How to Prevent Diastasis Recti

So I have had a lot of questions after my previous post on Diastasis Recti on how to prevent it. Well the short answer is, you can’t really prevent it. Now I can’t find much research on this but I would think that having tight abdominals, having a large baby, gaining a lot of weight, and how you are carrying your baby (to the front or side, etc) would all attribute to how likely you are to develop it.

BUT… even if you have a diastasis, you can still prevent it from getting worse!! There are many things you can do to prevent your abs from continuing to separate. First off get some proper support, I recently discovered the ‘Belly Sports Bra’ from Bao Bei Maternity. You can buy one here. Also using the Kinesiotaping technique I describe in my previous post herehelps great deal both before and after pregnancy! Even if you find it does get worse, don’t stress, this can be helped after the birth with specific exercises that target your Transverse Abdominis (TA) like the ones I mentioned in some of my other posts.

What makes the biggest difference is monitoring and modifying your EVERYDAY activities. Even if you don’t workout you can still be making this worse just going through your normal routine! The worst culprit is getting out of bed. Most people have the abdominal strength to simply sit up and get out of bed like you normally would, this puts a HUGE amount of pressure on that midline essentially tearing your abs apart slightly more each time (not a pretty picture right!). Some things you can do to help this include log rolling when you get out of bed. A log roll is kind of how it sounds, you want to roll on your side, hang your legs off the bed, and use your arms and upper body to assist with getting up. I also got a very handy bedrail. Yes, the same ones I prescribe for my elderly patients, but I LOVE it and still use it today. It especially helps for when you are super pregnant and can’t roll over. You can get them on Amazon here. You also want to avoid any heavy lifting or holding  heavy items overhead. This can put outward pressure on your abdomen if you don’t have the proper strength and support  in place. Also, check out my video on neutral spine. By engaging your TA muscles in a neutral spine position while doing all your daily activities, yes this includes cooking and getting dressed,  you will help protect that abdomen and keep those muscles together where they should be ! Find a therapist near you to help with this if you are having trouble. If you learn how to activate the right muscles while you are still pregnant it not only helps with labor but will put you in a great position for recovery afterwards!

As I mentioned before some exercises to avoid include
– crunches
– planks
– V sits
– leg lifts
-Bicycles
– Yoga poses like up-dog, cow pose, and triangle pose.

If you have any questions feel free to comment below. 

Hope this helps!!

SEE MORE INFO HERE! http://fitmamasb.com/how-to-prevent-diastasis-recti/ 

The Benefit of Group Classes

Check out my little babe watching us today! I am so glad that I can bring her with me to workout, makes it SOOO much better! How many times do you go into a gym thinking, I just CAN’T do this today. Today was one of those days, I was still a little sore from my workout on Saturday so as I walked into the Crossfit gym and saw the WOD (workout of the day) on the board and I nearly walked out. Now let me tell you, even before pregnancy I was never much of a runner, actually, I hate running. I don’t mind doing power intervals but just normal outdoor running is not my favorite. And today I went to the ‘intense’ class where my Swolemate (haha, that word makes me laugh) and I were the only women in a class of very fit men. Anyways, so today the WOD was

1 mile run
50 wall balls (14 lbs)
800 m run
50 KB swings (30 lbs)
400 m run
50 Double unders
200 m run
50 squats

FOR TIME – 30 minute cap.

Now, as I started my run everyone else immediately took off and left me to run by myself (which I was totally okay with!), and I started off my usual way, thinking “ahhh…I should just walk it…I just had a baby…I haven’t run in over a year…etc, etc, etc”, then something clicked. I thought to myself….”you can do this, its only a mile…you’ve done this before, just one foot in front of the other”. As I kept repeating this mantra to myself I found that I was already halfway around the block, I focused on my breathing and in an almost trance like state made it back to the gym..1 mile down! I ran that mile in 9:12 and then went on to complete the workout in 25:56, which I thought was pretty darn impressive. Because I am still getting back into it, I modified it to suit my current level in terms of scaling down the weight, but overall I feel like I KILLED this workout. Today was the first day where i felt much more like myself, I am no longer the postpartum mama who can’t even lift a 35 pound bar, but rather the fit, athletic mom who can (almost) keep up with the boys!!

