Jenny’s Belly was a pregnancy exercise series that ran on the national airwaves in Summer 2011 when Jenny (resident physio on the Mooney Show on RTE Radio 1) was pregnant with her second baby. It is a six week series, showing various exercises that can be safely done during pregnancy to maintain muscle strength and prepare their body for labour.
The exercises are based on Pilates, a form of body conditioning that focuses on developing a strong core by using the deep abdominal muscles. Pilates helps control movement and posture while developing muscle tone throughout the body, improving flexibility, body awareness, balance and breathing.
There are five basic principles in Pilates; breathing, head and neck placement, shoulder blade placement, rib cage placement and pelvic placement. These principles were incorporated each week into Jenny’s Belly pregnancy series. Five new exercises targeting those areas were demonstrated which can be practiced, by all of you Mums-to-be, safely in the comfort of your own home.