Pilates for pregnancy

Transcription

1 Pilates for pregnancy AYELET HARARI 08/20/2013 APTOS CA 2012

2 ABSTRACT Pregnancy is a natural condition and exciting time in a woman s life. It is a physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging experience. Being active throughout pregnancy, keeping healthy diet, exercising, and getting enough rest and relaxation, will make the journey much more pleasant and safe. Pilates is the perfect way to stay active during pregnancy. No experience is necessary; the mother can start at any stage during her pregnancy. Pilates movements are modified for each trimester and are tailored to the personal needs of each mother, allowing the mother to feel safe and secure about her workout. 2

3 Table of contents ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION P. 4-6 THE BENEFITS OF PILATES DURING PREGNANCY P. 7-8 CASE STUDY P. 9 THE BASI CONDITIONING PROGRAM P CONCLUSION P. 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY P. 12 3

4 ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION The anatomical description includes a few main changes in the woman body: The ligaments and fibrous tissue The abdominals The pelvic floor muscle The Symphysis pubis. The round ligament is located on both sides of the uterus and connects to the pelvis. The broad ligaments are connected to the lumber Spine and the uterus sac. As the baby grows and his/her weight increases, the abdominals get weaker and the pelvis rolls forward. The weight of the uterus sac puts pressure on the broad ligaments, and as a reaction, may cause lower back pain. Strengthening the TA abdominals can prevent the pelvis from rolling too far. 4

5 The Symphysis pubis is the joint that holds the bones of the pelvis. During pregnancy the body produces a hormone called, relaxin, to help relax the ligaments of the pelvis, allowing more space within the pelvis for the growing baby. Exercising and strengthening the abdominals will lessen the negative affects of separation during pragnancy. As the uterus expands, the abdominals stretch and separate. That action is called, DIASTASIS RECTI. The expansion is facilitated by the linea alba; it connect the two sides of the rectus abdominals, the oblique s, and the transversus abdominals (TA). Practicing basic pilates exercises can prevent abdominals from separating too far, and help with overall stability of the core. 5

6 The pelvic floor is built from three muscles: The pubococcygeus, the iliocccygeus, and the ischiococcygeus. These muscles support the uterus, bladder, and bowels. Together they form figure eight around the vagina. By strengthening these muscles, we can prevent incontinence. Learning to control the pelvic floor and how to release it, will help ease the delivery. 6

7 The benefits of practicing Pilates in pregnancy Pilates is an ideal and safe method of exercising for a pregnant woman. Teaching her good posture and assisting with abdominal strengthening as well as pelvic floor strengthening, will better prepare the body for labor. It will also provide a faster recovery after the pregnancy. During pregnancy, the woman s body stands before numerous challenges. The body posture changes as a reaction of the growing baby, and can cause discomfort and back pain. By practicing pilates, the woman increases abdominal strength, providing support and spine lengthening. This allows more space to the uterus and the growing baby. Keeping the posture in a neutral position, creating toned abdominals, will lessen the severity of separation, and will allow for a speedy recovery. By making the pelvic floor stronger, pilates may improve circulation, which beneficial for the baby, helping it to relax in the uterus and improving upon sleep while also increasing energy. Each woman is unique in her own ways, physically and mentally. It is very important for a woman to listen to her body and for the instructor to listen to his/her client. The Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters: First 0-12 weeks, second weeks, and third weeks. Each trimester will have a deferent workout, taking into consideration, the changes that are happing in the body. Exercise should be mild and modification will be needed in order to keep the client and the baby safe and comfortable. 7

