As the belly starts to grow and their home gets bigger, your body is also changing in its own way. Your back carries more weight and your hips start shifting and your legs begin to cramp from all the exercises your probably not getting. 🙃 I know this time around my body is taking it a lot harder so I had to come up with ways I could help my body relieve the tension so I can enjoy my days. I tried to find things I had around my house that I could use because it was practical and everyone probably has these items available.
USING A TENNIS BALL
Rolling a tennis ball on your lower back is a great way to target pain in a specific area and relieve that pressure right away. Even just placing it on the ground and laying down on it in a static position can feel good as well.
USING A TOWEL
Stretching with a towel is the best thing I’ve tried so far it helps get the hard-to-reach shoulder and back area well. It also helps open up the chest and neck area, it loosens up the upper body area. I included a quick video of what I usually do when I get out of the shower.
USING A WALL
Stretching on a wall is probably one of my favorites because you can twist your body further to get that nice deep stretch. However, when you are pregnant you want to be careful to not twist too hard just a light twist is fine and still does the job. You can do it the way shown above and even take it a step further and face the wall with your hands above your head and push your stomach towards the wall.
USING YOUR BODY
Lastly, the most simple way to stretch is just using your body, for instance, the classic butterfly position or sitting down with your legs open and reaching out in from of you or touching your toes. The biggest obstacle I found with this is mainly my belly touched everything before I got a good stretch so I found that if I did stretches mainly sitting I got better results.
For me, my main goal is to loosen up my lower back, hips, and legs because that’s where I feel tight the most. Everyone is different so do what works best for your body and belly 🙂 I usually just fit in a quick session right before bed or while watching tv, some times I set time aside for it but I’m usually too tired to make it a whole process. I don’t push myself and do what’s needed to relieve the pain. I understand my body as well as the realistic energy I usually have throughout the day. Even though moving is important so is rest let your body guide you and tell you what it needs to refuel.
What are some things you do to help your body physically loosen up and release the tension? Show up for yourself, your body, and your baby. ❤️ ONE LOVE ❤️
*Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional so do not take this as medical advice, see a doctor if you are experiencing any pain*