Why we think it’s important during pregnancy & postpartum recovery

We always talk about the benefits of functional training, both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. However, many people do not always understand what we mean when we use the term “functional training”. So today, I thought I would break it down for you.

Functional training is really about optimizing normal/typical human movement patterns so you can move comfortably & pain free throughout the day. We want to prioritize all types of movements & patterns including different directions and speeds to provide a lot of variety and target every muscle in the body.

During pregnancy our prenatal fitness series primary focus is to help you to Pre-Habilitate (do essential work in pregnancy to assist with an easier recovery after baby). After you have had your baby our focus is to Re-build. Regardless of which program you are participating in you can be assured that we select the best & most appropriate exercises to support you at each pivotal stage so that you can move better and more comfortably in your every day movement patterns.

Parenting is a physically demanding job! You lift and carry a lot of things:

• Carry, rock and soothe babies.

• Pick up squirmy toddlers.

• Lifting and rotating littles in/out of their crib, bath, high chair and car seats.

• Lift strollers in and out of the vehicle.

• You push strollers and pull wagons.

• We often observe our parents of toddlers also carrying the bikes & scooters long abandoned by riders who wanted to power themselves to the park, only to be too tired to make it back home.

• In the car you rotate to toss epic snacks into the backseat, you reach around to find the dropped soother, blanket or favourite stuffed animal.

• Carrying loads of laundry, groceries and sleeping kids up and down stairs.

With all of this in mind, the exercises we select build on the following functional movement patterns of every day living: Squat, Lunge, Push, Pull, Hinge and Rotate.

You will see a lot of variety in our classes to keep things interesting for you, without distracting us from our goals: to help you achieve overall improvement in your strength & mobility.

Whether you just had a baby 6 weeks ago, or 6 months ago our Fitmama Strong classes are the best way to stay healthy, fit and strong through pregnancy, postpartum and beyond.

Fitmama Strong Durham has been operating in the Durham Region since 2010. We offer prenatal fitness, prenatal yoga, babywearing fitness, stroller fitness, live-online classes and and on-demand library of workouts. Our in-person and online community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles. Find your program here

#startwithus and #growwithus by purchasing one of our class passes. We can’t wait to have you join us! (formerly FITMOM Durham)