Long gone are the days when pregnancy was seen as an excuse to indulge (eating for two, anyone?) with most mums-to-be keen to keep as fit and healthy as possible for both themselves and their babies. While trying to maintain a six-pack is clearly not the priority, there is a new found emphasis on keeping active when expecting.
Enter Mumhood: the brainchild of Frame founders Pip Black and Joan Murphy, the new online programme promises to provide accessible information and workout routines for both the pre- and post-natal stages of pregnancy, for women who probably don't have the time to cram in gym sessions around their already busy schedules.
'The research is now there to prove that ‘sitting on the sofa and scoffing packets of biscuits’ throughout your pregnancy, is no longer the best option for either you or your baby,' they explain. 'In fact, quite the opposite, there are MANY benefits of keeping healthy and active throughout pregnancy and as a mum, both physically and mentally.'
Organised around the three trimesters of pregnancy, the programme includes 30-minute yoga, barre and Pilates workouts for every stage, with monthly modification workshops to ensure that you're exercising safely. There are also regular events on everything from baby nutrition to sleep to look forward to, plus a collaboration with Mamas & Papas to ensure your maternity activewear is as chic as ever.
'The right kind of exercises during pregnancy and as a new mum can also go a long way to reducing (or completely preventing) any pain that can result from the changes going on in your body as your baby grows inside you, and as it starts to knit itself back together post birth,' they explain. 'You’re going to need a new-found strength, both mentally and physically, to deal with carrying car seats up flights of stairs, cooking one-handed with a baby on your hip, and to endure yet another sleepless night. This is ‘Functional Fitness’ at its best!'
With three children between them and 16 years of experience in the fitness industry, there's really no one better to be advising on exercise for both mums-to-be and new mums. Everything has been properly thought through and approved by doctors: from a focus on strengthening the core and pelvic floor post-pregnancy to upper back and chest moves to combat dreaded 'mum shoulder' once you've had your baby. There's also a 'Fit Mum' programme at the end of it all if you've got a particular goal or event on the horizon that you want to shed any extra weight for.
There are also plenty more online resources worth looking at, from smoothie recipes to pregnancy exercise guidelines. Our only question is: why has no one done this before?
Access to the platform starts at £21.50 a month and ranges across pregnancy, post-natal & ‘Fit Mums’.