Shlesinger first started Pilates shortly after Sierra was born, and she was quickly hooked. She invested in her own reformer to train regularly at her home with her Pilates trainer, Alisha Mullally, and began doing her mat workouts on her own whenever she commutes to work. Today, Shlesinger's Pilates session snippets appear as often as her stand-up snippets on her Instagram account.
Shlesinger says there's no doubt she'll continue doing prenatal Pilates when she gets pregnant again in 2023, but with a few modifications to keep it safe. “I think a big part of a healthy pregnancy is continuing to do everything you did before pregnancy,” she says. She also knows that exercising safely during her pregnancy has many benefits. Doing so, she says, can help reduce back pain and constipation and reduce her risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says. A 2018 study found that people who exercised regularly during pregnancy had almost an hour less labor.
A few months before her due date, Well+Good filmed an episode of its online video series “Good Moves” with Shlesinger and Mullally at Avenir Pilates in Burbank, California. Here they demonstrate a feel-good prenatal Pilates routine on the reformer that's safe for any trimester.
Want to see the full Good Moves routine? Check out the video below or follow this link.
Following the “Good Moves” video, we spoke with Shlesinger to learn more about her approach to Pilates, why it's become an essential part of her prenatal routine, and what she has to say to the skeptics on Instagram .
question: What made you start doing Pilates after giving birth to your first child?
Iliza Schlesinger: My manager told me she had been doing Pilates with a great trainer who came to her house. And you know, once you have a baby, it's weird. All you want to do is get out of the house, but the last thing you want to do is leave the house. So, I was introduced to her trainer, Alicia, and started doing mat Pilates.
Q. What did you like about Pilates?
am: It was very difficult but gentle at the same time. And having to lie down was a huge plus.
Q: What are the main changes you made during pregnancy?
am: You no longer have to lie on your back, and there are no abs to engage. But my trainer said, “That doesn’t mean we can’t do arm exercises!” And you can always do inner thigh exercises, but it feels a little weird because of the relaxin. Really, my favorite part is when I beat myself up about how bad my workout was and the trainer says, “No, you did really well. You're very pregnant.” And I thought, 'Okay, I'm raising a human being.' It's okay if you don't do the legs and rings today.
I just traveled to Europe. [and while I was there, tried to practice Pilates]. There was a man in France who just looked at me and said in a very French way: No, I do not train pregnant women. I admired it. [but] I have been doing Pilates for a long time so I know how to make modifications. [so] I signed with some abandon. And although I couldn't do most of the exercises we did, I was too proud to leave. So I just sat there and did these little ankle flexion exercises.
Q: Are there any prenatal Pilates movements you enjoy doing these days?
am: Anything you can do to feel your upper thighs screaming makes you feel like you have control over what's happening. And “hugging a tree” is always a good thing because you get to look at yourself in the mirror. And I don't look pregnant on my arms. So it's always a nice little walk down memory lane.
Anything you can do to feel your upper thighs screaming makes you feel like you have control over what's happening. —Iliza Shlesinger, her favorite prenatal Pilates moves
We also do a lot of balancing movements. You can see it on my Instagram, and it always annoys me when people comment saying they shouldn't do it. I have been doing Pilates with a trainer for over a year. Besides, she [with me when I’m practicing].
Q: Everyone is an Instagram expert.
am: Everyone is an expert female On Instagram, of course. what do we do do No comments section?
The rules are as follows: Don't tell pregnant women what they can and cannot do. CrossFit has pregnant women like me flipping cars and tires. I'm doing great.
Q: Do you feel completely different after doing Pilates?
am: I always like feeling sore the next day. As an “athlete” (please put that in quotes) you always feel like you did a good job. You've probably reached a muscle you've neglected or needed a little extra attention. You'll never feel bad after exercising, no matter how short it is. Even if you sweat a little and your heart rate rises just a little, there's still something there.
cue: And how does it affect you mentally?
am: When you can have some alone time without looking at your phone, it's always nice to feel a little refreshed in your tired body and return to the world with fresh eyes. The only way to get me to stop answering the phone is to pay someone to train me. I always try to get every last drop of that time because I know I paid for it. But we have a lot of fun. We let the dog in. Sometimes my daughter comes in, and that's extra weight on the wagon.
Question: What I'd like to ask is, was it your intention to have your daughter watch you be active throughout her pregnancy?
am: Ever since she was little, she would sit on her little baby bouncer and watch. It's cute. She says the word “Pilates” and she knows there's a rope there and she just wants to be with us. Any behavior she models for her children becomes internalized. My mom played sports. She also had a job and she was a single mother who took care of all the gardening and maintenance for a while but never talked about it. She just did it. And I think there's a huge benefit to women seeing other women doing things that are naturally very strong. Because it instills it in you without even demonstrating it.
Q: Are there any final thoughts you would like to share about Pilates?
am: I own an Allegra 2 Reformer and I really like it. But I think mat Pilates offers so many benefits. You can do it anywhere. You don't even need a sports bra. You don't even need pants. You can do this in your hotel room with a towel. And trust me.
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