This is the reason that I love going to Crossfit. Many people ask me why I pay to attend classes when I am a trainer myself, I have equipment and places to workout, why would I bother to pay someone else to train me? Everyone, regardless of how much you know or how good a trainer you are, needs some external support and motivation to succeed. If I had gone out for a run by myself I would of NEVER pushed to run that much! But it is human nature that when you are around other people you want to do your best, look your best, and overall just be a better person. Well I shouldn’t say everyone is like that, haha, but you know what I mean. Attending group sessions or having someone else train me allows me to push myself just a little outside my comfort zone, it is in this small little space that you get remarkable results. Lastly, this develops a huge sense of accountability. If I say that I am going to workout I will be there, regardless of what else is going on in my life, because I don’t want to let someone else down. I know that my workout partner or coach would be disappointed if I didn’t make it, and therefore I probably workout 25% more than I would of if no one cared if I showed up or not. Think about this next time you contemplate spending money on your fitness and well being, it’s worth every penny!!

CHECK OUT MORE OF MY POSTS HERE AT HTTP://FITMAMASB.COM/BLOG 

Should I still exercise with a cold?!

See blog post here

TO READ MORE BLOG POSTS PLEASE VISIT MY WEBSITE http://fitmamasb.com/blog AND FOLLOW ME!

Exercise and the Common Cold

So I don’t know about everyone else, but I have found that since giving birth to my daughter I have had way more colds than usual! It must be the combination of less sleep and increased stress taking a toll on my immune system. The good thing is since I am nursing I pass those immunities onto our little one, so I’m the only one that has to suffer through these awful sicknesses! This is the second cold I have gotten, nothing crazy but still enough to make me feel crappy. It probably doesn’t help that we are going through a 4-month sleep regression so I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a while. I find it kind of crazy because before all this I had a bulletproof immune system. Thanks to working in healthcare I haven’t even had a sniffle in 3 years, even made it through a whole pregnancy without getting sick! Today I felt like being a smarty pants today and doing some research, so just a heads up…this post is packed full of it! I know this can be boring for some but I am a closet nerd and this does slightly excite me.

The big question is

Should I still exercise with a cold?!

Out of courtesy to others at the gym I probably would find somewhere else to workout for a few days, nobody likes the guy beside them sniffling up a storm, but contrary to popular belief, exercise (in moderation) is actually good for you and won’t make your sickness worse, and hey, it may even make it better! There has been lots of research on how exercise prevents sickness, but not very much on its effect on the body once you’re already sick. The general consensus seems to be that if you have a cold (runny nose, headache) and not the flu (vomiting, fever) it is safe to participate in moderate exercise (walk, light jog, etc.), although heavy exercise isn’t recommended (and I feel like that would be pretty tough anyways). By the way I look at it any sort of activity is better than sitting around the house feeling sorry for yourself! You can read more about that study here. A recent review of the literature shows that the relationship between exercise and preventing colds works on a J shaped curve (see below), this means that moderate exercise is the best for preventing illness and decreasing the stress response in your body, but high intensity exercise can actually have a negative effect (so maybe all that Crossfit lately has been working against me a little).  If you would like to read more about this click here. Ultimately, working out 4-5 days a week at a moderate intensity level will help you to be the healthiest you can be!

As I sit here and contemplate if I should go to Crossfit tomorrow I came across a study byRakel et. al (2013) that looked at the association between moderate exercise and mindfulness meditation and their effect on acute respiratory infection (common cold). They measured this based on how much money was spent on medications, doctor visits and missed days of work during the duration of the cold and flu season. They found that those who participated in mindfulness meditation vs those in the control group had the greatest cost benefit, and those who exercised also had a cost benefit, although lesser. This suggests that those participants missed less days of work and spent less money on medications and doctors visits, which implies fewer or less severe illnesses. Now this study is preliminary so there’s still work to be done on the subject but I think those results seem pretty promising! It is pretty much saying that even just thinking about being well can make you healthier? I’ll take it!
If you aren’t familiar with mindfulness meditation it is incredibility hard to describe, everyone who studies this sees it a little different based on their own background and beliefs. I did a big research paper in school on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), so this is why this study popped out at me as interesting. Basically mindfulness is a state of mind and a way of being. If you consciously make yourself more aware of how you feel and use this concept to guide your meditations it can ultimately lead to stress reduction, which can lead to less chance of getting sick! To explain this concept here is something I would say to a client to guide them through a mindfulness session for pain reduction. (I’m totally just making this up on the fly so bear with me here..)
I will ask you to close your eyes, breathe deeply, inhale and exhale, listen to your heartbeat, feel the blood pulsing through your veins, feel the slight tickle of hair on the back of your neck and warm sun on your face. Now focus on that nagging pain in your lower back. Visualize that pain dissipating, dissolving away, your muscles getting softer, your shoulders getting heavier, your breaths getting deeper, feeling more and more relaxed with each exhale, feel the pain leaving your body with each breath… Get the idea??

