Fitness During Pregnancy

I subscribe to Jennifer Gianni's blog- she's a Pilates expert, not to mention a doula and a natural childbirth coach. This is a recent blog post she did.   Check out the rest of her stuff at http://www.healthnews.com/blogs/jennifer-gianni/family-health/pregnancy-childbirth-parenting/pilates-pregnancy-fitness-3186.html.

Pilates Pregnancy Fitness

By: Jennifer Gianni 
Published: Tuesday, 26 May 2009

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Exercise is important during pregnancy on a number of levels, but it is vital that it is the right sort of exercise. Safety and effectiveness must be married together in perfect unison. Pilates and yoga are the ideal disciplines to use to prepare for labor and birth. They are also an excellent way to get your pre-pregnant body back after giving birth. 

The intent to be fully present in pure Pilates and yoga is a big reason for the success of these two systems of exercise. The movement of the body is guided and eased into alignment by the connection to the mind and breath. The great Pilates and yoga practitioners realize intuitively that the work is based on the breath—that health and happiness are built on the foundation of free and expansive breathing.

Because of this heightened awareness, the yoga and Pilates postures and exercises can create a real sense of calm. The hope is that the pregnant woman finds inner clarity and peacefulness through the release of the body, by keeping the mind involved with the movements of the body. When the pregnant woman feels peaceful, her anxiety about the birth process diminishes. She will find it easier to concentrate on her contractions while blocking other elements out if she has been practicing this intense focus. She is preparing for the challenges and obstacles of her upcoming labor.

I have a client named Melissa who called me excitedly after the birth of her first child. She couldn't stop talking about how much our work helped her during labor and how impressed her doctor was at how well she did. As Melissa's labor progressed, she adjusted her pushing as her baby changed its position. Melissa was focused on her intent. The movements of her baby were supported by her body, breath and mind. This is the ultimate mind/body workout!!

This ability for the pregnant woman to focus (or anyone for that matter) takes lots of practice. 

Another client told me that after years of doing Pilates, she never really understood the work until she practiced with me during her pregnancy. The pregnancy forces one to slow down and go deep inside. Yoga and Pilates provide a way to refine the movements of the body and the breath.

My approach to this work and the reason I am so passionate about it, is that it is tied directly to inner growth. The way I teach the fusion of Pilates and yoga is a calm, mindful way not given to extremes. The current media craze around yoga and Pilates has diluted its original intent. 

Experiment with your workouts, exercises and poses not only as physical techniques, but also as a mental and emotional preparation for childbirth.

There are 5 foundational principles when talking about Pilates, and especially when focusing on Pilates Pregnancy fitness:
1. Concentration and focus
2. The Breath
3. The Inner Unit
4. Flowing Movements
5. Relaxation

Concentration and focus are fundamental to this form of exercise. Focusing on your body in this way actually leads the mind away from immediate concerns or anxieties and leaves you to center on the task at hand and to connect with the breath and the body. Ultimately, this is profoundly relaxing. It becomes a meditation.

The breath is the most vital element of the work and is especially important in pregnancy fitness. In labor and childbirth, expansive breathing can be the element that creates an easy, joyful birth. When we are aware of our breath and the power of our breath to change how we feel physically and mentally we soon realize why this is the most important ingredient.

The Inner Unit has many names; The Powerhouse, The Center, The Core, The Girdle of Strength. This "Girdle" incorporates three main areas: the back, the abdomen, and the buttocks. According to Joseph Pilates, The Inner Unit is essential for all exercises.

Flowing Movements are essential to the effectiveness of this work. The techniques of Pilates and Yoga are not based on sudden or jerky movements. Instead, one position flows as slowly and naturally as possible into the next.

Relaxation is an important aspect of the work at any time, but is especially so during pregnancy, labor, and immediately following birth. The pregnant woman should hone the skill of completely relaxing, but should also concentrate on developing skills of relaxed activation. This is the skill of working or activating while remaining relaxed. 

Here are a few breathing and flexibility exercises you can use while pregnant, while in labor and after delivery. When performing the following exercises try to think about the five foundational Pilates principles that we covered.

Exercise: Lengthening Back Stretch at the Wall
This is a great one for women in late pregnancy. It feels amazing to have the support of the wall. The lower back (which can get very compressed in late pregnancy) gets a wonderful stretch!

• Start with a neutral back to the wall with the feet away from the wall (about 10 to 12 inches).
• Keep the feet hip distance apart and parallel or a bit turned out.
• The knees should be slightly bent.
• Rest the hands on top of the legs.
• Inhale for length.
• Exhale and flatten the lower back to the wall.
• Maintain the stretch of the lower back against the wall for up to 30 seconds.
• To make this more restorative, the hands can rest on the wall, or (especially for the third trimester) the fingers can lace under the abdomen creating a sling with your arms to support the weight of the belly.
• To emphasize strengthening, bend the knees and lower the behind until the thighs are almost parallel to the floor and flatten the lower back against the wall.
• To release, slowly rise to standing.

