Swim England supporting new Good Boost programme for expectant and new mums

Swimming and exercise in water is a relaxing, beneficial and safe way for pregnant women to exercise.

There are many benefits to water-based exercise, such as more freedom of movement and reduced swelling due to water’s various properties.

Good Boost, who work in partnership with Swim England on the Water Wellbeing programme, are set to launch a new Aqua Natal programme later this year.

This will build on top of their multi-award winning personalised aqua rehabilitation technology to create personalised aqua natal exercises for pregnant and new mums.

For the majority of women, exercise is actively encouraged during pregnancy. If you are concerned, or you experience dizziness, pain or discomfort during exercise, stop and contact your GP, midwife or consultant obstetrician.

Swim England health and wellbeing manager, Ali Noyce, explained that the programme would provide a ‘huge benefit’.

“We are excited to be supporting this latest development from Good Boost to launch soon.”

“This will be of huge benefit to expectant mothers and offers the opportunity for leisure providers to further strengthen their health and wellbeing offers up and down the country,” she said.

Ben Wilkins, CEO of Good Boost, added: “This Mother’s Day, we want to highlight the beneficial nature of aqua natal exercise.

“Our team of expert physiotherapists, researchers and engineers have developed a digital solution for personalised aqua exercise programmes in any pool.”

The Good Boost Aqua Natal programme will be available from April 2022 in public pools around the UK and available on a publicly available app in summer 2022.

The benefits of aqua natal exercise

Feel lighter and move freely

The buoyancy of water creates an experience of weightlessness, especially in deep water.

This can make aqua exercise easier and more relaxing for pregnant women, particularly if they are experimenting joint or pelvic pain that up to 8-in-10 women experience during pregnancy.

Breathe deeply and enjoy reduced swelling

Exercising in water encourages deeper and fuller breathing and increases oxygen up-take for both mother and baby due to water’s hydrostatic pressure on the rib cage.

You are also likely to experience reduced swelling in your feet and ankles, as well as a lower heart rate than during exercise on land, as hydrostatic pressure increases blood flow back to the heart.

Exercise safely and for longer

Unlike other forms of exercise on land, aqua exercise is low impact and is less likely to lead to sore muscles after your session.

However, low impact doesn’t mean low intensity, and as water provides around 12 times greater resistance than air, you can exercise as intensely in water as you would out of it.

You can also exercise for longer and more frequently than on land, without injuring yourself, due to the supporting effect of water’s buoyancy.

Improve your posture and sleep better

After an aqua exercise session, you may have more energy and sleep better, as the water-based exercise should be relaxing, relieve stress and give a sense of wellbeing. Aquatic exercise has also been seen to improve pregnancy posture and reduce lower back pain.