Here is an article regarding the healing power of mindfulness…
Here you can learn more about mindfulness meditation…

Okay, after totally veering off topic I think I came to my conclusion. Right now I am going to lie in bed and think about feeling better (mindfulness meditation)! Tomorrow will be day 5 of this annoying cold, so I will go on a nice walk (moderate exercise) as I have been doing all weekend and hopefully be back to normal by Tuesday! Power of positive thinking right? The most important thing while your sick…KEEP UP THOSE FLUIDS. Since I am nursing I am doing my best to drink tons of water to avoid dehydration, which drastically affects my milk supply (I learned from experience). Here’s hoping that I don’t get sick again this winter! One last thing, don’t forget that most cold medications aren’t recommended if your breastfeeding, so unfortunately like me you just have to tough it out. Bah.

As always, please consult your doctor before partaking in any physical activity. Each person is different and my opinions and recommendations are solely more own opinion and not medical advice.

References

Nieman DC. Exercise, upper respiratory tract infection, and the immune system. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1994 Feb;26(2):128-39. Review.

Rakel, D., Mundt, M., Ewers, T., Fortney, L., Zgierska, A., Gassman, M., & Barrett, B. (2013). Value associated with mindfulness meditation and moderate exercise intervention in acute respiratory infection: The MEPARI Study. Family Practice, 30(4), 390–397. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmt008

Weidner TG1, Cranston T, Schurr T, Kaminsky LA. “The effect of exercise training on the severity and duration of a viral upper respiratory illness” Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998 Nov;30(11):1578-83.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/health/nutrition/25best.html?_r=0

Bellefit Product Review

So I’ll start off by saying I am writing this review out of my own free will, I was not compensated for this review. I purchased the Bellefit postpartum girdle when I was 40 weeks pregnant and wore it after I got home from the hospital for 4-ish weeks. So first off, this product was awesome! If you aren’t familiar with it, Bellefit postpartum girdle is to be worn after delivery to assist with ‘shrinking’ your abdomen back and offer some external support. I ordered 2, based on my measurements at 40 weeks. I got this one here.Image source

They have a great little calculator on their website to figure out what size and style would work. I got the front closure one in size large and medium. The large fit me VERY snugly (which is the point) right after getting home, I was able to wear it over my granny panty underwear/depends (come on, you know you were all wearing them too). It has a bottom closure so you don’t have to take it off to go to the bathroom and it keeps it in the right place so there’s no awkward adjustments every time you stand up from a chair! Within one week my stomach reduced dramatically. The large no longer fit me and I was able to progress to the medium, which I wore for the remaining 3 weeks. Just a word of advice, if you have wider hips and a smaller waist like myself definitely go with the front closure. I ordered the side zipper one initially and it was extremely challenging and uncomfortable to put on, so I returned it for the front closure instead, MUCH more comfortable and it has two size settings (two rows of fasteners) as opposed to just one. Now this product isn’t cheap, $110 dollars each, but it was extremely well made, washed well, maintained it’s elastic stretch and I was even able to resell my size large for $50 used! Amazing. I personally feel that it helped heal my diastasis faster by holding the muscles together where they should be, and it did offer some support to my lower back as my body adjusted to not carrying around an extra 20 pounds. If you are looking for something to offer substantial back support or compression at the hips then this is not the product for you. Back/hip braces can be worn overtop of this, but professionally I wouldn’t recommend this as I’m not a fan of compensating with braces unless absolutely necessary (e.g. you are in so much pain that you can’t function without a brace). This is also why I don’t think this product is beneficial past 4-6 weeks, but that is just my own personal opinion. Overall, I was very pleased with my purchase! Good customer service as well, they responded to my emails in a timely manner and shipping was quick! Lastly, this product isn’t pretty lingerie, I looked ridiculous and you can still see it under tight clothes, gave me a ‘double bum’ haha…but hey, my husband didn’t care and I just didn’t wear anything tight for a while! Also, since it’s my first baby I’m not sure what the results would of been if I didn’t wear it, so not much of a scientific study but I felt pretty good about it. I’d love to hear about other women’s experiences with this product. Hope this helps!

