Hi Mamas!
If you’ve taken class with me (Jenny) before, you’ve heard me say, “There’s no such thing as too many squats during pregnancy,” as I’ve led you through a third lower body focus of the class. And while, yes, squats are one of my personal favorite exercises, it’s also true that they are incredibly valuable during pregnancy. Here are the top 3 reasons you’ll find squats programmed into every Freya Movement class:
Stability. During pregnancy, your core, pelvis and pelvic floor are under a lot of added stress. What’s happening: your center of gravity is shifting, your body is flooded with hormones that are making your joints more vulnerable, and you’re a mobile place of residence for another human (!!). Due to these (and other variables), we need to keep the muscles surrounding and supporting your pelvis, core, and low back STRONG! In squats you will work to strengthen: quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs, calves, back, AND your pelvic floor. There are very few other exercises that you can do that accomplish so many goals directly related to your needs at one time.
It's functional! We squat in daily life all the time. ESPECIALLY when we have little ones in our lives. My favorite thing about teaching squats in classes is knowing that we’re building muscle memory while we’re working out. This means that we’re training your body to move in the most efficient, supported and healthy way possible without having to *think* about what you’re doing. So, when it’s the middle of the night and your baby needs you to get them out of their crib, or you’re lifting all of your newly acquired baby gear while traveling, or grabbing a fruit pouch off of the bottom shelf of the fridge in a hurry, your body will already know exactly what to do so that you can do these things all day long with ease and a lower risk of pain and injury.
Builds up stamina for labor and delivery. If you have taken a childbirth education course, you’re already familiar with the various positions you can labor, and even deliver, in to promote comfort and encourage optimal positioning for your baby. If you’ve been performing squats during pregnancy, you’re going to feel super strong spending as much time as necessary in some of these positions during L&D. Additionally, knowing that you and your baby are both prepared to “do hard things” for up to two minutes, like we do during labor training in classes, will give you that extra boost of stamina to get through contractions with confidence.
An added bonus of squats is that it’s a movement pattern you can perform anywhere with no equipment and still reap all the benefits listed above! Annnnd, okay, I’ll say it — they’ll make your booty look good, too! 😉 This is the kind of thought we’re putting into every exercise we teach in classes. We hope that it brings you peace to know that all you have to do is show up (from anywhere in the world on Zoom — with equipment or without!) and move along with us. We’ve done all the research for you! I’m looking forward to seeing you on the mat. BRB, going to program all the variations of squats I’ll be teaching! Xo Jenny
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