Yesterday I posted a review for Dr Joanna Helcke’s online exercise programme and I wanted to follow it up with a little Q+A session I had with Joanna by email to answer any common questions that some of you may want answered surrounding the programme itself. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have below, as I can always put these to Jo to get them answered for you.
Q. I don’t usually exercise but is it ok for me to start this programme at any point during my pregnancy?
A. I specifically chose to start the programme at week 14 of pregnancy – not before – and this is because the general guidelines are that one should not start a new form of exercise during the first trimester. Whilst some mums-to-be may well have already been doing Pilates before falling pregnant, I cannot guarantee this, so I play safe. But other than that – yes – the programme can be started literally at any other point in pregnancy regardless of whether or not someone has already been exercising, just so long as there are no contraindications. My online Pilates is very unusual in that it has a medical form to complete and the system will provide feedback if any problems are highlighted and it can even block membership if someone flags up a problem that would make exercise unsafe. E.g pre-eclampsia or a low lying placenta.
Q. Is it safe for me to do the abdominal workouts while pregnant?
A. Many of the pregnancy Pilates exercises focus on keeping the deepest layer of abdominals (the core muscles) gently toned. This is most definitely advisable during pregnancy as it will help protect from back pain. By contrast, exercises which target the outer abdominals (the mythical six-pack!) are most definitely not appropriate from the second trimester onwards as this layer of muscle needs to stretch and lengthen to allow room for the growing baby. So in short, these exercises are NOT included in the programme – it’s all about targeting the abdominals in the right way.
Q. Is there anything I can, or should, be doing along side my weekly workout video?
A. As you will have spotted there’s a weekly suggested “to do” list under each weekly video with all sorts of suggestions, whether they be fitness-related or even food-related. In general I would most definitely encourage everyone to focus daily on maintaining good posture, doing pelvic floor exercises and eating food that is truly nutritious.
Q. How long after I’ve had a caesarean can I start this programme?
A. The unusual thing about my programme is that it moves seamlessly from pre to postnatal at the simple touch of a button. From week 1 of the postnatal period, the weekly videos start up again, and they are designed to be both useful and appropriate from this exceedingly early stage, even post C section. The first three 3 weeks of the postnatal programme are designed to simply be watched as they offer all sorts of useful information, so I usually suggest having a listen whilst feeding your baby. From week 4-8 the programme essentially focuses on pelvic floor work which will, in turn, aid with the healing of a C section by promoting the flow of blood to the pelvic area. After these initial 8 weeks the programme ramps up and gets progressively more challenging week by week with a mix of core stability work alongside cardio and resistance workouts.
Q. What equipment, if any, should I invest in to help me both during and after my pregnancy?
A. On the fitness front I’d suggest investing in a birthing ball (make sure it’s the right size for you) a resistance band and a soft Pilates ball. I find that many mums-to-be are unsure of how to use a birthing ball, so I recently created a little ebook which I have attached for you J. If it’s not fitness equipment that you are referring to then the potential list of must-haves is absolutely HUGE. I do frequently survey mums-to-be on what their favourite pregnancy gadget is and the DreamGenii pillow features highly as do bump bands and – believe it or not – hair bobbles to enable you to increase the waist of your jeans before investing in maternity wear!
Q. How long does your programme last?
A. My online Pilates programme takes you from week 14 of pregnancy right the way through to (if needed) week 42 of pregnancy and once you are ready it goes from week 1 of the postnatal period up until week 26, which is essentially when your baby is 6 months old. Many would say that after 6 months postpartum you are no longer really postnatal. Whilst I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, I do think that at around 6 months post-pregnancy it is time to start building up to the fitness programme you were doing pre-pregnancy.
