Last week at the gym when I made a quick dash to the restroom I found several ladies discussing how much more they hated jumping jacks now since having a baby. Seeing my pregnant belly they urged me to do my Kegels as they headed off to their group fitness class. I could totally relate to what they were talking about, you can read my post on this very topic: The Mama Confessionals: Oops...I Peed My Pants! Nobody wants to pee on themselves, which is why I thought it would be helpful to talk about how I feel about Kegels on the blog today. Now don't stop reading this just because you haven't had a baby. This post will be helpful to everyone, because even the manliest of men, can suffer from pelvic floor disorders. I think the majority of information that we have been told by our doctors, girlfriends, moms, and sister on Kegels is more harmful to us than helpful. Let me explain... KEGELS & YOUR PELVIC FLOOR Doing Kegels causes muscular contractions. Now if you have very slack … [Read more...]
The Truth About Diastasis Recti & Healing Your Core
If you did not read last weeks post Prenatal Fitness, Diastasis Recti, & Body After Baby you might want to do that before you read further so you have some background on what it is I am discussing. Medical Disclaimer: I also feel I need to put a disclaimer on this post and let you know I am by no means a medical professional or a diastasis recti expert. I am however a mother, certified personal trainer, and yoga instructor. What I am sharing is based on my own research and experience. THE TRUTH ABOUT DIASTASIS RECTI & WHY IT MATTERS When abdominal separation occurs the rectus abdominis (otherwise lovingly referred to by many as the six-pack muscle) is not the only muscle that is affected. It is however what the majority of people notice. Take a look at this picture of the core musculature. Many of these muscles are attached to the same structures. The reason this is important to note is because when a muscle looses its stability it can cause a ripple effect throughout … [Read more...]
Prenatal Fitness, Diastasis Recti, & Body After Baby
Can I be honest for a moment? This post is for all you ladies who are thinking about becoming pregnant, are currently pregnant, just had a baby last week, have given birth to a child at any point in your life, or for personal trainers who work with any of the afore mentioned demographics. I think one of the questions we, as women, all ask ourselves at some point is what is having a baby going to do to my body. This might sound very vain and superficial to some but I think it is an important topic to discuss. I have seen so many women who have had babies, are working out, eating correctly, and to no fault of their own just can not seem to get rid of their baby belly. So what seems to be the problem? The problem is not from lack of motivation or willpower but from the anatomy of the body after baby. Let me explain... RELAXIN (THE HORMONE) During pregnancy the body releases the hormone relaxin. This hormone peaks at 14 weeks during pregancy and at the time of labor. It allows the … [Read more...]
Varicose Veins & Pregnancy
When I was pregnant with Caden my legs started to begin bothering me around 22 weeks. I first noticed something was different when I went for a run and had to stop and walk because my legs felt so heavy and were causing me pain each time I took a stride. At my next OB appointment I was referred to a vein specialist and learned that I had varicose veins. Varicose veins are diseased blood vessels that have become permanently dilated (enlarged) and can no longer carry blood back to the heart efficiently. As the dilated veins begin to leak, oxygen-poor blood pools in the varicose veins and waste products accumulate in the legs. Untreated varicose veins can cause aching, heaviness and swelling, and can lead to blood clots and leg ulcers if left untreated. It was certainly not what I expected to hear. I was healthy, active, under the age of 30, and sitting only 10 pounds above my pre-pregancy weight. Instead what I had was a family history of bad veins. No amount of healthy living … [Read more...]
Post Pregnancy Must Haves For Moms
For any of you mama's getting ready to have a baby soon here is my list for post pregnancy must haves! These are all products/items I used to aid in my recovery. I wore a Belly Bandit and it 100% made a difference in how I looked in my clothes after Caden was born. I felt really supported and wore it all the time except for showering until I was 4 weeks postpartum and for the next 2 weeks only wore it at night. I purchased the small and extra small sized bands. For the first week I wore the small the sized band and the remaining weeks wore the extra small. This won't be the case for all new moms but I had the worst, and I mean worst, body odor ever after delivery. It lasted for weeks. Make sure you pack deodorant with you to bring to the hospital. I like the Tom's brand because they contain no harsh chemicals and it smells fresh. I used several witch hazel pads topped with medicated foam and ointment to soothe my stitched skin and hemorrhoids. All of this and more will be provided … [Read more...]
The Mama Confessionals: Oops…I Peed My Pants!
For the past 7 days I have been sick. Stuffy nose, oh so very tired, and on Friday I developed a horrible cough. I am finally starting to feel better, but being pregnant and having to pee all the time, on top of drinking glasses upon glasses of water to flush out whatever was making me sick caused an interesting weekend. Now for all you mama's out there you know where this is going and if you read the title of this post you know where this is headed. When I was pregnant with Caden I did everything I could to maintain a healthy body post baby, including kegal exercises. There are even several breathing techniques in yoga that work those of so special muscles down below. I thought I was going to be covered in the leaky bladder department. Post baby when I resumed teaching my group fitness classes I realized that no matter how great your efforts are things just aren't quite the same after a baby has come out of your body. My first indication that my body had changed was during a … [Read more...]