Natasha

Check out this awful picture! But the results were too good not to share a picture!

For more blog posts check out my blog at http://fitmamasb.com/blog ! 

Working Exercise into your Day

I just wanted to touch on how challenging it can be to work exercise into your everyday routine with a baby. When I first started back at the gym I found that working out was an all day event. By the time I timed our feedings right, got myself dressed, got her dressed, loaded her into the car, brought her to the gym and got my runners on I was exhausted. But after a couple weeks it got easier and easier. I started back at Crossfit about 4 weeks after she was born, after being cleared by my doctor to return to exercise.  I went to an easy class and was able to modify a lot of the exercises to suit my current level. Since my daughter was so young when I started taking her  I feel like she never really knew any different. She now comes with me 4x a week and enjoys watching everyone workout! (Well I don’t really know if she enjoys it, but she definitely seems happy!) Working out with friends is a great way to develop accountability (I barely miss a workout), to get out of the house (otherwise I would barely leave), and interact with adults other than my husband! Having a baby can be isolating and exercise and support from others is one of the first thing I recommend to combat postpartum depression. Whether you start with a simple walk with a friend or lunges around the house while holding the baby, every little bit counts. If you get into the routine of incorporating exercise into your day from the start it will make it easier as your baby gets older! Check out my little one at 5 weeks old dressed to impress at Crossfit. For more blog posts check out my website here! 

In fitness and good health,

Natasha

 http://fitmamasb.com/working-exercise-into-your-day/

Postpartum Abdominal Recovery

Wow! Let me just say I never anticipated just how weak my core would be after delivering my beautiful baby girl. For weeks I felt like jello, and looked a little like it too! Ladies don’t be fooled…you are much stronger PREGNANT than you are after delivery. After delivering my nearly 10 pound baby and ridding my body of all that associated with it my abdomen was a mess. I’m pretty sure I had intestines floating around for weeks and my organs were all in shock trying to make their way back to where they should be. All those ligaments that have been stretched out for the past 6 months were getting some relief (finally no more pain!), but still affected by relaxin they were nowhere near where they should be. Now in order to understand the concept of abdominal rehabilitation after delivery there are a few things you must know first. a) What is relaxin, and b) Basic abdominal anatomy and c) What to do before you hit the gym!

What is relaxin hormone?

Relaxin was discovered in 1926 in pregnant guinea pigs. It was shown to cause the pelvic ligaments to relax, allowing the body to accommodate the strain of pregnancy and ease the passage of offspring through the birth canal. The hormone was later demonstrated to have a role in the softening, or ripening, of the cervix through collagen remodelling. Relaxin is produced in the corpus luteum, the placenta, and the uterus in females, as well as in other reproductive structures; this varies by species. (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/496940/relaxin) 

Relaxin hormone is responsible for many injuries during and after pregnancy as it is present in your body for up to 6 months after delivery! It is important to remember this as you continue your journey of health in order to take extra caution and prevent setbacks due to injury. Your ligaments and joints are loose, particularly in your back and pelvis causing instability and contributing to pain and misalignment. That extra flexibility you gained during pregnancy can work against you when you start training again, so my biggest advice is to not overdo it!

Abdominal Anatomy Overview

Image Source

Your ‘abs’ are actually composed of 4 different muscles, they are arranged in layers stretching in different directions across your abdomen. Your rectus abdominus is the muscle that most people associate with a 6 pack. This is where your diastasis will be if you developed one during pregnancy! See my post here for more information. Then you have your external and internal oblique muscles, your external oblique form that nice V shape you see on the cover of Men’s Health, and the internal oblique muscles run the opposite direction providing added stability, torque, and assistance with side bending. Lastly there is the transverse abdominus which in my case is the most important to be aware of postpartum. This is the deepest muscle of your abdominals. It wraps all the way around your midline in a horizontal fashion acting essentially as a corset keeping everything together. As you can guess, with all that stretching and movement in there during pregnancy this deep core stabilizer is incredibly weak postpartum and makes even simple movements, like a squat or pushup, extremely difficult. You truly do not realize how much you use these stabilizer muscles in everything you do until you lose them!

