FAQ’s

A Biokineticist is a specialised clinical exercise therapist, who focuses on preventative medicine and final phase rehabilitation, using exercise as the primary modality of treatment.

Biokineticists are Allied healthcare professionals who are recognised by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), so you are able to claim back a portion of your classes from your medical aid savings, depending on what medical aid plan you have.

– Biokineticists improve a person’s physical condition and quality of life by performing comprehensive physical assessments and prescribing individualised, scientifically-based exercise programmes.

It is within a Biokineticists scope of practice to prescribe exercise during and post–pregnancy, and in addition to our university curriculum, all Fit 4 Two instructors have also completed our Fit 4 Two comprehensive instructor training course, which is a CPD accredited programme.  This programme has been endorsed by a Gynaecologist/Obstetrician, so you can rest assured that when you come to a Fit 4 Two class, you are in the safe hands of a qualified healthcare professional. If you are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy, or have any specific conditions or injuries, we may recommend that you come for individual Biokinetics sessions for a while, until you are ready to join classes. We will also always stay in close contact with your Gynaecologist to ensure we are prescribing the safest possible exercise programme for you.

During your initial assessment, we will also be able to pick up any red flags which may warrant referral to your Gynae prior to starting classes. We are also trained to pick up any warning signs that you may present with during a class, that would necessitate referral onto your Doctor.

Absolutely! The guidelines used to state that pregnancy was not the time to start something new, however they have recently been updated and changed to say that pregnancy can be the perfect time to begin an exercise programme and implement healthy lifestyle changes, that will hopefully carry on after having your baby, and throughout your life.  It is very important however when beginning an exercise programme, that you have clearance from your gynae to do so, and that you participate in our initial assessment beforehand.  During the assessment we will make sure that you are at a sufficient level of fitness to slot into classes, and if not, we will recommend some individual sessions with the Biokineticist to build your fitness up to the point where you will benefit for the classes.

Our general rule is that you can start classes after you have had your 12-week scan, and you have clearance from your Gynae to participate in an exercise programme.  If you are an avid exerciser and are currently exercising anyway, you can start classes earlier, but we will always require that all-important clearance from the gynae.

You can start our postnatal exercise programme 6 weeks after delivery if you had a c-section, after you have been for your 6- week check up with the Gynae.  If you had a normal Vaginal delivery, with no complications you can start the postnatal exercise programme 4 weeks after giving birth.  Please ensure that you have clearance form your Doctor before resuming exercise.  We do not recommend joining classes earlier than this, and this is to allow for tissue healing to take place.  Regardless  of mode of delivery, your body has been through a lot, and needs time to recover before resuming exercise. Starting any earlier than this also places huge amounts of strain on your pelvic floor, and this can lead to problems later on, such as incontinence, lower back and pelvic pain, and pelvic floor prolapse.

We generally recommend that you can bring your baby along with you to classes up until just before they are crawling…chasing a little crawler around class doesn’t leave much time for mom to focus on her own exercise.

We would love to keep you coming to our classes from pregnancy, to postpartum and beyond, and have thus created some class options for moms to participate in once they are back to work, or babies are getting too big to come to classes.  The first option is our Fit Mommy Bootcamp Challenge.  This is a 6-week programme designed to really take your fitness to the next level.  It is designed for moms who are at a good foundational level of fitness and strength but really want to get that pre-baby body back or lose the ‘’mummy tummy’’.  Participants attend 2-3 bootcamp classes per week and are given a breastfeeding friendly healthy eating plan designed by one of our Fit 4 Two Dieticians. The classes are 45 minutes long, and are high intensity, interval-based sessions. If you participate in the challenge, you will be added to a WhatsApp group, where we post healthy tips and videos to keep you motivated throughout the challenge.  You will participate in a pre– and post–challenge assessment, so you are able to track your progress after the challenge. Let us know if you are ready to take your fitness to a new level and sign up for our next challenge!