A fitness suite to help pregnant soldiers and officers keep fit before and after giving birth has been opened at Colchester’s Merville Barracks.
All Royal Army Physical Training Corps PTIs are taught basic advice on pregnancy fitness during their training, with specialist courses for PTIs as part of their continuous professional development.
Created in a repurposed classroom in 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment’s headquarters, the new facility offers a private space for pregnant personnel to exercise.
Staff Sergeant Ben Swinfield, 2 PARA’s senior Physical Training Instructor (PTI), has been the driving force behind setting up the facility.
Created in a repurposed classroom in 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment’s headquarters, the facility offers a private space for pregnant personnel to exercise. It is fitted out with equipment tailored to meet the needs of pregnant women, both as their body copes with the challenge of carrying a baby and as it adapts back after giving birth.
Staff Sergeant Ben Swinfield, 2 PARA’s senior Physical Training Instructor (PTI), has been the driving force behind setting up the facility.
“This is here to support service personnel through pregnancy... and ultimately it is about helping them maintain and restore their fitness to be ready for operations
He said: “This is here to support service personnel in their pathway through pregnancy and the journey beyond, and ultimately it is about helping them maintain and restore their fitness to be ready for operations.”
Lieutenant Grace Wolfenden, an education officer at 18 Army Education Centre, is expecting her first child in late September.
“I did an ultramarathon last summer and was planning to do another one this year, but life got in the way!” She said. “Fitness is important to me and I’ve kept active through pregnancy with changes to my routine, which has mostly been about lifting less weight and running shorter distances.
“There’s a lot of conflicting guidance out there about exercise during pregnancy, and it’s great to have access to these facilities and expert advice.”
Set up with a £15,000 grant from The NAAFI Fund, the suite is open to all personnel on the barracks and includes machines for both cardio-vascular fitness and strength and conditioning.
All Royal Army Physical Training Corps PTIs are taught basic advice on pregnancy fitness during their training, with specialist courses for PTIs as part of their continuous professional development.
SSgt Swinfield, a father-of-three, became interested in pregnancy fitness through his wife’s job as a midwife.
“She would ask me for advice about exercise to pass on to her patients, and that got me interested in how pregnancy impacts the body and fitness,” he said. “I did a civilian course, before the Army offered specific training, and it’s great to be able to use my knowledge to support soldiers.”
SSgt Swinfield said that pregnant women should stay active “within reason and after taking advice”, while he advised humility when exercising after giving birth.
“You have to accept the massive changes that your body has endured through pregnancy,” he said. “It will take time to get back to previous levels and do not run before you can walk – but you can get your fitness back to where it was.”
Lt Wolfenden concluded: “If a female soldier got pregnant 30 to 40 years ago, they’d have been kicked out of the Army, but now we’re in a place where pregnant soldiers are being offered support in a dedicated facility. I think it’s fantastic to be a part of this progress.”