Exercise: Quadruped Breathing

• This is a great exercise to train and strengthen all of your Core muscles.
• The core muscles hug and secure the skeleton but do not bring the body into movement.
• Start on the hands and knees.
• The shoulders are above the wrists and hips above the knees.
• On the inhale, lengthen all the curves of the spine.
• Try to find and hold a neutral spine in this all fours position.
• Hold and exhale.
• Keep the bones in place ( keep the neutral spine) and with the breath, sink and stretch the deep abdominals across the pelvis.
• Hold the stretch of the deep abdominals and on each consecutive exhale try to go deeper.

Join us next time for pregnancy posture exercises.

Breath

I'm back- sorry for the long hiatis. I'm really only a few weeks late for a monthly post, but I was trying to do them bi-weekly. Hopefully I will get better.

Our topic this time is breath which is oh-so-important in Pilates but so much more so during pregnancy, especially as pregnancy progresses! I'm going to focus more on the pregnancy side of it that the Pilates side of it for this post, save for this brief introduction.

The principal of the breath in Pilates is that all of your movements should be connected to your breathing pattern. It helps with the centering, concentration and flow of your movements, along with helping to power your muscles.

During pregnancy your rib cage essentially flattens out- the sternum angle more than doubles as your internal organs get pushed up up and up by your growing child. As the pregnancy progresses, you may find it harder and harder to take deep breaths and may feel constantly out of breath because your lungs feel like they can't fully expand. This is where starting Pilates early in your pregnancy and diligently practicing through out really can pay off.

Pilates promotes the use of "Posterior Lateral Breathing" or breathing through the back and sides of the rib cage rather than just into the belly and the front of the rib case. You must use this kind of breath if you inhale while maintaining an abdomonial contract- if you try to use diaphragmatic breathing, your diaphram must dome down into your abdomonial cavity, thereby forcing you to release your abs. By allowing your lungs to expand to the back and the sides of your rib cage, you can maintain your abdominal contraction, allowing you to do endurance exercises like hundreds, but still breath. When you are pregnant, there is simply no room for your diaphram to go down to allow your lungs to fill, so you either don't get deep enough breaths or it must go to the sides and back.

To practice posterior laterial breathing, wrap your hands around the sides of your rib case with your thumbs on your bra line and your fingers facing forward. Take a deep breath through your nose, keeping your shoulders down and your abs pulled in. Concentrate on making your hands move. You can also do this with a partner by having them place their hands on your shoulder blades with their palms on your bra line. Try to pull their hands apart from one another when you inhale and draw them back together on your exhale.

Don't worry if you can't get it right away, it takes practice. First of all, your intercostals- the muscles that connect your ribs to one another, need to stretch. This can take some work if they haven't been stretched before. Secondly, you are learning how to breath again, something you have done without thinking your whole life. Spend a bit of time each day practicing and viola- one day- your hands will move. Also, don't be surprised if you're a bit sore the next day- it is a great work out for tiny little muscles that don't get much love from the gym.

Precision

This is interesting that it's my topic this morning, because I was going to deviate from the series to talk about how sometimes, your body might need small, tiny movements that seem like they might not be doing anything, when in reality, they are working on a whole host of issues.

Specifically, I'm thinking of you new moms who want to get your pre-baby belly back. If you have a diastasis, you can do all of the crunches you want, you will not flatten your belly, you may quite possibly make your diastasis worse. Small transversus pulses using a splint will help bring your rectus back together while at the same time toning your corset- so when your split closes, you will have that nice hour-glass feature again. During this time of small, precise movements, you might not feel like your abs are getting a huge workout, you may not be sore for the first few weeks, but you are doing what your body needs at that time.

Along the same lines: in group classes, DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT look at your neighbor and see what they are doing. The first few classes when you're learning the exercises it's fine to learn what to do, but when you know what you're supposed to do, comparing yourself to what someone else is doing is a recipe for disaster. First of all, you don't know that person that you are watching. Maybe they are a professional athlete. Or maybe they are doing a modified version of the exercise because they are injured. If you copy them, you are going to cheat your body out of what it needs.

Excellent Pilates During Pregnancy Resource

Debbie Goodman taught the prenatal Pilates training I attended in New York and specializes in working with new and soon-to-be mothers. Here is an article she wrote for Pilates-Pro.com about Post Partum Recovery.

Contol

I could talk about control for days and days and days...it is kind of my pet project with my clients. But, instead, I'm going to exercise a bit of control myself and be brief.

I like to do a lot of exercises that require balance because it requires clients to, 1) Concentrate and 2) Control what muscles are doing the movement. My other muscle control technique is speed- or lack thereof. The slower you go, the more control that you have to exhibit in order to execute the movement.

