Thank you to our fabulous pre-natal coach Victoria for writing this article for us !
Victoria is an ex-professional dancer who joined Team K while she was still performing at the Lido de Paris in 2018. Victoria became our first-trained Kalon Cardio Barre coach, and she is also a highly-qualified and experience Yoga Instructor, currently in the midst of her nutritionist and personal training degree.
Check out Victoria's post-partum challenge here, where she has selected a series of Kalon workouts on the app to get back into shape after a long break:
And Victoria, Lucie, Sophie and Annalisa in our very first Pre-Natal Cardio Barre Fitness series.
Keeping fit during pregnancy has a huge number of benefits. Not only does it prepare you for labour and birth and help support all of the changes happening in your body, it’s also been shown to help prevent certain health issues relating to pregnancy and reduce the risks of pregnancy complications.
It can also be a wonderful mood booster because exercise releases all those lovely endorphins!
PS: the following tips can also apply to those of you who haven’t had a proper fitness routine for a while and want to go back to it slowly and safely.
Discover our brand new pre-natal Kalon Cardio Barre series
What type of exercise can I do?
It’s really important when embarking on your pre-natal fitness journey that you don’t start anything new that your body won’t be used to. It is recommended to remain at the same level of fitness you had pre pregnancy.
So, if you are used to working at a high level there is no reason why you can’t stick to that! That includes your favourite Kalon Cardio Barre classes with Kalon. Just make sure you have the go ahead from your doctor or midwife and you use the correct modifications.
Check out our ‘modifications in pregnancy’ section below. Be aware that you will have a new (and very clever) hormone in your body called relaxin which will be loosening and softening your muscles and ligaments in preparation for birth. This will make you feel more flexible than usual so know your limits!
What else can I do to support a healthy pregnancy?
Taking the appropriate pre-natal vitamins such as folic acid is highly recommended during pregnancy and making sure to keep the body as nourished as you can when it comes to your nutrition.
More often than not, nausea is part of the pregnancy journey and so sometimes it may feel hard to eat well.
A simple smoothie loaded with your favourite fruits (and some hidden greens) may do the trick! Top tip is to make up some of your favourite snacks in advance so they are easy to grab on the go when you don’t feel up to making anything. Keeping well hydrated is essential during pregnancy and will have health benefits for both you and baby.
Getting back into shape post-partum
It is important to remember that every woman will have a very different journey when it comes to their post-partum fitness. It will very much depend on the type of labour and birth you have as to when you may be ready to get back into your exercise routine.
It is crucial that you have had your 6 week post-partum check up with your medical team because engaging in any activity. Even if you feel well enough! You have just birthed a human being. Give your body time to heal and recover. Start slow and listen to your body.
Core based exercises are a really good place to start. Pilates and yoga-based workouts will be highly effective in the early months post-partum. Once you start to feel stronger you can begin to add in some higher impact classes to your routine such as Kalon Cardio Barre or sculpting workouts and build it up progressively. It took you 9 months to grow a human.
It may take 9 months or longer to get your fitness back, but it is absolutely possible if done slowly and safely. Whether coming back to exercise after pregnancy or even just a long break it’s important to find something you enjoy doing and makes you feel good. Exercise should be fun not a chore! check out our post-natal 5 day ‘Kalon challenge’ over on the app to help kick start your post-partum fitness journey.
MODIFICATIONS IN PREGNANCY
Always protect your core and don’t do any exercises that put extra pressure on the pelvic floor. Planks, for example should be done with knees on the floor.
Take a wider stance than usual. For example, for a squat, take legs wider than hip width to ensure the pelvis is supported.
Avoid doing too many exercises on 1 leg. The hormones in your body with mean that you are less stable and so it is generally safer to keep two feet on the ground as much as you can.
No closed twists. Avoid anything that compresses the stomach in any way. Keep them open and with plenty of space for your growing bump.
No jumping (unless you are highly trained in your field and have the go ahead from your doctor or midwife). Keep it low impact. You are still able to get a great workout without any jumping at all!
No laying on your back for too long. Your lovely long post yoga savasana will have to wait I’m afraid. It is recommended to lay on your left side where possible to avoid putting pressure on the vein which pumps blood back to the heart and baby and can make you feel faint.
Don’t work past your limits. Listen to your body and work within your own range of motion and flexibility.