Fitness for Mums - Vix's Response

Mum Zone's resident Professional Fitness Specialist Vix of Mama Moves is available to answer some of your questions about fitness.

Topics include: Getting back your pre baby body, weight loss, toning and defining, body shaping, improved fitness, general wellbeing, hormonal balancing, increased strength and fitness, improvement or elimination of urinary incontinence, reduction in the size of diastasis recti, making the abdomen more stable, reduction or elimination of lower back pain, improved energy levels, decreased anxiety and stress levels, greater ability to carry out daily activities eg. lifting bub and more.

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Reader's Question

I am about 20 weeks pregnant with my second bub and my toddler is 16 months old. During this pregnancy I've developed sometimes intense lower abdominal pain that the doctors and test have ruled as anything else except muscular skeletal. I realise that while I run around after my toddler, I probably don't have very good lower abdominal strength and would like to know what I can do at this stage of my pregnancy to try and help myself feel better and getter around more easily.

Vix's Response

My suggestion would be pilates based exercises and pelvic floor strengthening. Many women first attend Pilates classes during pregnancy or in post natal recovery. Exercises can be adapted at each stage of pregnancy to allow for gentler or more focused exercise, but should not be continued if any discomfort is experienced.

Pilates will not place strain on the joints or back. In fact the back will be strengthened as will the stomach and muscles around the pelvic area - allowing for an easier pregnancy, delivery and recovery.

The second trimester is, for most woman, the easiest part of pregnancy. Although the body is changing and expanding, energy levels are generally high and this should be when the exercises should be maximized to give you every advantage for the following months.

In the third trimester, women tend to feel heavy and uncomfortable and hormones designed to loosen the pelvic joints can cause back pain. The additional weight of the baby can throw your centre of balance, legs can become swollen and varicose veins can develop. Pilates helps all of these conditions associated with pregnancy by strengthening the central or "core" muscles which in turn leads to improved posture and circulation.

Vix

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The opinions expressed on these pages are of a general nature and are by no means a substitute for professional advice. Therefore neither Mum Zone or Vix Erber of Mama Moves are liable for any actions pertaining to the use of the supplied information.