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Prenatal Pilates Series: Lower Body Strength

Good morning and welcome back to the Prenatal Pilates Series!

This is a FREE 5-workout series I’m running to help you stay healthy, fit & strong throughout your 9 months.

You can easily catch up on past workouts by following these links:

Today we’re focusing on the lower body.

I’ll admit that during my first pregnancy I let my lower body go. I did a lot of walking and some gentle Pilates but I really didn’t focus much on maintaining my muscle mass. And it showed.

This time around I’ve put an extra focus on building strong legs so that I can continue to exercise, work, and chase my 2 year old around (toddlers are so exhausting) and continue wearing shorts and dresses with confidence.

The lower body plays an integral role in feeling good throughout pregnancy but also in the physical act of giving birth. I don’t know about you but I’d like to keep my options open when giving birth – if I feel like squatting I want to have the strength to do so and not be forced to lie down from lack of endurance.

In addition, lower body exercises (when done properly) call upon the pelvic floor which may be THE most important muscle to focus on during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

(And no, kegels aren’t enough. Here’s a good article on using squats to strengthen the pelvic floor.)

So without further ado, let’s dive into today’s workout. Enjoy!