Pilates for pregnancy to keep you active in your second trimester

Pregnancy Pilates can provide low impact exercises without causing too much pressure on your body or baby. Pilates teacher Sarah Vrancken, who specialises in Pilates for pregnancy demonstrates a gentle pilates workout for the second trimester of pregnancy

Is it just us or does it seem like everyone is pregnant going into the new year? From Kate Middleton and Chrissy Teigen to THREE of the Kardashian sisters expecting new family additions in the next few months (if you want to know what Khloe Kardashian eats we spoke to her nutritionist here).

The buzz is around what these celebrities do to remain in shape and healthy during their pregnancies so we got the low down from Binky Felstead’s personal trainer who divulged 19 secrets to Felstead’s return to a regular fitness routine. Expert advice is valuable at this time especially if new mums are unsure exactly how to ease back into a solid workout routine after the body’s changes of the previous nine months.

WATCH: Sarah’s first trimester Pilates lesson here

First of all, we don’t recommend lying flat on your back anymore, because there is a chance it may restrict the blood flow between mum and baby, and we believe that is not a risk worth taking. You just need to have a few cushions to hand to make sure your shoulders are higher than your hips so that you can keep exercising safely. Or you can purchase a triangular shaped cushion as shown in the video from any website that sells physio supplies.

SHOP: Healthista’s expert-selected range of supplements for pregnancy here

Also, at this point, your rectus abdominis (that allows you to do sit-ups and bum lifts) and your obliques are not important and we should avoid doing any exercises that predominantly use these muscles. It is now more important to focus on your Transversus Abdominis (the muscles that you engage when you pull your belly button towards the spine) and your Pelvic Floor. Coincidentally, these are the muscles we always engage in Pilates and that’s exactly why Pilates is seen as a great pre-natal and post-natal workout.

All people have different levels of fitness and strength, even whilst pregnant. Listen to your body when doing this quick second trimester routine and take it to a level that suits you.

Sarah Vrancken is a qualified Pilates and Fitness Instructor who believes we can all benefit from a stronger, healthier and more flexible body free from aches and pains. With two young kids, a busy household and a consultancy business to run, Sarah turned to Pilates to help her cope with daily life. She teaches in Surrey and set up Kalm Pilates to offer online Pilates programmes to spread the virtues of the practice.

Sarah decided to get her qualification as a pre-natal and post-natal fitness instructor as the information available on exercising during pregnancy was often contradictory. The knowledge she gained from the qualification combined with Pilates helped her stay pain free during her pregnancies and aided her recovery post-partum.

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