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 â 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?
Iâm going to start by saying that the Fitness Industry, like many other industries, is an ever-changing one. Itâs 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 Iâm going to use ârunningâ as an example of high-impact exercise in this article. Weâll 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 doesnât just affect …
Julia O’s Birth Story: Welcome, Elizabeth!
Julia Oâs Birth Story: Elizabeth Rebecca Orme was born Saturday, July 23 at 10:30 a.m.  I canât thank you enough for helping me prepare for labor, and hereâs 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 studyâs co-author, Dr. Andrea Sharma, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionâs Maternal and Infant Health Branch stated, âThis 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 âwalking onlyâ, âno impactâ, âno twistingâ, âstick with yogaâ, âdonât get your heart rate above 140 bmpâ, âand the always popular, âjust do what youâve been doing for exercise.â  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 …
Abdominals During Pregnancy
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ABDOMINALS DURING PREGNANCY? With all the pressure outward and downward as the size of belly grows, you may be wonderingâŠâWhat happens to the abdominals during pregnancy?â This quick read provides insight into all that is happening as your body adapts to pregnancy. The six-pack muscle (Rectus Abdominis) runs from your breast bone to your pubic bone …
Easing Back & Pelvic Pain in Pregnancy
Back pain and pelvic pain are seemingly synonymous with pregnancy.  Once baby arrives,  your pelvis may ache, your pelvic floor may be fatigued and healing and you will likely feel somewhat disconnected from your core as recovery begins.  Staying strong throughout pregnancy is vital…and partaking in safe, appropriate postpartum training is equally important. Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, referred to as Pelvic Girdle …
How to Exercise in Third Trimester
Your pregnancy is progressing nicely now; you keep checking off those milestones! Â You may be seeing your provider more frequently if youâre nearing the finish line and your body is adjusting well to some pretty amazing anatomical, physiological and hormonal changes. No doubt, youâve had to slow things down a bit, but youâre probably fairly impressed with your fitness …