Healthy Moms® Advanced Perinatal Fitness
Instructor Training Course

0.9 ACE CECs, 8.75 AFAA CEUs, ACSM and NASM by petition.

Say goodbye to the myth of the “delicate” condition, and say hello to pregnancy in the 21st century. Current research continues to show that women can safely exercise and maintain their levels of fitness during the perinatal period. Women who continue to exercise regularly throughout their pregnancies are less likely to need medical intervention during labor and delivery (e.g., pitocin use, forceps delivery, etc.) and experience less time in both active labor and during the second (“pushing”) stage. They also gain less fat and recover more quickly than sedentary pregnant women. With these findings in mind, more and more women are starting an exercise program or continuing to exercise during their pregnancies.

The result is a greatly increased need for fitness and health professionals with the knowledge and skills to design and implement specialty programs for this population as well as the ability to safely integrate these women into conventional fitness settings. Exercise provides innumerable benefits before, during and after pregnancy. Learn how to increase your clients' self esteem and enhance their well being, and find out all the wonderful ways to help the body prepare and “train for the main event.”

The Healthy Moms® A.P.F.I.T. course covers very detailed information in a user-friendly format. You will discover the benefits, risks, and overall effects of exercise in relation to each phase of the perinatal period. Then, you get to experience it all first-hand in a Healthy Moms® perinatal fitness master class which includes many stability ball exercises from the Resist-a-Ball C.O.R.E. progam, “Prenatal with Resist-a-Ball” Specialty Course.

The seminar portion is divided into three phases:

1. “Project Pregnancy” — Preconceptual Exercise Planning: Benefits of exercise, heat exposure, nutritional concerns (appropriate weight for height, vitamin-mineral supplementation, eating habits, vegetarianism) and intensity guidelines.
2. “Training For the Main Event” — Pregnancy and Exercise: Physiological and anatomical changes of pregnancy, psychological stages of pregnancy, overview of fetal growth and development, basic obstetric tests, stages of labor and delivery, labor medications, client screening techniques, 2002 ACOG Guidelines, aerobic exercise, strength training, Resistaball exercises, nutritional concerns, relaxation strategies, marketing tips and the latest research findings regarding pregnancy and exercise.
3. “Postpartum: Returning to Your Fitness Goals” — Physical and emotional changes, basic foundation of restorative exercises, abdominal and pelvic floor rehabilitation, aerobic exercise, strength training, stages of postpartum depression, breastfeeding and other nutritional concerns.

What you get:

• One of the most extensive perinatal fitness manuals on the market, backed entirely by the latest medical research
• A “turnkey” opportunity to expand your market
• All the tools you need to design, market, and implement a quality perinatal fitness program
• The knowledge to promote wellness throughout the entire perinatal period
• The ability to answer clients' exercise questions with confidence

Check for upcoming training dates near you!

Healthy Moms® on the Ball

CECs/CEUs: 0.4 ACE, 2.6 AFAA, ACSM and NASM by petition.

In 2000, Sheila Watkins, the founder of Healthy Moms®, joined forces with the Resistaball Company to produce the first formal training course for health and fitness professionals specifically designed for training the prenatal population with the stability ball. The original “Prenatal with Resistaball Specialty Training Course” was launched in 2002. “Healthy Moms® on the Ball,” launched in 2011, is the updated version of this very popular course.

Clinical observations involving the use of a stability ball with prenatal clients show a low incidence of back pain in late pregnancy, strong, firm abdominal muscles, and increased core stability. Due to its dynamic nature, exercising with the stability ball improves posture, balance, coordination, and body awareness. Almost every exercise involves the core in some way. These benefits are especially important for the prenatal population, as certain anatomical changes of pregnancy (e.g., change in center of gravity, joint laxity, etc.) are known to precipitate negative effects on the pregnant body. Exercising with the stability ball throughout pregnancy will help minimize or alleviate these potential effects.

This hands-on, in-depth training course will provide practical instruction on selected strength and flexibility exercises, utilizing both the ball and tubing, appropriate for the prenatal client. Screening techniques, physiological and anatomical changes, resistance training guidelines, and basic nutrition for the pregnant exerciser will also be reviewed.