Prenatal and Postnatal Blog | Active Moms Club

Your Body After Baby & Exercise

July 30, 2018 By Cassandra

The conception and birth of a child is a miraculous event – and let’s not candy coat it – birthing a baby is a painful event. A women’s body is a temple and should be treated as such. Honor your post-baby body; allow it ample time to rest, and be thoughtful on how you return to exercise. New moms are committed to losing baby weight faster than ever, but doing too much too soon can cause more harm than good.

The physical changes that occur to a woman’s body after childbirth can vary from individual to individual. Here are five changes to be aware of and suggestions on how to navigate them.

Abdominals

Abdominal wall muscles are overstretched during pregnancy. Ideally you would perform moves to shorten these muscles to stimulate muscle memory, before engaging in strengthening exercises. Example of shortening exercises include: pelvic tilts, deep breathing, and heal slides.

Hormones

Hormonal effects, such as joint laxity, can be present up to 16 weeks postpartum (longer if you are nursing). It is recommended to gradually progress into higher impact activities such as running NO LESS than twelve weeks postpartum. Listen to your body while exercising. If what you are doing doesn’t feel good, avoid pushing through it. “No pain, no gain” is NOT applicable to a post-baby body.

Body Realignment & Posture

During pregnancy, your center of gravity shifts forward deepening the “S” curve in your spine. Your goal is to gradually return the spine to its pre-pregnancy alignment, which helps to prevent future back pain and injuries. Being conscience of your posture, and adding gentle back stretches and exercises to your exercise program will help facilitate body alignment.

Diastasis Recti / Abdominal Wall Separation

Diastasis may occur during pregnancy or during delivery. It is a condition in which the two large parallel bands of muscles that meet in the middle of the abdomen separate. It doesn’t hurt, and you may not even be aware that it exists. It’s important to check, a separation may lead to increased low back pain, pelvic instability, urinary leakage, or reduced functional strength of the abdominal wall. There are specific exercises that can be prescribed to help mend the separation.

Pelvic Floor Muscles

The pelvic floor muscles are the main muscle group responsible for pushing your baby out during delivery. They undergo extreme stretching during a vaginal birth, but they also undergo constant stress during the last few months of pregnancy supporting the weight of the uterus and baby. Practice pelvic floor exercises (also known as ‘Kegels’) as soon as possible to help restore muscle memory. Sorry to report mommas, suturing will not restore the function of the pelvic floor. Weakened pelvic floor muscles may cause urinary incontinence, lower back pain, and other related issues.

These are a just a few physical changes your body is adjusting from post baby. When you are ready to return to exercise, be kind to your body. Listen to the small aches and pains. Ask your healthcare provider to check for diastasis. Consider physical therapy if you had a cesarean section – it is major abdominal surgery. Know that urinary leakage a few months after childbirth is not normal. Seek out experienced prenatal / postnatal fitness professionals, like the trainers at Active Moms’ Club, to help you navigate safely and effectively back into exercise.

Chicago Moms

AMC’s “From the Core: Postnatal Recovery” class and Post-Baby Body Express Training addresses all of these changes and provides professional guidance for new – or experienced – moms. If you are a Chicago mom and need more guidance in your postpartum workout routine visit our website to learn more about our classes and personal training.

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Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

What You Should Know About Postpartum Pain & Childbirth Injuries

Diastasis Recti : From How To Assess to Safe Exercises to Heal – A Few of My Favorite FAQ’s

Mom’s New Postpartum Body: From the Baby Blues to Kegel’s, A Few of My Favorite FAQ’s

What You Should Know About Postpartum Pain & Childbirth Injuries

July 25, 2018 By Cassandra

A new, nine-week postpartum client expressed to me that she feels heaviness in her pelvis. She already had her six week follow-up visit—receiving permission to resume all regular activities and exercise—and her obstetrician said her discomfort was ‘normal’ and to give her body time to heal. Sounds counterproductive right? She assumed this is typical postpartum discomfort, that’s what the doctor said…and it’s her first baby, she doesn’t know otherwise.

This heaviness is not normal nine weeks postpartum, but rather a side effect of childbirth that needs to be addressed.

Cosmopolitan magazine published a honest and insightful article, “Millions of Women are Injured During Childbirth. Why Aren’t Doctors Diagnosing Them?” Yes, the headline is a little dramatic but it got our attention. Postpartum recovery is a real thing, please don’t take it lightly. This article does a great job bringing awareness to topics many woman don’t want to talk about, but we have to talk about them and seek help, or we’ll continue to suffer in silence.

