I had initially entitled this article “Why Parenting is the Ultimate…Mind-F#@!” but it felt too harsh. It felt angry and maybe even a little sad. I’m neither of those things, but I am changed from and changing through parenthood. And, this article is an attempt to capture the always present dichotomies of life as a parent, which in the …
Why is Postpartum Training Important?
So, you’ve had your baby. You’re feeling up to exercise, but you don’t quite know what you should and shouldn’t be doing when it comes down to it. You know certain areas of your body have been affected, but how do you know what to strengthen, what to stretch, and what to focus on? As a Pre & Postnatal Specialist, …
“How Do I Get My Body Back?”
I completely understand wanting to get back into skinny jeans and flattering clothing! I am here to here to help you get there! All the while, I vow to support you as you practice loving a body that has changed, one that has done a tremendous amount of work and that is beautiful just as it is. I came across …
Preconception Health: A Guest Post by Jennifer November, ND
How to be your healthiest self prior to getting pregnant The decision to get pregnant is a big one. One of the biggest an individual and a couple face. So much goes into the decision — are you ready as a couple? Are you ready as an individual? Is the timing appropriate with your chosen career path? Are your finances …
Why aren’t sit-ups safe after birth?
I’m going to start by saying that the Fitness Industry, like many other industries, is an ever-changing one. It’s full of trends. Exercises come in and out of fashion, research is done to prove exercises safe or unsafe, and as Fitness Professionals, we listen and make changes to our program content accordingly. Sit-ups, or any variation of this movement where …
When Can I Return to High Impact Exercise After Birth?
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question, and I’m going to use “running” as an example of high-impact exercise in this article. We’ll start with a hormone called relaxin which is released into your system in the early stages of your pregnancy. Relaxin relaxes your muscles/joints/ligaments to help prepare your pelvis for childbirth. BUT, relaxin doesn’t just affect …
Julia O’s Birth Story: Welcome, Elizabeth!
Julia O’s Birth Story: Elizabeth Rebecca Orme was born Saturday, July 23 at 10:30 a.m. I can’t thank you enough for helping me prepare for labor, and here’s why. At 4:30 a.m. on my due date, I started bleeding lightly and shortly thereafter having contractions 8 minutes apart for an hour. Throughout that day, I bled consistently and had contractions varying from …
Management of Gestational Diabetes Through Exercise and Nutrition
Management of Gestational Diabetes Through Exercise and Nutrition A report released by the CDC in 2015 revealed that nearly half (47%) of all pregnant women gain more than recommended during pregnancy (1). The study’s co-author, Dr. Andrea Sharma, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Maternal and Infant Health Branch stated, “This is a concern because …
In Support of (Individualizing) Exercise During Pregnancy
Exercise during pregnancy. Everyone seems to have an opinion, but who and what information can you trust? A sampling of advice may include “walking only”, “no impact”, “no twisting”, “stick with yoga”, “don’t get your heart rate above 140 bmp”, “and the always popular, “just do what you’ve been doing for exercise.” Well, what if the woman has been training …
Exercises to Avoid with Abdominal Separation
What exercises should be avoided when abdominal separation is present? Postnatal-specific core-based exercise is THE best form of exercise for new moms to be doing, because it focuses on pelvic floor strength and activation of the deep abdominal muscles. These are the two main areas of the abdominals that as an Pre/Postnatal Instructor I want to focus on building back …