. Be kind to yourself and listen to your body. Rest and recovery are crucial during this stage. Start with no or less resistance and slowly build as you feel stronger.
You can ease back into post-pregnancy exercises with the Post-Natal series with Cecily. Carving out some time for self-care will allow you to be more present in the special moments that come with motherhood.
