Firm Foundations™ – Pregnancy and Postnatal Fitness

Resting your head and shoulder blades on the ball, lift your bottom up and hold.
Push through your feet and work through your gluts to keep your bottom up for 8 - 10 seconds.
Relax and rest.
This time lift and hold, while lifting one heel off the floor, lower, then the other heel, lower and relax.
Repeat 8 - 10 times.
Focus on being steady and strong, keeping your hips level as you lift one heel and then the other.

Roll back over the ball and relax your body, allowing yourself to ease into the stretch.
Relax your breathing and your chest.
Stay here for 10 - 20 seconds, depending on how comfortable you feel here.
Slowly come up into the sitting position.

Sitting upright on the ball, lift your pelvic floor and draw in your deep and lower abdominals.
Keep breathing normally.
Hold, keep the ball steady, using your fingers to feel your deep abdominal muscles working.
Slowly lift one foot off the floor and straighten your knee.
Hold and with your knee straight lift your straight leg up 5 cm while keeping your form.
Lower and relax.
Breathe normally and repeat on the other side.
Relaxing in between will show you whether you are doing this well, as if you feel your upper abdominals, chest or neck muscles relaxing, it means that your focus isn't totally on your deep lower abdominals.
Stop, and refocus! Build up to 6 - 8 repetitions on each side, while keeping the ball steady.

Sitting upright on the ball with your arms outstretched, holding a band. Start with a light band.
Lift your pelvic floor and draw in your lower abdominals.
Breathe out as you pull your arms apart slightly, keeping your form.
Slowly relax and move your back to the starting position.
Rest and repeat 6 - 8 times.
Keep the focus on your pelvic floor lifted and your lower abdominal muscles drawn each time you start.
If you feel any pressure downwards on your pelvic floor or the need to hold your breath, then stop.
Do less reps, go back to Level 3 exercises, or work on the move without the band until you master the control needed in your core to add resistance.
 

Sitting upright on the ball with a band behind your shoulder blades.
Lift your pelvic floor and draw in your lower abdominals.
Breathe out as you reach your arms forwards, keeping your form.
Slowly relax and move your back to the starting position.
Rest and repeat 6 - 8 times.
Keep the focus on your pelvic floor lifted and your lower abdominal muscles drawn each time you start.
If you feel any pressure downwards on your pelvic floor or the need to hold your breath, then stop.
Do less reps, use a lighter resistance band, or work on the move without the band until you master the control needed in your core to add resistance.

 

Sit tall.
Turn and stretch, holding at a comfortable position for between 8 - 15 seconds.
Use the ball to add a further stretch if desired.
There should be no back pain felt. Relax and repeat to the other side.
Repeat 3 - 5 times.

Position yourself with your hands on the ball in front of you and your chest resting on your knees.
Focus in on your pelvic floor muscles, right down low and draw them up inside.
Hold for a moment and release.
Feel whether there is tension in your ribs or upper abdominals. If there is, then you are either trying too hard, or not focusing down and in on your pelvic floor muscles totally.
Relax, refocus and repeat.
Rest and relax in between, centring in more towards your pelvic floor with each pelvic floor lift and hold.
Breathe easily throughout.
Sit up between repetitions if you need to. Aim for 5 - 6 reps of this exercise.

Position yourself with your hands on the ball in front of you and your chest resting on your knees.
Stretch back and hold for 8 - 12 seconds, feeling a comfortable stretch.
Repeat 2 - 4 times. (only if there is no pain or discomfort with this stretch).
Relax.

With your legs on the ball position check your alignment.
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.
Use this technique to start each of exercise 10 and 11 below.

Use your PP Postnatal Ball Brace.
With one foot on the ball and the other foot resting on the floor, slowly roll the ball away from you while keeping your breathing control.
If you lose the feel or control of your brace, stop and return to the starting position.
Each time your back needs to stay still and not arch, otherwise you are losing the brace and need to stop.
Keep control of this movement each time and build up to doing 5 on each side.
Once this is mastered aim for building up to 10 reps well on each side straightening your leg out completely.

Use your PP Postnatal Ball Brace.
With both legs on the ball slowly roll it to one side, maintaining control.
When you feel that you lose your brace, hold your breath or the ball moves without you controlling it, stop and return to the starting position.
Repeat to the other side.
Aim to build up to 6 - 8 reps in each direction.

Lift your knees up to your chest and hold them to feel a comfortable stretch in your back.
Hold for 15 - 20 seconds and relax.
Repeat 2 - 3 times.