The most common excuse I hear and see first hand when I prescribe my clients a program of exercises or meditation is I didn’t have time!
Time is a funny thing really and with the busy lives we tend to live these days it’s not surprising lots of pregnant mums struggle to find time. In our Grandparents generation a lot of women would slow down work or finish completely during their pregnancies as they prepared for the transition to family life.
Nowadays we are working overtime, trying to keep up with social activities, putting unachievable expectations around exercise on ourselves, all while trying to tick off our forever ending to do lists! It’s no wonder women are feeling overwhelmed!
But when it comes to something that you value or perceive as important like getting an assignment done or having a deadline at work, or participating in your favourite hobby, you make the time for it! There’s no excuses, even if you have to stay up an extra hour or do it on the weekend you find the time and prioritise it!
So when it comes to exercise, pelvic floor strengthening or meditation – things that are going to keep your mind and body healthy throughout pregnancy, it’s about getting really clear on your why! So the first step is getting clear on the benefits and the potential consequences of not doing them and then aligning them with your values and implementing strategies that help improve compliance and keep you motivated!
This is the foundation of my Support Your Mind, Core & Pelvic Floor course! The first two modules are learning and understanding all of the incredible benefits of pelvic floor exercise, exercise & meditation in pregnancy, then understanding the cost of not doing these things and lastly relating it back to their individual values!
So if you value money and are concerned about spending money when your about to have a baby – you need to think about prevention and that by doing these things know, you will potentially save large amounts of money recovering from prolapse, postnatal depression or abdominal separation! There is a saying that goes “if you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.”
Or if you value your social network, it’s understanding that by optimising your physical and emotional health you will be able to show up and enjoy your activities more fully! If it’s sport it’s knowing that doing these exercises in pregnancy will help you return to smoother and reduce your risk of injury!
Another limiting belief is that for exercise or yoga to be affective it has to be a long in-person class. And then can be difficult to find a pregnancy suitable class, with someone you trust, that’s at a time that fits with your schedule… Then on top of that if you add in the commute at the end of a long day of work your unpredictable fluctuations between nausea, fatigue and pelvic pain – looking after yourself starts to feel like a pretty big unachievable chore! This is why a lot of pregnant women favour walking as their form of exercise – however, pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis pain is often flared up by too much walking so this might not always be the best option! The best way to get around this is seek support – find a professional who you trust to guide you on the best ways to support your mental and physical health as well as your pelvic floor. Understand that there is so much benefit in even a short 10-minute yoga or pilates class and that online classes can give you the flexibility of doing a little bit everyday and working it around when you feel good and when you have the time!
Other common excuses I hear are “I felt too tired” or “I felt sick” What we often don’t understand is that exercises, breath-work & meditation can help with all of these things!
It can help reduce bloating, swelling and constipation and even alleviate nausea! A short breath-work can shift our emotions and some gentle exercise can increase blood, oxygen and boost energy levels!