Firm Foundations™ – Pregnancy and Postnatal Fitness

A good way to start back with pushups, while protecting your pelvic floor and lower back is to use a ball against the wall.
Place the ball  in front of you with your hands at shoulder height.
With your hands shoulder width apart, set your shoulder blades into position.
Move your chest in towards the ball while breathing out.
Hold for a moment. Breathe in. Breathe out as you push back out from the wall.
Check to feel that there is no pressure downwards on your pelvic floor with each move.
Repeat 4 - 6 times to start with good form.
Build up to 8 - 12 repetitions. Alternate with ball wall squats.

Place your feet no more than shoulder width apart (moving them closer together will protect your pelvic floor).
Place the ball behind your back.
Lift your pelvic floor and draw in your lower abdominal muscles.
Hold them as you slowly squat down.
Stop when you feel your pelvic floor and "core" control 'goes'.
Push through your feet using your thighs to stand again.
As your control improves with time, begin to lower down further.
Do not hold your breath.
Aim for 4 - 6 to start with and build up to 8 - 12 repetitions.
Alternate with Ball Wall push ups.

Lift your pelvic floor, draw in your lower abdominal muscles and hold. Keep breathing easily.
Slowly lift your top knee up and out. Keep your feet together.
Slowly lower down, then release your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.

Breathe easily, refocus and repeat each time accurately. Aim to build up to 8 - 10 reps each side.

Stop if you feel any joint pain at the front (pubic bone) or back (sacral joints).

With top leg in comfortable position, lift your lower leg.
Keep your knee straight as you do this.
Lower down and repeat, feeling this in your inner thigh.

Repeat 8 - 12 times, on each side.

Stop if you feel any pain or discomfort in the pubic joints or groin area.

Feel your abdominal muscles and focus on them gently working while you perform a smooth pelvic tilt action.
Relax.
Repeat, and easily rock your back to flatten against the floor.
Relax and repeat sequence 5 times.

Check that you breathe evenly as you do this.
Aim to not overtighten the upper abdominal muscles.
 

Purposeful Penguin (PP) shows you when your baby or babies can be with you as you exercise.
As your baby's head control develops, there are some exercises that are good for baby too, however make sure that you are ready for lifting your baby's weight when you start these.

PP will remind you to think, focus and feel your inner muscles when you do these exercises.
This is what will give you the best results from this Firm Foundations ^TM series of exercises.

Focus on feeling your pelvic floor muscles lifting first.
Then your deep and lower abdominal muscles should follow.
Aim to breathe for 1 - 2 breaths and release.
Repeat and aim to build up to 4 breaths in a row over time.
Repeat while you keep this accurate and build up to 10 in a row.
 

When you can easily do 10 reps of exercise 7, add this next level.
Lift your pelvic floor first, hold and draw in your lower abdominals.
Hold and reach your arm forward. Keep your body steady.
Lower your arm, relax your abdominals and pelvic floor.
If you do not feel them release, they have let go already.
Refocus on the hold, throughout the arm movement.
Repeat on other side.
Do as many reps as you are able to continue holding your
pelvic floor and abdominals. If they fatigue, then rest.
Keep breathing easily throughout the movement.
Build up to 10 in a row, keeping each rep accurate.

Lie on your back with your knees bent.
Place your index, middle and ring fingers on your abdomen, just on the inside and below the two bony points at the front of your pelvis.
Draw in your pelvic floor and deep lower abdominal muscles while still breathing normally.
Under your fingers you should feel a small amount of tensioning which means that your deep abdominal muscles are working.
Hold this for a few seconds. Breathe normally. Release.
Repeat several times to feel this, making sure that your pelvic floor also holds.
This forms the basis of all Firm Foundations ^TM progressions from Level 3 upwards.
 At each stage, only when you can do this well and hold on the inside, should you move to the next exercise Level.
The aim is to build up to doing this for 10 seconds, repeating 10 times, relaxing and resting the muscles between each rep.

Start with activating your abdominal muscles as described in exercise 9.
Keeping your body, hips and pelvis still, roll one leg out slowly.
Continue to hold your abdominal focus as you do this.
Stop when you feel that you are losing the control of these muscles.
Return to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side.
Check to feel that your upper abdominal muscles do not take over, when
your deep abdominal muscles start to become tired.
Focus on the accuracy of this exercise, your breathing should stay easy.
As your control improves you will be able to roll your leg out further.
Build up to 10 repetitions accurately on each side.

Start with activating your abdominal muscles as described in exercise 9.
Keeping your body, hips and pelvis still, roll one leg out slowly.
Continue to hold your abdominal focus as you do this.
Stop if you feel that you are losing the control of these muscles.
Return to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side.
Feel your outer hip muscles work as you do this exercise.
Build up to 10 repetitions accurately on each side.

With your knees together and arms out to the side,
gently roll your knees to one side and then to the other.
Keep the movement and amount of stretch at a comfortable level.
There should be no back pain felt.
Repeat 5 times on each side.
Finish with holding the stretch on one side for 10 - 15 seconds.
Repeat to the other side.

Standing, feel your abdominal muscles on the inside of the bony point.
Draw in your deep abdominal muscles, keep breathing evenly.
Lift from your hip and hitch your hip up and lower down.
Repeat 5 - 7 times on one side. Change sides.
Your foot position can be changed to move your heel out and the
exercise repeated.

With your feet no more than shoulder width apart, squat slowly down.
Notice how your pelvic floor feels.
Bring your feet closer together if you need to protect it more (if it feels weak or vulnerable as you squat).
Start with a small amount of knee bend first.
Keep your back straight and check that you can still see your toes.
First do 4 - 6 squats, march on the spot for 30 seconds and then repeat.
Build up to doing 8 - 12 in a row with good form.

With hands in front of your shoulders set your shoulder blades in position.
Move your chest in towards the wall while breathing out.
Hold for a moment. Breathe in. Breathe out as you push back out from the wall.
If you feel there is any pressure on your pelvic floor muscles, move your feet in closer to the wall.
Repeat 4 - 6 times to start with good form.
Build up to 8 - 12 repetitions.