So, hands up if you saw the NPR interview (what felt more like an infomercial) last week, âFlattening the âMummy Tummyâ with 1 Exercise, 10 minutes A Day.â I first heard about it when I was at a fitness supply store doing some pricing for the new studio. Â When learning of my fitness specialty, the sales manager excitedly exclaimed, âHey, did you know that thereâs one exercise that can totally fix that pooch moms have after birth? Â I was listening …
Abdominal Separation FAQs: Part II
Iâm often asked about diastasis recti (the medical name for abdominal separation) by both pre and postnatal clients and do believe that education is key when it comes to both minimizing and rehabilitating this condition. If you havenât yet read Part I, you can find it here! Let’s get started with a bit of research: Boissonnault & Blaschak (1988) found that 27% of women have a DRA in the second trimester and 66% in the third trimester of pregnancy. 53% of …
Abdominal Separation FAQs: Part I
Today Iâm talking about abdominal separation or diastasis recti to which it is formally, or medically referred.  This separation can lead to the appearance of a “mummy tummy” or “pooch”…the “mommy belly.” Speaking from personal and professional experience, I know that some days it’s easier than others to refer to and interact lovingly with this pooch that may remain! Below are five FAQs I often hear about abdominal separation.  This is Part I of a two part series, so stay tuned for …
Why Parenting is Yoga for the Soul (and the Title I Didnât Choose)
I had initially entitled this article âWhy Parenting is the Ultimate…Mind-F#@!â Â but it felt too harsh. Â It felt angry and maybe even a little sad. Â Iâm neither of those things, but I am changed from and changing through parenthood. Â And, this article is an attempt to capture the always present dichotomies of life as a parent, which in the happiest way, can feel like a âMind-F#@!â sometimes. Or at least it does for me. Â As a parent, you …
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 and is joined together with a strong fibrous sheath called the Linea Alba. In some pregnancies, the Linea Alba becomes …
Safe Core Exercise in Pregnancy
This can be so confusing! Â Sit-ups? Â Crunches? Â Leg-lifts? Planks? Â If you are pregnant, hopefully you are no longer performing traditional abdominal exercises such as crunches or sit-ups. Â If you have been, that’s okay…but this might be a great time to transition to more beneficial, safer core exercises. Â I will explain more about why and how to do so safely in this article. Traditional abdominal exercises such as sit-ups (as well as others), activate the rectus abdominis, the top layer of …
Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Your Mummy Tummy–Part II
Ok, so this is part two of a three part series of articles concerning your âmummy tummyâ. Recently, I discussed how new moms often feel a bulge or layer of fat around their mid-section, and no matter what they do, they canât shift it! Thatâs the pillow-like feeling I referred toâand it can be a bit of a surprise postpartum. So, letâs talk about diet and itâs impact on recovery and the mummy tummy! Diet and nutrition work in tandem …
How do I lose my Mummy Tummy?
 PART I How are you feeling about your postpartum belly? Personally, Iâve always been conflicted. Physically, mine felt like a pillow for quite some time and I even remember resting my arm on it while I nursed my newborn son!  What an odd feeling that was!  A belly that had been full and taught for so many months was now loose, overstretched, weakened and distractingly present. I had a sudden desire to obliterate this leftover pillow. Ironic, seeing as it …