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Birth ball, fit ball, swiss ball, pregnancy exercise ball ...they are all one and the same thing! They are however a great to improve your pregnancy fitness as they work your core without you having to do 'sit-up' type exercises. Anything you do on your birth ball will require you to balance and stabilise yourself using your deep abdominal muscles (or TVA - Transversus abdominis). It is important to keep your core strong to support your back and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and to get these muscles strong for labour (and a quick recovery post-baby!) You can do a huge variety of exercises with a fit ball (especially if you also have a set of dumbbells) to work your whole body. If you are not exercising you can still get loads of use out of your exercise ball during pregnancy and will be working your abs without even realising! Sit up straight to watch TV or at your computer, do some little bounces (great for encouraging baby later on), circle your hips on the ball in both directions or move them in a figure of eight. Also, try leaning across the ball for a nice back stretch; you can add a side to side or forward and back motion to this stretch too. Incidentally all these moves are also excellent to use during labour! Pregnancy exercise ball workout (15-20 minutes, six exercises to work your whole body) Remember to warm up and cool down and always listen to your body and stop if anything doesn't feel right. 1. Arm work out on the ball (2 x 3kg weights) Work your core, biceps, triceps and shoulders! Sit upright on the birth ball with your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders back and tummy muscles pulled in throughout. In this position do: 12-15 bicep curls 12-15 tricep kick backs (arms close to your body at 90 degrees and straighten out behind you) 12-15 overhead presses 2. Arm and leg lift (2 x 3kg weights) Work your core, shoulders and the front of your legs. You'll need your brain in gear to co-ordinate too! Sit upright on the birth ball with your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders back and tummy muscles pulled in throughout. In this position slowly lift one leg off the floor, keeping it straight. As you lift the leg, lift the opposite arm out to the side in a straight arm side raise, lifting it no higher than shoulder height. Return both the leg and arm to the starting position and repeat with the other arm/leg. Repeat 15-20 times (alternate sides) 3. Wall squat (hold a weight in each hand - optional) A great exercise to work your legs. To work harder don't completely straighten your legs between reps; keep them slightly bent staying in the muscle. Start with your feet hip width apart and your exercise ball between your mid to lower back and the wall. Keep your hands on your hips or by your sides if you are holding weights. Keep your shoulders back and tummy muscles pulled in throughout. Slowly squat down, bending your knees and rolling the ball down the wall until your knees are bent at approx. 90 degrees. Now slowly return to the starting position. Have a chair nearby for support in case you get stuck in your squat! Repeat 15-20 times 4. One leg lunge (hold a weight in each hand - optional) You could easily add a bicep/hammer curl to the upward press to bring in an upper body component. Start by taking a big step forward with one foot. The back foot should be resting on top of your fit ball, shin down. Keep your hands on your hips or by your sides if you are holding weights. Keep your shoulders back and tummy muscles pulled in throughout. Slowly bend your front knee until it reaches approx. 90 degrees. Now slowly return to the starting position. Again, have a chair nearby for support in case you get stuck! Repeat 15-20 times 5. Seated upper back squeeze and ab-hold (2 x 1kg weights) Try adding 10 normal ab squeezes at the end to make sure you have really worked your deep core muscles. Sit upright on the birth ball, with your shoulders back and feet flat on the floor. Breathe in deeply and let your chest expand. Then, as you exhale, draw your belly button in so that you feel like you are wearing a tight corset (engaging your TVA). The rest of your body should be still. Hold this position, making sure you can breathe comfortably. Hold a light weight in each hand, with your arms out in front of you at head height. Keep your shoulders back. Slowly bring your arms in towards you, so that your shoulder blades are squeezing together and the weights come to either side of your chest. Slowly return your arms to the starting position. Once you have completed your back squeeze repetitions release your abs. Repeat 15-20 times and do two sets. 6. Seated pelvic tilt Work your deep tummy muscles and keep your pelvis mobilised. Don't be afraid of sucking your tummy in, baby won't feel it! Sit upright on the exercise ball, with your shoulders back and feet flat on the floor. Breathe in deeply and let your chest expand. Then, as you exhale, draw your belly button in so that you feel like you are wearing a tight corset (engaging your TVA). Without moving your feet, tilt your pelvis forward and upward. Hold for a couple seconds and return to start position. Repeat 15-20 times and do two sets. Remember, listen to your body and keep hydrated! Alexandra McCabe is a founder of FittaMamma, the healthy pregnancy experts. FittaMamma is a free resource to help women enjoy an active pregnancy with workout videos, recipes and prenatal yoga tips. Here you can find pregnancy excercise guides to use fit balls for core exercises to help with pregnancy tummy and pelvic floor.
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Birth ball, fit ball exercises, pregnancy tummy, tummy after pregnancy, stomach exercises for women, abdominal exercises, belly post pregnancy, pelvic floor,
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