A New Approach to Prenatal and Postnatal Health and Fitness

Keri and the team from Fit and Healthy Mums have created a range of services that inspire and celebrate women at the pre- and postnatal stages, focusing on health, fitness and wellbeing. It was inspired by a lack of trained instructors and professionals that offered exercise and wellbeing support for mums.

While pregnant, Keri, founder of Fit and Healthy Mums, couldn’t find any instructors or professionals to offer advice on exercise and wellbeing during pregnancy and postnatal. She explains, “I had enjoyed exercise prior to having my children but found lots of conflicting advice, so decided to retrain and start Fit and Healthy Mums.”

She continues, “We are always attending specialist training courses, ready to share our knowledge and expertise with clients. Pre- and postnatal specialist training and professional development are at the centre of the Fit and Healthy Mums offering. You can be sure that the exercises and movements are taught to take your unique body and its current stage into account. Any pains and weaknesses are assessed before you take part in an exercise or fitness programme.

So can you really restore your core after having kids? Keri’s response highlighted her extensive knowledge about the human body post-pregnancy. “Yes, you can regain strength in the abdominals. It’s just not a case of one size fits all. Every client is unique, her journey through conception, pregnancy and labour will differ to another client so what works for one may not necessarily work for another.” The tummy gap is called Diastasis Recti and Keri is one of a handful of specialists that can aid the repair – this is really important as it often leads to pain and weakness elsewhere. “Start off with those pelvic floor exercises and then progress to low impact floor based work. No sit-ups, planks, crunch movements or impact exercise as this will worsen the gap.”

Not sure where and when to begin with your exercises after your little one is born?

“Once your baby has arrived and you feel ready, you can start with some pelvic floor exercises and walking. As soon as you’ve had your six-week postnatal check up, join a postnatal specific class. Check that it’s run by qualified, experienced instructors who can adapt the exercises to suit you. Make sure they check your abdominal muscles, ask you about pelvic floor weakness and any pain sites you may be experiencing. The Fit and Healthy Mums Pilates classes are a really good place to start.”

Ready to get to a class?

If you can find the time to go to a class, there’s no need to worry about childcare. You take your babies and tots to class with you, so it’s much easier to find the time. To reap the most benefits in a short amount of time, the team teaches multi-joint exercises. Think about combining a squat with a bicep curl using a resistance band or a side lunge with a big shoulder movement. For mums who struggle to get to a class, try the online programme – snippets of 10 minutes that can be combined into a longer workout. Visit their website for more information.