Essential Abs for Pregnancy!

One of things that most expecting mums worry about is losing their figure and the struggle to get it back afterwards. Losing your waist to a huge bump can make you feel like a beached whale at times, but if you want to make sure that your pregnant figure is just as sexy as your pre-pregnant shape and if you want to guarantee your success at getting back into your skinny jeans within a couple of weeks, (it took me 10 days thanks to following my plan!), then you need to read on!

Now when you mention abs and pregnancy, most midwives, doctors or obstetricians would tut dissaprovingly and tell you that you shouldn't be "doing abs" in pregnancy. Well in a way they are right - there's absolutely no way you should be doing a traditional ab exercise like a crunch or a sit-up. These types of stomach exercises which follow the crunch movement work the Rectus Abdominus. This is the six pack muscle. If you think about how a six pack looks you'll see there are two distinct halves which are joined in the centre by a fascia called the linea alba.

In pregnancy the increasing bulk of the uterus pushes out against these two halves and stretches the rectus abdominus causing the two halves to become longer and to separate down the middle. Any additional pressure, i.e. from doing traditional sit-ups will increase the pressure and increase separation causing splitting of your abs. This is a major cause of pregnancy back pain. Although there are exercises to help repair the damage after you've had your baby this really is osmething you want to avoid.

So, the group of muscles we really want to concentrate on in pregnancy is called your core. These are your deep seated abdominal muscles plus the muscles that support your pelvis and back. In particular we want to focus on your Transverse Abdominus which is the deepest of the abdominal muscles and acts like a corset to support your torso. This is also the muscle you will use to push your baby out and the one responsible for giving you a flat stomach after the birth.



To find your TA lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, (if you are past 20 weeks do this sitting up against a wall with your back really tall and straight).

Place one hand on your belly below your belly button and one above.

Take a deep breath right into the pit of your belly so that you fill it with air.

Now as you exhale push all the sir out of your stomach and as you do so flatten your belly button back to your spine.

The muscle you are working is your transverse abdominus.

Now you need to train this mauscle daily throughout your pregnancy to achieve that flat stomach afterwards and also to make your labour a whole lot easier on yourself. In my pregnancy plan there are a whole range of exercises that we go through, but here's an easy one to get you started, (this is also a great stress reliever and perfect for relaxation before bed!).

Repeat the steps above to find your TA and activate it. Repeat for 5 breaths so that you drive oxygen to the muscle and warm it up, ready to work.

Now On your next exhalation hold your belly button flat against your spine for 30 seconds, breathing all the time (DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH!)

To release the muscle take a big breath in and fill your belly with air, allowing it to expand as much as possible.

Carry on for 10 repetitions.

This exercise is great for your circulation and increasing oxygen flow to your baby. It also stimulates the release of endorphins into your blood stream and clears toxins from your system. All of that as well as training your stomach for flat abs after you give birth, what more could you ask for?!

Here's your first action step to a Positive Pregnancy Mindset

How are you feeling today?

Not too bad? Or are you a little nauseous and tired?

Even if you are feeling pretty good right now, chances are that you won't wake up feeling like that every day of your pregnancy and this is where things can start to go off track pretty quickly.

No matter how good your intentions are, I'm sure you've already had the odd day where you've used the fact that you're pregnant as an excuse to skip your workout, skip a meal here and there or pig out on junk food that you'd never normally touch - I did exactly the same! But what I rapidly found out was that these little slip-ups were making me feel a lot worse in the long-run. Sure, I'd have a temporary sugar high, or an extra 20 minutes to veg out on the sofa,but I felt ten times worse because of it!

It didn't take me long to figure out that it was my mindset that needed focussing. If I was to have a great pregnancy and stay fit, healthy and looking and feeling amazing all the way through, I needed something to keep me thinking in my pregnancy mindset.

So I started my vision board.

(Here's where your pictures and cutouts come into play :0) )

I want you to create a mental picture of your perfect pregnancy.

Think about:
what you will eat,
how you will look and feel,
how you will dress,
how much energy you will have,
the exercise you are doing every week,
what people are saying about you...

Now I want you to take all those pictures that you found that represent your perfect pregnancy and stick them up somewhere where you can see them frequently every day. Maybe your fridge at home, or your desk at work?

You can add to this collection whenever you feel like, with pictures, quotes, recipes - whatever you like really, but use it to remind you every day just why you are going to eat well or spend 15 minutes exercising, instead of reaching for the tv remote and ice-cream instead! It's a very simple but effective tool to keep you on track even when you are feeling like hiding under the duvet and telling the world to go away!

You'll also be creating a valuable keepsake that you can one day show to your child to show him/her just how much love and care you put into them from the very start!