Hey there! My name is Caley Jack, I live in the beautiful suburbs of Durbanville, here in Cape Town, South Africa and am involved in the Health and Fitness space.

Binding communities through fitness and getting people to experience the benefits and vitality of exercise is my absolute passion and my jam! 

I've specialised in pre/postnatal fitness for over 10 years of my career, a true passion of mine. 

I curated this article around ‘my 5 top fitness tips during pregnancy’ when I was around 6 months preggy with my first bubs, aiming to help guide and educate expecting Mommies, Daddies and I guess... everyone who would like more knowledge around this space! I hope you find this interesting and insightful!

Top Tip #1

Assessing what risk category you fall within with your Doctor or Gynea/OB during the pregnancy is rul number 1, it's important to establish what fitness journey is going to be safe and effective for both you and the baby (or babies)!

Top Tip #2

Let's touch on Pelvic floor and Kegel muscle exercises and its importance. TMI (too much info)? Haha, no, we need to be educated around this space! Our pelvic floor plays an instrumental part within a regular body as well as pre/post pregnancy rehabilitation. It plays a large rold in supporting major organs as well as the integrity of your pelvic bones, hips and spinal alignment. I have a video that you can watch illustrating Pelvic floor and Kegel muscle exercises (join in while I explain it to you!) - demo in link below. 

Top Tip #3

Low impact/moderate cardiovascular exercise is healthy for your body, your mind as well as for the growth of the placenta and baby. The nutrient value within your blood is elevated post-exercise - it's golden juice! Try to keep a consistent amount of physical movement each week throughout your pregnancy. Accommodating your body's changes through each trimester is also key to enjoying this form of stress-relief as well as reaping the physical rewards for both Mom and Baby.

Top Tip #4

Preparing for labour... a strong and healthy body is going to give Mom and Baby the best experience during delivery. Moderate cardio will strengthen your heart muscle (you could achieve this by integrating exercises such as regular walking, swimming, low impact toning/aerobics sessions into your weekly regime). Exercises as simple as: squats, pelvic floor exercises are also key! - a demo in the link below. 

Top Tip #5

Mobility/flexibility and mindful meditation. This will help a lot in opening your body and soothing some of those daily aches! This helped me personally in sleeping more comfortably at night too. The video link I've included has some great stretches too, including glutes, calf, neck and shoulders. 

Remember every pregnancy is different. Nourish your body with a good diet, lots of water and an exercise plan that you and your doctor are happy with.

Tip #2, #4, #5 Video Link below – Demonstrating how to set up safe Squats & Pelvic Floor exercises while pregnant, as well as glute, back, calf, neck/shoulder stretches! Enjoy! Click here. 

This is just a handy quick snippet of what I’ve shared with my community around Health and Fitness benefits during pregnancy, if you’re looking for a more comprehensive overview, of 10+ pregnancy movement modifications you can use in a workout, I’ve put together a great video resource for you – sign up for that here.

I hope you’ve found this useful and interesting. Wishing you all the best!  Love and Light,

Caley Jäck

xxx