Work out in water during pregnancy to stay fit

With aquanatal, the buoyancy of the water provides that much needed support for the growing bump and takes away a lot of the impact of exercise.

by

Olivia Olarte-Ulherr

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Published: Tue 5 Aug 2014, 12:34 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 8:54 PM

More and more expectant mothers, especially those who haven’t been physically active before conception, are starting to appreciate the importance of exercise to have a healthy pregnancy and to boost energy levels.

Laura Deitz

However, not all may enjoy the regular prenatal exercises offered by many institutions here.

But there’s a sure fire way to encourage fitness among the soon-to-be mums minus the added stress on the body and strain on the joints — exercise in water or aquanatal.

Aquanatal is an enjoyable, safe and effective way for women to stay fit during pregnancy. It helps in improving circulation, increasing muscle tone and strength, and building stamina.

According to Laura Deitz, aquanatal instructor for Fit 4 Two, a mum and baby class, there are benefits to being mobile while pregnant and doing aquanatal in particular.

“Some of those benefits include increased energy levels. A lot of times it can help alleviate any pelvic pressure or pain that you have in your hips, potentially your lower back. Overall, if you are a fitter person, that’s going to help you during the different stages of labour. (While) it’s not a guarantee, it’s actually proven that women who are more active in their labour with moderate safe exercises typically have considerably shorter labour than women who have inactive pregnancies,” said Deitz, who is a fitness instructor for 10 years with two years focussing on prenatal.

With aquanatal, the buoyancy of the water provides that much needed support for the growing bump and takes away a lot of the impact of exercise, thus, reducing the risk of injury.

“What’s great with aquanatal is that by being in the water, you’re always working with resistance. Working in the water is also something that’s very safe. It takes the pressure off your hips and your lower back, so if you’re struggling with that sort of discomfort during your pregnancy, this is a very good way,” Deitz said.

So, how is the class structured?

“We try to keep most of the body in the water, and by definition, when most of the body is in the water, anytime you do any sort of movement, the water resists. So, just by simple movement patterns, you’re working all of your muscles,” said the soon-to-be mother of two.

The focus is more on cardiovascular fitness within a safe range for pregnant women.

“We then do some specific exercises that target the hips, the legs and then at the very end, we do some work on relaxation and visualisation. And that’s really important for most prenatal clients because those are the sort of skills — the visualisation, imagery and also the breathing techniques – that you may consider using while you were in labour,” Deitz explained.

Aquanatal exercise is ideal for women who are at the end of their first trimester and does not have any high-risk pregnancy or those susceptible to pre-term labour. And for those who would like to meet and befriend other mums-to-be.

Feeling energised

“I think when you go through the exercises in the water, you don’t get the feeling that you’re pushing yourself too hard but then when you exit the water you definitely get the feeling that your muscles have worked and that you’ve achieved something. I’ve had women tell me that it has helped them with some of their discomforts in pregnancy,” said Deitz.

Fit moms

New mum, Katia Rassadina attended Deitz’ aquanatal class twice a week all throughout her pregnancy.

“I wasn’t very fit before, there was no time before to stay fit as I was working. But I realised it’s important to stay and get fit during pregnancy. I felt more energised each time after class. I expected to feel tired but I have more energy and I can do more with the rest of the day,” said the Russian mother of a 10-month old girl.

Colette Champ from the UK was very active before getting pregnant. She was a regular at spinning classes and body pump, and “taking it easy” is something she has yet to get used to especially since she suffered from fatigue during the first trimester of her pregnancy.

She enrolled in aquanatal and combined this with yoga, golf and pilates. “This increased my energy level and helped me have an exercise routine,” Champ said.

Aquanatal classes are held twice a week at two locations in Abu Dhabi — the indoor pool at Hilton Capital Grand (formerly Rocco Forte) and the outdoor pool of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com


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