![week 20](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/week-202.jpg")
Welcome back to our Pilates and Pregnancy blog! I’ve got a big announcement to share with you this week – I’m having a baby boy! Going into the ultrasound I was convinced that baby Cumings-Peterson was a girl and so it was quite the shock when the technician told us otherwise.
Baby looked healthy and was squirming all over the place. He weighs 13 ounces and is lying sideways across my abdomen. I’ve definitely felt more movement; especially during the late afternoon and early morning.
This week Carey taught me on the Reformer. We did both Short Spine and Long Spine, which are exercises where your feet come back over your head. Some moms-to-be are wary of doing any inversions, but I checked with my doctor and she said that as long as I was comfortable, it’s safe for me and baby.
I noticed that it was harder for me to get my feet into the straps today because my growing belly was in the way. Once I was in the straps, however, it felt great to stretch out my low back using those two exercises. We did modify Short Spine slightly in that I kept my knees extra wide to accommodate my stomach on the roll back down.
In addition to working on the Reformer, Carey had me do a long series of leg and hip stretches on the High Barrel. Your ligaments relax during pregnancy, which is why pregnant women need to be careful when exercising, but my muscles felt tighter than ever! My hamstrings are especially tight, which Carey said is probably due to the fact that I am tucking my tail bone under to support the new distribution of weight in my body. Needless to say, the stretches felt great.
We wanted to incorporate something blue into this week’s picture, and so here’s a picture of me, halfway through the pregnancy, sitting on a blue exercise ball.
See you next week!
![theresa](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/theresa.jpg")
When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?I started Pilates about two years ago, but it was not until 3 months ago when I joined Rivercity Pilates that I started to take reformer and tower classes. After researching the benefits of Pilates, I decided that it was finally time to take charge of my chronic pain since I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 18 years prior.
My pain levels have dramatically decreased and my core is so much stronger. Coupled with my Pilates practice, I try to eat a clean diet and I am happy to say that I don’t even take any medications for my pain anymore.
You were the winner of our 21 Day Empower Your Body Challenge! Describe the experience and any benefits you felt from increasing your regular Pilates practice.
The 21 Day Empower Your Body Challenge was an amazing experience! I worked out 20 days in a row doing a variety of classes and I can honestly say that it was the best I have ever felt. Taking that time for myself and doing my Pilates breathing every day did wonders for my stress level. I had so much more energy! Not only that, the most noticeable benefit was how much my posture improved.
That is a tough one . . . . I love so many different things. The reformer is my favorite piece of equipment. If I had to choose an exercise though, it would be a Pilates roll-up. It’s the best of both worlds, it stretches my spine while strengthening my core. Not only that, it always reminds me how far I have come in my practice. There was a time, not that long ago, when I could not even do one.
It will change your life! In my experience it has given me a quality of life that I didn’t think I could have. You can never stop learning and improving your practice, and I believe that this is something we can all grow old doing.
![18wks](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/18wks.jpg")
Welcome back to our Pilates and Pregnancy blog! This week the baby is the length of a sweet potato (about 5.5 inches). I am most excited this week because I felt the baby move! Early on I thought I felt movements, but as this is my first pregnancy, it’s really hard to know for sure. Lately however, they’re pretty consistent. Baby likes to move in the late afternoon, if I’m sitting still. What a wonderful feeling!
This week we started working on the half barrel. The half barrel is fabulous for pregnant clients, especially later on in their pregnancy when they cannot lie on their backs for extended periods of time. It allows you to do exercises while being propped up at an angle.
We started with some stretches. I’m really enjoying the side stretching (lateral flexion) and extension exercises. Variations of Mermaid and Cat are my favorite. I think this is because my body is concentrating so much energy in my abdomen right now that everything gets a little tight. Stretching out my side waist and belly feel great!
We also worked on the Tower. Exercises that were “easy” for me pre-pregnancy, like different variations of our Leg Spring Series, are more difficult now. I move at a little bit of a slower pace, but it’s still fabulous to move.
We forgot to take a picture this time, but my mom was here over the weekend and snapped this one.
We’re going to take a week off for Thanksgiving, but I’ll be back with a blog for Week 19! Enjoy your holidays!
Thinking of trying out Pilates or maybe just getting back into the studio after not practicing Pilates for awhile? Here’s our list of the top 5 things NOT to expect during your Pilates session!![IMG_3026](https://rivercitypilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/IMG_3026.jpg")
1. Don’t expect to feel bad about not exercising or not being in as good of shape as you think you should be. It happens to everyone and we will help you realize that getting back into shape is easier than you think.
2. Don’t expect to be so sore that you can’t walk down the stairs or lift your arm to brush your hair. We know that exercise does not need to leave you in pain to be effective. You can expect to get a great workout that is perfect for your body!
3. Don’t expect to do the same exact thing every session. Each class or session is designed to meet your needs on any given day and those needs are constantly changing. Expect us to tailor your exercises to your body and continually challenge you with new variations and movements.
4. Don’t expect to be able to do everything perfect the first session or even your 100th session. (I know….this one is hard for most of us and especially if you tend to be a perfectionist!!) Pilates is designed to safely challenge your body and your mind so that you can continue to evolve to the best you!
Try not to be so judgmental toward yourself and KNOW that the benefits of Pilates are more dependent on you doing it on a regular basis rather than how perfectly you do it!
5. Don’t expect to dread coming in to the studio to exercise. In fact- most of our clients look forward to coming in! (this may be hard to believe if you have always been a person who just doesn’t like to exercise- you’ll have to trust us on this one!)
Ready to try out a complimentary private Pilates session at Rivercity Pilates? Contact us today to set up your complimentary private session!
Do you have a big workout ball sitting around your house somewhere? Grab it and a comfy spot on the floor to try this challenging 25 minute Big Ball Workout!