3 reasons why Authentic Pilates is perfect for getting you back into shape

Your body goes through a lot of changes when you have a baby.  Although there is a lot information available for women leading up to birth, there seems to be next to nothing for the months and years after.
 
As a professional Pilates Instructor I have met many women who have ‘problems’ with their back and or hips after having children.  The most frustrating thing is that generally speaking, most women are unaware that they can do something about it.
 
One women I know went to her GP because of back pain and was told that ‘she had three kids, what did she expect’!  I hope she wasn’t charged for that appointment.  That particular story was a big reason why I am now writing this ezine.  Yes your body goes through a lot of changes when you give birth, NO you shouldn’t have to live with pain and discomfort the rest of your life.
 
I found Pilates to be an invaluable tool to help me get back into shape after having my daughter Evie and there are 3 main reasons why.
 
1) The Pilates’ exercises work all the right muscles.
Pilates works your body from the centre out.  Your centre is the area most dramatically affected by having a baby, making it the area that needs the most attention after.  Pilates focuses on engaging all the muscles around the hip and abdominal region.  In Authentic Pilates this area is called the powerhouse.  We use this term because the powerhouse is the centre of functional strength in the body.  Powerhouse strength drives the development of strength in the rest of the body.  
  
2)  The exercises are designed to create balanced strength in your body.  During the nine months your baby is growing, your muscles are adapting to the extra weight all being concentrated in the front of your body.  After you have given birth you need to pay attention to working all those muscles around your hips and spine to get back into balance, in particularly your abdominal muscles.  One of the most common scenarios I see is that the muscles in the front of the thighs and hips, as well as the lower back have become too tight.  This pulls the pelvis forward and leads to lower back, hip and knee pain.  Pilates exercises are designed to rebalance these muscles ensuring that they have the strength and flexibilty to maintain good posture.
  
3) Pilates progresses in the right order!  Pilates focuses on creating a strong and balanced body, leaving no muscles behind!  Pilates works the body as a whole, it doesn’t split the body up and try to strengthen the separate parts.  Your body doesn’t function as separate parts so why would you try to strengthen it that way?  If you progress through the Pilates exercise system in the correct order, your whole body will be improving in strength and flexibility.  This approach is fantastic for helping your body cope with the everyday demands placed on it. 

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