ever since completing my honours dissersation on the effects of exercise in pregnancy on psychological health, i knew this would be one of the groups of women i’d love to train going forward - and even more so after exercising throughout both my own pregnancies!

Did you know that throughout pregnancy, women should be aiming for 150 minutes of physical activity per week?

listen to your body as each week goes by and adapt if need be, but keep moving!

the physiological effects of exercise during pregnancy are well documented, such as reduced risk of gestational diabetes, improved posture, shorter labour duration and faster recovery post birth, to name a few.

but did you know that being physically active When pregnant also reduces the presence and symptoms of pre and post natal depression? evidence also shows that depression experienced during pregnancy was the strongest indicator of post natal depression.

we can look at your physical activity levels prior to becoming pregnant and work out where to start. we want to make sure you are strong to carry that lovely baby the whole way through and beyond - carrying a baby in a car seat is something we want to find fairly easy as they grow!

post-natal

similarly to pre-natal, the aim for post-natal activity is 150 mins per week. your doctor/midwife should be able to give you the go ahead for exercise at your 6 week check up (longer after a c-section). prior to this, gentle walks and pelvic floor work is fine, if feeling upto it!

planning exercise into your day can be easier said than done with a new born baby with constant feeds and lack of sleep but so important for your mood and you definitely need time to yourself. accept help from others and do not feel guilty for this!

obviously, many factors need to be taken into account after having your baby - how was your labour? do you have diastasis recti? did you have a prolapse following birth? how has your posture changed over the past 40 weeks? these will all be looked at and discussed when we first meet and decide on your programme.