Relieve pregnancy aches and pains with simple stretches

By Jen Dugard

It’s been a busy past couple of weeks. I had FILEX, the Sydney fitness convention a couple of weekends ago - three days of back to back lectures on various aspects of the fitness industry. I did a great workshop on Pelvic Floor which I will bring you information on a little later, along with many other awesome topics. 

This weekend was Mothers Day, so happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there! Body Beyond Baby was part of The Royal Picnic held at the Entertainment Quarter; the sun was shining, Dorothy the Dinosaur was singing and dancing on stage much to the delight of hundreds of excited children, my son Marley enjoyed his first pony ride and a great day out was had by all involved. 

Myself and four volunteer mums who gave their precious time on Mother’s Day (thank you) chatted to many other mums about their health and fitness both during and after pregnancy and I am looking forward to seeing some of them come along to our group sessions in the park. 

Both of these events, although very exciting and worthwhile for me, were also quite draining; at 28 weeks standing or sitting for long periods of time can leave you stiff and a little sore.  I am sure some of you that are still working at computer desks are finding your shoulders travelling a little further forward than usual, especially if your boobs get as stupidly large as mine do in pregnancy! 

Your neck and traps may be feeling a little tighter than normal and you may not realise it but your hip flexors are also getting tighter and tighter.  All of these things can compound leaving you feeling tired and definitely worse for wear.  So at the end of a long day it is a good idea to go through the following set of stretches:

Upper Trap stretch: Sitting on the edge of a chair bend one arm up behind your back, turn your head towards the opposite shoulder and tip your head forwards.  Take the same hand and rest it on the crown of your head just allowing the weight of your hand to slightly increase the stretch.  Hold for 30seconds, slowly lift your head back to the middle and repeat on the other side.

Neck stretch: Make sure your head is facing forward; tip your chin towards your chest whilst keeping your mouth closed.  Rest both hands gently on the top of your head, again not pulling but allowing the weight of your hands to increase the stretch.  Hold for about 30 seconds.

Chest Stretch: Sitting up nice and straight join both hands behind your back, straighten your arms and squeeze your hands together as you lift your chest upwards feeling a stretch through your tight chest muscles.

Hip Flexor Stretch: Kneel down on one knee, placing a pillow or towel under your knee for protection.  Make sure the knee is directly under your hip, keeping your back straight tilt your pelvis underneath and squeeze the bum feeling a great stretch through your hip flexor.

All up these few stretches should only take you 5 minutes and will leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed – a great way to head off to bed or break up the day.  Look after yourself during this time.