Prenatal Pilates Series: Stretching & Stress Relief

Hi Beauties!

I hope you’ve been enjoying this free series. It’s been fun for me to connect with you on the journey of pregnancy and to share the ups and downs of this season in such a safe, supportive community.

We’re wrapping up the Prenatal Pilates Series today with a video dedicated to stretching & stress relief. Ahhhh.

I truly believe that managing stress is just as important as exercising and eating well during pregnancy.

In fact, one of the reasons I chose hypnobirthing as my birthing method was because of the tools and resources it provided to manage stress, fear and worry both during pregnancy and during labor. It worked tremendously well for me and I incorporated very similar resources and strategies in Balanced Beginnings, a self-guided prenatal Pilates program that you can do from home. (CLICK HERE to learn more!)

You don’t have to dive too deep into the research to discover how stress during pregnancy can negatively impact mother AND baby:

Some stress during pregnancy is normal, just as it is during other times of life. But if stress becomes constant, the effects on you and your baby could be lasting.

When you’re stressed, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode, sending out a burst of cortisol and other stress hormones. These are the same hormones that surge when you are in danger. They prepare you to run by sending a blast of fuel to your muscles and making your heart pump faster.

If you can deal with your stress and move on, your stress response will recede and your body will go back into balance. But “the kind of stress that’s really damaging is the kind that doesn’t let up,” says Susan Andrews, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist and author of the book Stress Solutions for Pregnant Moms: How Breaking Free From Stress Can Boost Your Baby’s Potential. In fact, constant stress could alter your body’s stress management system, causing it to overreact and trigger an inflammatory response.

Inflammation, in turn, has been linked to poorer pregnancy health and developmental problems in babies down the road. “There are some data to show that higher chronic stressors in women and poor coping skills to deal with those stressors may be associated with lower birth weight and with delivering earlier,” says Ann Borders, MD, MPH, MSc. She is an OB/GYN in the obstetrics and gynecology department, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, at Evanston Hospital, NorthShore University HealthSystem. – Web MD

Today’s video is designed to help you take a short break in your day to slow down, breath, stretch and relax. It’s just as important as building muscle so enjoy this gentle routine…

Prenatal Pilates Series: Stretching & Stress Relief

If you are unable to view the embedded video above please click here.

Check out this Stretching & Stress Relief prenatal workout with  @balanced_life_. <— CLICK TO TWEET

Question: how stressed are you feeling during your pregnancy? 

xo,

PS – If you’re enjoying this series you’ll LOVE Balanced Beginnings. It’s a self-guided prenatal Pilates program that you can do from the comfort of your home. The videos are longer and yours to keep forever. You also receive more detailed info on safe prenatal exercise along with resources to embrace your changing body and manage stress throughout your 9 months.

Here’s a short success story from a Balanced Beginnings Alumna: 

After one of my friends introduced me to Robin’s Pilates videos I was hooked! But I never realized how much they have helped my body until I went through my pregnancy and delivery on July 11th!! I followed Balanced Beginnings program (though not as faithful as I should have been at the very end) throughout my entire pregnancy. It helped me feel great, made me aware of what I was eating and how much activity I was doing throughout the day. I attribute my comfortable pregnancy and smooth delivery to the awareness of my body I gained through Robin’s program.

I had great energy, stayed very mobile and felt wonderful. I admire how Robin embraces her mommy body yet still strives to be healthy and active. She does a wonderful job of showing a truthfulness to pregnancy without soley focusing on weight gain and appearance.

I can’t thank Robin enough and have already been recommending her to my other pregnant mommy friends.” -Heather I.