Before you hit the gym…

Lastly, I will review some things to keep in mind before you hit the gym…this may sound a little intense but I really really want to get my point across because I have seen too many people causing permanent damage while trying desperately to lose that baby weight.
1) If you are like me and feeling good after a few weeks you may just want to jump back into what you were doing before you got pregnant…STOP RIGHT NOW! Your body needs a much needed break after all that torture you put it through! Wait the recommended 4-6 weeks postpartum before working out again or you may find yourself dealing with unnecessary postpartum complications such as bleeding, pelvic pain, incontinence, or worse. This is granted you had a regular delivery, C-section recovery is obviously more challenging and as always, everyone should consult their doctor or midwife before starting any new exercise program.
2) Remember to take it slow, if it hurts, stop, think about it, and modify. Start with a simple walk, personally I couldn’t believe how challenging even walking is after not doing anything for a while!
3) Your baby and your health come first. If you aren’t sleeping, barely eating and trying to go hard at the gym you are going to compromise not just your milk supply (if you are nursing) but also your sanity. Be kind to yourself.
4) If you have any lingering impairements from pregnancy especially diastasis recti, hip instability, pelvic floor dysfunction, healing stiches, broken tailbone, etc, etc. make sure you check with your doctor first and take the proper precautions during your workouts!  Remember, even after you are cleared to workout your body is still healing and is very easily injured. I highly recommend hiring a trainer/kinesiologist/physical therapist educated and experienced in postpartum recovery. They will be able to guide you in doing proper exercises and modifications to avoid injury and gradually get back into a solid workout routine.
5) Lastly, CORE CORE, PELVIC FLOOR & MORE CORE…that is what you need to work on before even attempting any heavy lifts, strenuous movements, jumping, or anything else putting strain on those poor abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. Do you want to be incontinent and have a mummy tummy forever? If the answer is no then start doing those kegels and stay tuned to my next blog post for some exercises to do everyday!,

In fitness and good health, 

Natasha 

To see more blog posts and learn more about me check out my website here! 

My how time flies

February 8^th, 2015

My how time flies. I decided after the birth of my daughter that I would take a little break from my website. I didn’t anticipate it to be a 3-month break but here we are! Babies are a lot of work! We have been truly blessed that our daughter sleeps well at night, but this means that she is up a lot of the day, leaving little spare time for myself. But now that we have started a more consistent nap routine I desperately would like to pick up where I left off. So this week I’m going to be playing catch up and try to write a few articles sharing what I have learned in these first few months postpartum. So here are some updates!

My daughter was born 9 days late, I ended up being induced, which was definitely not part of my ideal birth plan, but it was in the best interest of my health and my daughters. She was born vaginally, at a whopping 9lbs 12oz and 22.5” long. I won’t bore you with the details but I am happy to say that all my exercise prior to delivery paid off! I was able to push very efficiently and got that baby out as fast as I could with little injury. Even the nurses asked after my first push… “Do you workout? This is going to be easy for you!” That was probably the best thing I had heard all day. I will review my pre-delivery exercises and labor preparation in a future post so stay tuned for that!

It has been 16 weeks since she was born, and I have to say I am starting to feel more like myself everyday. In total I gained 55 lbs. during my pregnancy, and clocked in at 191 lbs. on the day of admission to the hospital. Let me tell you, I never want to see those numbers on a scale again. I was large and uncomfortable. I had continued to walk my dog 45 minutes a day up until the day of delivery, completed my home exercises before bed every night and made sure I stretched and practiced my breathing techniques, but let me tell you…it was not easy carrying around all that extra weight, even having a shower was mildly exhausting! I currently have lost the majority of the weight and am happy to say I have 7 lbs. left to reach my target. Because I am nursing I decided that it was best to keep a few extra pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight and shed the rest gradually through proper diet and exercise, and not through starvation. Because I had no postpartum complications I was able to return to exercising at 5 weeks, which was probably the best thing for myself and for my baby! She has been coming to the gym with me 4x a week since then and loves going out on our daily walks. It has helped make her a happy, well-adjusted baby who loves seeing new places and interacting with new people. I will talk more in the next post about what I have been doing in terms of exercise and how I have been working out safely in order to get my body back without causing injury. So excited to continue sharing this whirlwind adventure with you.

In fitness and good health,

Natasha 

To read more blog posts or to learn more about me check out my website here!