• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Sailing in Hong Kong - inclusive sailing courses by charity SailabilityMaking sailing accessible to everyone
        • We chat with two GSIS families
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • A New Home in The New Territories
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Reclusive Means Exhibition at Pearl Lam Galleries Hong KongTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • Best playgrounds & parks for the kids
        • What to watch this month – Netflix & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • We chat with two GSIS families
        • A boarding school with wildlife on the doorstep!
        • Children's teeth and bracesKids and braces – all you need to know
        • Child reading for web article on Books and Brains - helping children with reading and phonicsHelp for children struggling with reading
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • A New Home in The New Territories
        • Transforming an old Hong Kong junk
        • Image of Altfield home furnishings showroomWhere to get designer home furnishings
        • Hong Kong People: Meet Laura Pezza
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • Mount KinabuluClimbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah
        • Son Doong CaveJourney into the world’s largest cave
        • Famous movie locations in Asia - Hong Kong - Gage Street8 Famous Movie Locations in Asia
        • Gaining access to an EU passport
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • Popcorn Shrimp with Spicy Honey Mayo
        • Indulgent chocolate cake - recipeRecipe: Indulgent Chocolate Cake
        • Spicy Asian Coleslaw - recipeRecipe: Spicy Asian Coleslaw
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • where to get botox in hong kongBotox in Hong Kong – All you need to know
        • Where to buy (and sell!) watches
        • Face masks, spa products, body scrubsWe test body scrubs, creams, masks & more!
        • Hong Kong Spas - Spa at Four Seasons Hong Kong - facial and body treatmentTried and Tested: 2 Luxury Spa Treatments
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • family dental clinics and dentists in Hong KongFamily Dental Clinics and Dentists in HK
        • Children's teeth and bracesKids and braces – all you need to know
        • Safe & healthy eating during pregnancy
        • Couples therapy for divorce and separation, MindNLife Hong KongDivorce: how to break up with dignity
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Close

Pregnancy workout for your core

3 November, 2022 by Expat Living 2 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/exercising-during-pregnancy-prenatal-pilates-to-strengthen-pelvic-floor-options-pilates-studio/

Strengthening your pelvic floor, core and lower back while pregnant is essential – and Pilates is a great solution not only during pregnancy, but post-birth too. Pilates workouts strengthen your core muscles with an emphasis on abdominal muscles, the lower back and the muscles of the pelvic floor. All these muscles are important in pregnancy because of the changes to your body as your baby grows.

We caught up with SERENA from Options Pilates Studio to hear why Pilates is so powerful for pregnant women and new mums. Here are her three tips.

Prenatal Pilates at Options Pilates

Tip 1: Support your lower back

The lower back works together with the abdominals and obliques to keep the spine in a neutral position. As your baby grows, the pressure on your lower back is relieved when the abdominal muscles are strong enough to keep your spine in a neutral position.

Tip 2: Strengthen your pelvic floor

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles in your pelvis that functions as the foundation for your whole core. The pelvic floor muscles are very important during childbirth, and if these muscles are well-conditioned through Pilates training you’ll have greater control during labour and faster recovery after birth.

Tip 3: Join a prenatal Pilates class

Prenatal Pilates is much more gentle than regular Pilates. Many of the normal exercises are too difficult to perform when your balance is affected by the changes in your body. We modify a lot of exercises by using special equipment to make them suitable for the changing ability of your core muscles as they stretch during pregnancy.

There are different requirements during different trimesters. For example, the baby is most sensitive during the first trimester. So, we don’t encourage clients who haven’t worked out before to start any exercise until around the tenth to twelfth week of pregnancy. (Ideally, you would start Pilates classes before you become pregnant, as this makes it easier to continue classes once you become pregnant.) We encourage pregnant ladies to take plenty of water breaks and short breaks during class. And, of course, we are more lenient about missed or forgotten classes during pregnancy!

The instructors at Options are specifically trained to teach Pilates to pregnant women, and qualified to know what is suitable. For example, they know about exercises and positions to avoid, including those that involve lying flat on your back. We are a Pilates-only studio in Hong Kong with the most number of regular prenatal group classes.

optionspilatesstudio.com


See more in our
Health & Fitness ection

Subscribe to Expat Living now so you never miss an issue.

Categories: Fitness Health & Fitness Kids Mums & Babies Tags: Exercise and pregnancy Options Pilates Pilates Pregnancy Pregnant Prenatal classes

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

family dental clinics and dentists in Hong Kong

Family Dental Clinics and Dentists in HK

A boarding school with wildlife on the doorstep!

A Day in the Life of a Boarder at MCM

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.