by Karan | Feb 5, 2016 |
What about the not so new mum and postnatal exercise? What state is your pelvic floor in 1, 2,3 or 4 years after birth? “My child is 2 – I am over the Postnatal exercise period”……right or wrong? Most people think that once their child is a certain age then their body has repaired and is strong again and they embark on Military style fitness classes. However, your child’s age doesn’t determine how strong your body is. The first year or so for mums tends to often be about laundry, sleep deprivation, sick, nappies and just getting used to a total life change! Then sometimes along comes baby number 2 and before you know it you realise it’s been 3 years since you really did any exercise. Then often you think in order to get strong again then you need to thrash it out at military type fitness classes, burpees, push ups and the like in a quest to lift that booty and get rid of the pouch your little ones left behind. Stop and think! However, STOP and think for a minute…. it’s about now some mums experience back ache, neck and shoulder pains, tight hamstrings etc. A lot of this is down to posture problems. Years of rocking baby, carrying baby on one hip or in a sling, nightly feeds all affect our posture. The other reason you get back pain is due to a weak core. Your core wraps around you and holds your back and pelvis in position. It’s very likely you may also have Diastasis Recti (tummy separation). Sadly tummy separation isn’t made...
by Karan | Feb 4, 2016 |
Let me tell you something that may shock you…. Not all postnatal Pilates or Yoga moves are safe in the postnatal period or even after for that matter. I love Pilates and found my Stott Pilates course gave me great knowledge of the anatomy and posture. However, it was whilst I was practising some of the more challenging Pilates moves such as the Pilates 100s that I found my Diastasis Recti (DR or tummy separation) started to get worse. The reason for this is that postnatal pilates exercises such as the plank and the Pilates 100s – to name just a few – cause an increase of abdominal pressure. This pressure causes our abs to bulge. Picture your abs like a zip – the bottom bit by the bikini line is zipped up and the top bit by your breasts is also connected, however the middle area of the zip has broken and the small teeth bits aren’t fixed together. Any pressure on the abdominals would then mean bulging of the abdominals out to the front and also downwards. Pressure going downwards means that the pelvic floor is weakened too. 2 out of 3 mums get diastasis recti! Up to 50 percent of mums have Pelvic Organ Prolapse! I am trying to educate Mums into realising that pregnancy involves a major transformation to our bodies and therefore it’s really important that you learn to strengthen the abdominals and pelvic floor with the right exercises as soon as you have had your postnatal check-up. I totally understand that you want to zip up your pre-pregnancy jeans as soon as...
by Karan | Feb 4, 2016 |
It’s funny but there aren’t many bring your baby exercise classes in Brighton and not many that combine exercise with postnatal pilates. You would think there would be more! I am sure you have seen pictures of bring your baby exercise classes where they use perfect models for mummy and baby and the image shows both the mum and baby relaxed, smiling and enjoying the class. Well let me tell you that’s not real life! In real life the mum comes in wind swept, exhausted, sleep deprived and in need of a good cuddle! She is armed with toys, blankets, play mats and white noise in the desperate bid to entertain her baby so that it’s possible for this exhausted mama to get a little ME time. When a new mum comes to class, it’s evident that her main concern is that her baby won’t settle. The beauty of my classes are that we are all mums. We have all been in the same situation. So we don’t mind! I make sure the babies are kept warm and have been known to teach the class whilst bottle feeding a baby! All babies cry and one week your baby may be asleep then another week it may be that your child wants more cuddles and attention. Some mums have to breastfeed their little one during the class but whatever happens you will feel a 100 percent better after attending my classes. If you do have to feed during class then I remind you of pelvic floor exercises – you can still do some of the core connection exercises whilst sat feeding. The other...
