Assuming you are having a normal, straight forward pregnancy, exercise during your pregnancy is not only completely safe, but comes with many health benefits and is great fun to boot!
As a fully qualified and experienced pre and postnatal trainer, Katy knows how to get the best out of you and how to work you safely and effectively at this delicate and exciting time in your life. Her goal with all the mummies she works with is to maintain fitness levels through strength and conditioning work and appropriate cardiovascular exercise all individually tailored to their unique biomechanics. At the same time, she aims to prepare your body for the rigours of labour, prevent abdominal separation (diastasis recti) and protect the pelvic floor through work on alignment, correct thoracic breathing and relevant releases.
How it works
Sessions follow a similar structure. The weekly sessions will start with a thorough warm-up, then a 15 minute cardio section to help keep bodyweight down and improve cardio vascular health. We will then have a long strength and conditioning section particularly focussing on labour preparation with a lot of leg and butt work. We will then do specific core work to improve core function, support the baby and your spine.
In addition to these weekly sessions there is the option to do one additional session per month where Katy uses her expertise as a rehabilitation specialist to do work to protect the pelvic floor and help prevent diastasis recti (abdominal separation). You will then be given a sheet of exercises to do as homework to complete along side the weekly prenatal fitness sessions. Therefore one week per month you will have an additional session, the general prenatal session (that does not give any homework) and one preventative exercise session.
Exercise during pregnancy:
- Leads to easier and shorter labour
- Helps to maintain your fitness levels
- Leads to a quicker postnatal recovery
- Reduced maternal weight gain
- Reduced swelling and leg cramps
- Reduced risk of lower back pain
- Reduced the risk of developing/eases the symptoms of gestational diabetes
Exercise during pregnancy does not increase the risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery, or early pregnancy loss. It is one of the best things you can do both for yourself and your unborn baby and will provide your little one with the best possible start in life.
Here is what other mummies have said about their prenatal exercise sessions:
Zoe, Redhill
Katy is a safe haven for un-judgemental, fun training with expert advice. It feels like we’ve had a cup of tea together but I’ve been sweating for an hour. She has helped keep me in shape through pregnancy and post-partum, tailoring my work outs to fit my limited time available whilst managing work, babies and toddlers (who have watched & counted reps!) and life.
Her supportive style encourages me to not look back and wallow in bad days when I’ve not had the self-discipline I would like but instead to focus on the future, a stronger, healthier version of myself.
Kate, Clapham
Katy is a fantastic personal trainer and is motivating, inspiring and great fun. She got me into the best shape of my life for my wedding and kept me fit and strong throughout my pregnancy. She keeps the workouts interesting and challenging and I would recommend her to everyone no matter what your fitness goals.
Alex HB, Kingston
After struggling to do any exercise in my pregnancy due to exhaustion and nausea, I started personal training with Katy in the third trimester of my pregnancy to regain a bit of fitness while ensuring I did so safely. The sessions were great – I loved the mix of cardio, strength and pelvic floor/ab separation exercises in the sessions. I always felt I was in a safe pair of hands with Katy, which was crucial to me. I only wish I’d started the sessions earlier on in my pregnancy! After my son was born, I came back to Katy to do post-natal PT sessions too. Katy is a great motivator, keeps the sessions different and fresh, and always pushes me to my limits.
Alex H, Kingston
I found Katy’s details online after searching for a prenatal exercise specialist to help me exercise safely during pregnancy. It was a happy coincide that I had actually trained with her before but never knew her full name.
With my first born I had borderline high blood pressure and quite a big ab separation. With my second I was determined to do as much as I could to reduce both of these things…
Katy and I met weekly all through my pregnancy and I went on to have a home birth with zero complications. I also had minimal ab separation.
I’ve continued seeing Katy weekly in my post natal journey to focus on shifting that baby weight but mainly to rebuild my strength and fitness levels. I find it very easy to prioritise everything but exercise when I’m busy but with my weekly sessions with Katy I know that I’m in the hands of an expert and I have one hour focused just on me and my fitness.
Thanks Katy!