Should pregnant women exercise? Yes, says an Australian in Hong Kong

If there was a competition for the fittest pregnancy, Zara Balfour would have our vote. A regular at Central’s H-Kore studio throughout her pregnancy last year, Balfour sported a crop top, toned body and bump, even at 39 weeks.

But it wasn’t just how the Australian mum-to-be looked, but how her Pilates regime helped her have a smooth labour and a speedy post-partum recovery.

“For a first-time mum, I was surprised that my labour was over and done with very, very quickly. It was actually a shock as it was only five hours and 15 minutes, when I was expecting about 20 hours,” says Balfour, 29. “My obstetrician was taken aback that a first-time mum was able to push so effectively.”

She credits her almost-religious commitment to the Lagree Fitness Method practised at H-Kore during her pregnancy for her strong core and dream-like delivery. The method combines cardio and strength-training with Pilates, performed on a multifunctional machine.

Another benefit of the workout, she says, was no back pain, even though her daughter Ana was 3.9 kilograms and measured 54 centimetres at birth.

It was a different story more than a decade ago, when Balfour slipped three discs in her back after quitting ballet aged 17.