By Christina

Many women find Pilates to be an excellent form of exercise before, during and after their pregnancy.  Pilates builds core strength which means you are focusing on your back, hips, shoulders and abdominals - all areas that are stressed quite a bit during pregnancy.  Strong back and abs mean better support for mom as her belly gets larger and heavier.  After the baby is born, Pilates is excellent to help get the body back into shape and return the abs to their pre-pregnancy shape and strength.

Another reason Pilates is so wonderful during pregnancy is that is easy to modify the exercises depending on your ability. A good instructor will always give modifications for exercises if he or she sees a pregnant, injured or beginner exerciser.  Keep in mind too that many doctors recommend no prone (lying on your back) exercises after the 20th week of pregnancy.

Be sure before you start any program of exercise, get clearance from your doctor -especially if you are pregnant.  While not common, there are some facilities that offer prenatal Pilates or consider doing a few one on one sessions until you are comfortable with the movements.  Overall, Pilates is an excellent method of exercise during pregnancy.  Listen to your body and stop if there is any sharp pain, dizziness or lightheadedness.