Baby and You

It's Spring and there are new mommies among us. Pilates is excellent for keeping you in shape before and after pregnancy. Movements can be modified as your body changes over time. Most importantly, stability workouts such as Pilates are important as your center of gravity changes.

Your low back will start to curve more as your belly increases in size which causes the low back to tighten up to support the extra weight. Your chest starts to close more in the front so extension work is essential to counter this. Your ribs, abs and pelvic floor stretch to make room for the baby as he/she grows. Pilates works to keep you strong and healthy before, during and after pregnancy.

Suggested Exercises:

• Ped-a-pole standing arms (modified seated w/hand weights)
• Magic Circle arm/leg work (standing or seated for posture)
• 100's against wall standing
• Standing balance work (calf raises, footwork on half foam roll, weight shifts)
• Chair: Footwork, Seated/Kneeling Side Bends, Lunges
• Reformer: Seated Box Arms, Short Box Series, Long/Down Stretch, Stomach Massage
• Barrel: Ballet Stretches, Side Sit Ups

A great site to check out is Pilates for Mommies. This goes into greater detail for those trainers or future moms who want the details of how the female body changes over time.

Resolution Results

The at home workouts are at an end and my experiment has come to a close. The results are calculated and I hope you agree that my success in a few months is proof that Pilates can change your body in as little as half an hour a day.

Just as a reminder my stats as of 12/16/09:

• Height- 5ft 4in
  
• Weight- 140lbs.
  
• BMI- 24.03
  
• Waist- 31.5inches
  
• Bust- 34.5inches
• Hip- 39inches
• Thigh- 22.5inches
  
• Upper Arm- 11.5inches

Current Stats as of 3/22/10:

• Height- 5ft 4in
• Weight- 133lbs.
• BMI- 22.8
• Waist- 30inches
• Bust- 32inches
• Hip- 36inches
• Thigh- 22inches
• Upper Arm- 11.5inches

As you can see, I've become more narrow overall. I've actually dropped a dress size or two, especially in my jeans! I can't tell you how many compliments I've had over the past month with people noticing my slimmer figure. It feels great to have completed the program just in time for shorts season. Thanks for following my experiment and I hope you try Pilates if you haven't already to uncover a beautiful new you!

Feet First

Did you know our feet consist of 26 bones and 3 arches (lateral longitudinal, medial longitudinal and transverse)? Posture starts with the feet yet we often forget how important they are during our workout sessions.

When standing there should be equal weight distribution over your heel, big and little toe. This functions similar to a tripod. An easy way to tell where excess pressure is on our feet is by looking at the wear and tear on the souls of our shoes. Another indicator can be where your feet tend to get callouses. Try these simple exercises below to stretch and strengthen your base of support.

Feet Exercises:

• Reformer/Chair/Tower Footwork
• Foot Articulation (point foot than toes, flex foot than toes & reverse)
• Franklin Method use of Balls
• Balance Work (standing lifts onto toes in parallel or first position)
• Ped-a-Pole Squats
• Ankle Circles (before single leg circles on mat)
• Towel Sliding
• Foot Corrector