Pilates in pregnancy

PREGNANT? Sleepless nights? Tense?

Why Pilates? How will Pilates help in pregnancy?. Here is the answer.

 

Pilates is a slow but effective form of exercise.

There are many benefits to joining a class:

1. Relaxation: Pilates exercise helps to reduce stress and relieves unwanted tension, aiding sleep
2. Concentration: It allows you to put your day worries aside and concentrate on your baby
3. Co-ordination: Utilising moves that coordinate different muscle groups, ensuring there is a functional focus on exercises allowing you to benefit not only in pregnancy and labour, but also beyond
4. Posture: It improves posture and body alignment to relieve pain and aches
5. Strengthening and stretching: Pilates helps in stretching tired achy muscles and strengthening muscles helps stabilise your pelvis during pregnancy
6. Breathing: Breathlessness and shortness of breath is one of the most common problems in pregnancy. Pilates exercises improves efficiency of breathing and oxygen delivery to your baby, breathing techniques learned can help contribute to a smoother delivery
7. Core-strength: strengthens muscles which create a solid protective base, to stabilise the spine and support your back

More Information:

• Pre & Post Natal Pilates
• Classes
• Womens Health – The Mummy MOT
• Woman & Child

 

No reason to delay. Join our friendly classes at Emma James Physio
Emma
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Blog Post by Emma
MD, Owner & Senior Clinical Director
Emma James Physio

Stretching – why is it so important?

It’s the one thing we should all do before and after exercise but the one phase everyone tends to skip… I think maybe because it’s boring, we are always pushed for time and it’s not perceived as being that important.

Stretching is so important at the start of a work out, as it gives your muscles the opportunity to warm up and become more elastic, which means you will be able to perform better when you start your main set or workout.

Stretching will help prevent injury as cold muscles are more likely to be torn or strained. It is always best to start your work out with 5 minutes of cardio of your choice then dynamic stretching – stretching while moving as it will help increase blood flow and muscle temperature.

At the end of the workout your muscles will be warm and maybe sore depending on what you have been doing.

There are many reasons why you should stretch after exercising:

• It will help maintain elasticity within the muscles, improve strength and keep them healthy. This is so important to keep the flexibility up as it will help in turn with joint movement which will have an impact on your overall performance of working out and everyday life activities.
• When your muscles are warm and you hold a stretch for longer, 45 seconds it will improve the elasticity of that muscle making you more flexible.
• Decrease the risk of injury
• Enable your muscles to work more effectively
• Help keep a healthy body and mind. Stretching can also be really relaxing and help your mind switch off, decreasing stress.
• It helps relieve the stress on muscles after a hard work out, your muscles can often get tight and stiff, stretching will slow down the process of aches and pains.
• It can help improve your posture, stretching your lower back, shoulders and chest will help keep your body in better alignment.
• Reduces lower back, better flexibility in your hamstrings, hip flexors and other muscles around your pelvis helps relieve stress on the lower lumber. This is especially good for those who have desk jobs.

Happy Stretching!

Pippa
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Blog Post by Pippa
FCO Gym Manager & Personal Trainer
Emma James Physio

Don’t be scared of eating good fats…..

Good fat is found in foods like:

• Seeds
• Avocados
• Seafood
• Oils
• Meat
• Fish
• Nuts

Why you ask?

1. Good fat helps you from overeating because it tells your brain to stop eating
2. Fat slows the rate at which sugar hits your bloodstream, and this allows your blood sugar levels to remain steady
3. Most importantly, keeping your hunger and cravings at bay

More information & health advice:

• Premium Full Body MOT
• Assessment & Diagnosis
• Contact Us

Happy, healthy eating Buddies!
Kerry
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Kerry
Personal Trainer & Group Gym Manager

Fighting the Fear

We all have fear, I have fear daily about many things. The question is do we let our fear paralyse us or do we harness its energy and let it drive us forward.

There are so many reasons to be fearful. Fear of failure, fear of injury, fear of embarrassment, fear of poor decisions. However, nothing changes if nothing changes, often I’m fearful going into new situations or even when I meet a new patient for the first time, what I am asking is what do we do with that fear.

A prime example has been skiing this week with my children. I haven’t skied for ten years as I have been either having IVF, or pregnant or bringing up small children.

I’m heavier than I was, I’m more tired and there was a degree of doubt as to whether I would be able to do the black runs as before. I did however do what I always do and grabbed a metaphorical straw, sucked up the fear and did it anyway.
My daughters on the other hand have no concept of fear and like bullets they shot down the slope tucked in tight, with varying degrees of control.

My best friend on the other hand was also new to skiing and being naturally extremely athletic and strong surely she would take to it like a duck to water?
However this was not the case, her biggest barrier to success was her FEAR, fear of falling, fear of heights, fear of getting it wrong.

We all have our demons and we are all scared everyday, my advice would be f*** it and move on.

You are going to be scared, however the choice is yours, be fearful and do it anyway, or be fearful and allow this sense to paralyse you and halt your progress.
The choice of course is always yours.

I would highly recommend the book below .
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway (Quick Reads 2017) Paperback – 2 Feb 2017
by Susan Jeffers (Author)

Emma
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Blog Post by Emma
MD, Owner & Senior Clinical Director
Emma James Physio