Pilates – the “go to” exercise for tummies

One of the challenges of getting your body back into shape after pregnancy is dealing with any separation of the tummy muscles, properly called the rectus abdominis. The separation is referred to as a divarication, and becomes increasingly likely if you have more than one pregnancy (it is almost a certainty with 3+ pregnancies). This is experienced as bloating easy after meals, and also an appearance of almost being in the early stages of pregnancy due to the shape of your tummy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some example of post-pregnancy tummies with muscle divarication

Whilst we are a plastic surgery clinic, and offer a wide range of body contouring procedures, we are also very mindful that surgery is not the first port of call. With that in mind, the first step to make in correcting the divarication is undertaking intensive abdominal-focussed Pilates, to try to strengthen and tone the abdominal wall.

In some people, there can be a very satisfying improvement in the position of the muscles, which improves their contour on a day-to-day basis, and also helps with after-meal bloating.

However, Pilates, when done properly and regularly, is hard work! As with other forms of exercise, you will not see a difference if you only do it once a week at a class – it needs to be performed at least 3 times a week, and ideally under the supervision of an expert instructor who can help guide you in how to focus your efforts on your abdominal core.

So, from the team at Purity Bridge, the message is, a good diet, regular exercise and Pilates first…surgical treatments second!