Here's a pregnancy fitness routine you can do from home
All you will require is a set of dumbbells, a mat, and a couch or chair
Kayla Davis is a fitness expert living in Halifax. She graduated from Dalhousie University with a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology. She's a certified personal trainer and former competitive gymnast.
Today, I will be putting you through a pregnancy-safe home workout.
This is a workout you can do at any stage of your pregnancy.
All you will require is a set of dumbbells, a mat, and a couch or chair.
A little disclaimer before we get started: I just want to make sure that all new moms are safe, so please ensure that your doctor has cleared you to exercise before starting this workout.
It is recommended that pregnant women without contraindications get a minimum of 30 minutes of mild to moderate aerobic and strength training exercise five times per week.
Pelvic floor
The first step we need to go over is how to activate your pelvic floor and transverse abdominis — your deep core muscles. This is so important for all women to know, but especially those who are pregnant.
I want you to think about the muscles in your pelvic floor like a hammock connecting from the back to the front of the pelvis. It is so important for pregnant women to learn how to properly activate and contract those muscles while exercising.
We are going to start lying on the floor with our knee bent. I want you to start by taking a deep breath in through the nose. While doing this, allow your stomach to rise and your ribs to expand.
Next, you are going to exhale through the mouth. Allow your ribs to come in and wrap around your stomach, press your lower back down into the ground and then contract your pelvic floor muscles by pulling them up.
Let's repeat that three more times. Think about doing that before most of the exercises we do in this video.
Video produced by Kristen Brown and Jane Nicholson for CBC.