INTERVIEW
Extra pounds, softened muscles, arched back ... After childbirth, the body of women bears the consequences of this very difficult ordeal. However, there are methods to find your figure. And contrary to what one might think, it starts "from the first months of pregnancy", explains this Friday in "Sans Rendez-vous" sports coach Vincent Martin. But beware, future baby requires, some exercises are not recommended.
Playing sports from the first trimester while limiting the impact
Overall, "the idea is to do muscle building and cardio but without impact on the ground. Running is therefore prohibited but it is possible to ride a bike for example". The first trimester of pregnancy is a good opportunity to do sports, since "women have a peak of energy thanks to a hormonal rise", explains the coach. The training is therefore limited but the freedom still great.
>> Find the whole of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here
Beware of injuries from the third month
Things get a bit tough in the second trimester of pregnancy. "We have to be more vigilant and we're going to start doing a lot of sitting exercise." Particular attention to injury is also necessary, since women now secrete "relaxin". This hormone makes in particular "the joints more flexible even hyperlaxes", they can be less well maintained and are therefore more fragile. Hence an increased risk of injury. During the third trimester, the sport is limited to "sitting talk".
After childbirth the fight continues with the "pelvic floor" ...
Once life is given, the fight to regain your figure begins. If the flat stomach is generally considered to be the Grail to reach, it should however not be concerned. For now, the most important is to strengthen "the perineum and the pelvic floor," insists Vincent Martin at the microphone of Europe 1. This last muscle, "a kind of hammock that retains the organs, is essential for all activities performed later ".
If there are many methods, the coach seems to have a preference for Kegel's work. It must be said that the procedure is rather simple: just take an elevator and "refrain from urinating as it goes up". But beware, to avoid any accident, "you have to gradually relax once at your destination," says the specialist with a smile.
... then the back ...
Then comes the turn of another muscle, the back. "With the weight of the belly, pregnant women are often very arched. In reality, they compensate for a lack of tone in the back by leaning back, but it is not good for the spine." Especially since this "weight that pulls women forward" does not disappear with childbirth, since women then carry the child in their arms.
... and finally the abs
Only then can the womb become the center of sports attention for mothers. But here too, not all exercises are beneficial. The traditional crunches are to be banned. In addition to pulling on the neck, it can have the opposite effect of a flat stomach by pushing the viscera forward. Vincent Martin recommends instead cladding, more commonly known as "the board". Here there is no need to set a goal, "the main thing being regularity".
What benefits?
In addition to mental and physical improvement, having a sport during and after pregnancy has many benefits, according to Vincent Martin. This "limits certain diseases, but also prevents gestational diabetes which can be quite serious, especially in the newborn. There is also an effect on the weight of the child during childbirth and, of course, on that of the mother. "