8 Each woman should obtain a release from her doctor to exercise, and the specific cautions needed per individual. 1. Avoiding lying supine. Lying supine means to lie on your back. Lying on your back for too long after 20 weeks can lead to hypotensive syndrome because the weight of the baby lies on the vena cava, interfering with the normal blood circulation to the heart. That may cause a lack of oxygen in the blood system and most likely will affect the baby s blood supply. 2. Avoid heart rates exceeding 140 BPM: Excessive demands on the cardiovascular system should be avoided because the baby heart rate is already faster then the mom s. 3. Avoid temperatures exceeding 38 degree C: The fetal temperature is higher then the mom s already, thus hot rooms or spas should be avoided because they will also raise the baby s temperature. 4. Exercise shouldn t involve inversion (after 20 weeks), avoiding standing too long without motion or performing exercise that demands lots of balance. Drinking a lot of water before, during, and after the workout and always stop when you feel fatigued. 8

9 Case study This case is base on Kimberly, a 32 year old in her second trimester. Kimberly has been practicing Pilates for 3 years on and off. She was very active before her pregnancy, usually training 3-4 times a week with cardio, and swimming. Since she discovered she was pregnant, she reduced her cardio because she felt that her body needed Pilates. From her previous experiences, pilates aided in developing an awareness of her body posture, increased abdominal strength, as well as strengthened the pelvic floor muscle. Because she had great results from practicing pilates during her first pregnancy, she already knew that by practicing Pilates, her postnatal recovery would be quicker and easer. BASI conditioning program (Kimberly s workout) Warm up - Sitting on the fitness ball practicing lateral Breathing. Then on the C- cushion - Pelvic curl, chest lift, Single leg lift/leg changes. Foot work - Wunda chair parallel heels, parallel toes, V position toes, Open V heels, Open V toes. Abdominals - Cadillac using the C- cushion Roll up with RUB, mini roll- Ups, Mini roll- oblique. Hip work Using the BOSU for support frog, circles (Down, up), walking. Spinal articulation N/A 9

10 Stretches - Kimberly Loved to perform the stretches who made her body feel good. Sitting on the fitness ball shoulder stretch, overhead, side Stretch, and spine twist. Full body integration - Cadillac - side reach, kneeling cat stretch, reformer - Stomach massage round back, flat back, and reaching. Arm work - We had lot of options for the arm work, Kimberly s favorite was the arm- sitting series on the reformer: chest expansion, biceps, rhomboids, hug- a- tree, Salute. We also did sitting on the fitness ball, arms bent, arms straight, arms over head, single arm side press, single arm bicep. Full body integration 2 N/A Since Full body Integration 2 are much more challenging we skipped it to keep Kimberly safe, and added more stretches since it made her feel good. Additional leg work - wunda chair, leg press standing, magic circle sitting series - ankle, below knees, above knees. Lateral flexion/rotation - wunda chair - side kneeling stretch Reformer mermaid, ladder barrel side over prep Kimberly love to finish that exercise with nice long stretch. Back extension- Cat stretch - focusing on the extension in the thoracic spine. 10

11 Conclusion Pilates will give the mother the right tools for learning how to develop an awareness of posture. Focusing on breathing will relax her and prepare her for labor. She should always pay close attention to muscular strength and balance. Concentration and controlled movement, Being centered and keeping the flow, and learning to be efficient and precise while doing so with harmony will help Kimberly enjoy Pilates. Kimberly loves her Pilates workout routine. Pilates makes her feel strong and energized and she feels comfortable in her temporary body. After her pregnancy she will continue practicing pilates because it gives her all the tools necessary for being healthy and fit. She is also enthusiastic to continue her routine with her child. 11

12 Bibliography Pilates workbook for pregnancy Author: Michael king and yolande green Ulysses press 2002 Pilates for pregnancy the ultimate exercise guide to see you through pregnancy and beyond. Author: lynne robinson with kate fernyhough mcsp Fair Winds press 2013 Pilates for pregnancy safe and natural exercises for before and after the birth Author: jan endacott Hamlyn 2007 The pilates pregnancy maintaining strength, flexibility, and your figure Author: mari winsor with mark laska Da capo press lifelong books 2001 Body art and science international Study guide Author: real isacowitz Body arts and science international

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