So- to recap: change your balance point (either by adding an overball or an exercise ball or a roller) or move more slowly. Or both. Either way, concentrate and control what each muscle is doing as you perform each exercise.

Concentration

This is the Pilates Principle I struggle with the most as a teacher. I love my clients, and often the only time I get to see them is during their Pilates session. They like to know what is going on in my life, and I like to know what is going on in theirs. This may cross the Professional/Friend line, but that is another discussion in and of itself, which I will address when I finish this series.

I am getting better about keeping the chit-chat to a minimum, the longer I teach the easier it is. Describing to the client exactly which muscles should be doing the work helps, and getting the client to move slowly helps too.

Concentration is essential to Pilates for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is required to execute the movements correctly. Let's consider Frog on the Reformer or Tower: This exercise is for the inner thighs and pelvic floor. But, unless you are concentrating on these muscles, it is easy to let the larger Quadriceps Muscles take over. The exercise will feel easy, and maybe boring. You will have completely missed the point. However, if you slow down, concentrate on pulling the Pelvic Floor muscles up and in to begin the movement, and then using the inner thighs to complete it, Frog can be a very difficult exercise. Add a ball between the heels to make both legs move evenly and it can be down right challenging.

So- how can you bring a greater deal of concentration to your class?

1) Eliminate distractions. If you are on street level with a busy road or sidewalk out front, paint over the windows to allow the light in without all of the busy-ness that is going on out there. Set up an area for clients to wait for the next class where they won't disturb clients currently in class. If there is a teacher training program at your studio and there are people observing the lessons, make your client aware of it at the beginning of the lesson, and then don't mention or acknowledge the observer again. Ask clients to silence their cell phones and take their calls outside or in the hallway, try to keep reception calls quiet or in-between lessons if possible.

2) Use music. Classical teachers may disagree with me on this one, and to that I say, "To each his own." I beleive music helps clients concentrate rather than distracts them. As a Pilates practitioner myself, it is easier for me to dismiss the distractions of the day and quiet the million things running through my mind when there is music on. The rhythm calms me. Obviously, you need to choose your music wisely. Don't play a radio station, because the talking will be a distraction. Heavy metal or power punk may not be the most appropriate choices, but neither is New Age going to work for all classes. The tempo of the music should match the tempo of the class- Enya during Jumpboard is not all that fun.

3) Slow down. Make your clients slow down. This can be so difficult, especially, I've learned, with runners and men. Nothing against either group, I run myself, but they are so used to moving quickly and powering through that they have a hard time slowing down and concentrating on the little movements. Work on them over time. If you have a private client like this, or a class full of people who fit this discription, try to get them to slow down for one exercise each session. They will (hopefully) remember that their next session, and it will build over time. I recently taught a class where we did ever exercise at half the speed we normally do. We only make it through a half dozen exercises the whole hour, but my clients were literally dripping with sweat at the end. And there was no extra chit-chat.

4) Tell the clients what muscles are the main focus, which are helpers, and what should be relaxed. You need to know your anatomy and you need to know how the exercise works, so why not share that knowledge with your clients?

Centering

"Shoulders down, abs in, pelvic floor up." I'm sure you've heard some version of this mantra at your Pilates classes, but what do we really mean? Lets start at the center...as in the Pilates Principal "Centering." The "core" is made up of three muscle groups: the transversus abdominus, the Pelivc Floor (this is actually a group of tiny little muscles, but they are almost never referred to individually) and the Multifidi- tiny little muscles that support your back. Now- I want to you picture a skeleton notice how there are no bones between the ribs and pelvis- what do you think supports your spine in that area? Correct- THE CORE! The tranversus runs around your body like a corset, the Pelvic Floor creates the hammock that holds everything up, and the multifidi hold your spine erect. These are hard muscles to find- they are not like biceps- you can't flex them to show them off. Try these exercises to find these muscles and to feel them engage. Once you know where they are, you will be able to keep them engaged as you do your other exercises.

Transversus: Cough or laugh. Feel the really deep contraction deep inside your abdomin. That is your transversus. Now, take a deep breath, and as you exhale pretend you are trying to pull your hip bones together, draw your belly button to your spine and lace the two sides of your ribs together. Try to feel the same contraction that you felt during the cough or laugh.

Pelvic Floor: The best way that I know of to find your pelvic floor is to practice using it. When you're going to the bathroom, stop the flow of urine. Those are the muscles that you are looking for. Once you get the feel for them, practice contracting them when you're not using the bathroom.

Multifidi- Stand up straight, put your hands on your low back, and walk slowly across the room, Try to feel the muscles of your back firing. If that doesn't work, sit up straight in a chair, hands on your low back. Slowly pick one foot off the floor, then the other, alternating legs.

The next time you are in your Pilates classes, try to find these muscles when you start each exercise, and keep bringing your mind back to them throughout the class. Next time...concentration!