Childbirth injuries and postpartum pain are common but they should NOT be the new normal. Urinary incontinence, pain during intercourse, back pain, tailbone pain, pelvic pain, feeling heaviness in pelvis, prolapse bladder, muscle tears, soft tissue tears, numbness, cesarean scar discomfort/numbness, hairline fractures in pubic bone, or excessively tight muscles in hip capsules are examples of common childbirth injuries or postpartum pain. These issues may potentially go undiagnosed and/or untreated after childbirth, especially since they could surface AFTER your six week checkup.

“Last August, researchers from the University of Michigan likened childbirth to running a marathon — only before a marathon, you train. The researches gave 68 women MRIs seven weeks after birth. The MRIs showed that 29 percent of them had evidence of fractures they never even knew they had in their pubic bones, while 41 percent had undiagnosed tears in their pelvic floor muscles, which wrap around the vagina and anus. Childbirth is a well-studied traumatic experience for women’s bodies, yet modern medicine still leaves far too many mothers debilitated.”

How To Prepare for Childbirth, Recovery & Beyond?

Expecting moms, if you are experiencing a healthy pregnancy it’s extremely beneficial to have a prenatal fitness program that focuses on strength training to prepare your body for labor and delivery. A marathon training program is 16-20 weeks long, it’s never too late to begin training for birth.
Once your baby is born, seek a script and recommendation for a Women’s Health Specialist. (A WHS is a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic pain/dysfunction, a regular physical therapist may not have the experience or knowledge to treat such issues). In other countries, going to physical therapy is standard practice after delivering a baby, vaginally or via surgery. If you’re in Chicago, check out AMC’s trusted and recommended Women’s Health Specialist here – they’re the best of the best.
Even if you received the green light to return to exercise, and stayed active through your entire pregnancy, seek out a postnatal recovery exercise program in your area, like AMC’s From the Core: Postnatal Recovery class. Your body just went through a traumatic event, muscles are stretched and weakened; it’s imperative to restore and rebuild core muscle strength before returning to your regular pre-pregnancy exercise routine. “Returning to exercise” is relative post-baby. Running and lifting heavy weights should be avoided (for a few months) and added gradually AFTER rebuilding core strength and addressing any postpartum issues.
If you have older children and still experiencing any of the childbirth injuries mentioned above, seek help. A knowledgeable Women’s Health therapist can diagnose and help treat your issues. When in doubt, seek a second or third opinion. Knowledge is power; empower yourself.

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Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

Prenatal Exercise: Why It’s Important & How To Get Started

Diastasis Recti: From How to Assess to Safe Exercises to Heal – A Few of My Favorite FAQs

Your Body After Baby & Exercise

New Mamas Wrist Pain

K is for Kegel

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Behaviors vs Outcomes: How to Make Living Healthy Happen

July 13, 2018 By Cassandra

Making change is a skill. A skill you can practice. And improve.

And if you want to make big changes, you have to take small, consistent daily actions.

In fact, your behaviors are the only things you can control.

Those are powerful words. Small. Consistent. DAILY actions. Your behaviors.

If you have a fitness goal to get stronger, or weight loss goal in mind— any goal for that matter, it’s your behaviors — small, consistent daily actions that what will lead you to your outcome.

Behaviors vs Outcomes

If you want to sell your house for a good price, you can renovate it and give it a fresh coat of paint. But you can’t control the real estate market.
If you want to have a picnic, you can pack a basket and blanket and plan your route to the park. But you can’t control the weather.
If you want to lose weight, you can eat well and stay active. But you can’t control your fat cells.

You can’t make your body lose 20 pounds on command any more than you can make your house worth a certain amount when you sell it.

In other words, you can’t control the outcome.

But you can control the behaviors that lead to the outcome you want.

Outcomes are WHAT you want. But outcomes don’t tell you what to do.

Behaviors are HOW you’ll get there. Behavior goals give you an action plan.

Set behavior goals

So instead of setting “outcome goals”, set “behavior goals”.

Here are a few examples showing the difference, just so you get the picture:

Outcome goals

Run a 5K race in 30 minutes
Lose 10 lb
Squat 80 lb

Behavior goals

Run for 20 minutes three times per week for the next month, gradually increasing the duration and speed
Practice eating slowly at every meal, and eat until 80% full
Show up and set your intentions every day
Start giving piggyback rides regularly, or use your kids as weights!

You get the idea. Notice how all of the behavior goals are a commitment to do a specific set of actions or tasks that lead to the outcome you want.

Also, notice that:

behavior goals are things you do consistently and regularly;
behavior goals are small, manageable tasks that are within your control; and
behavior goals are often things that you can do right now, today or in the near future.

Again: You can’t control the outcome.

But you can control the behaviors that, when done consistently, will move you in the right direction.

The 4 Circles

Here’s an exercise that will help you see how outcomes are connected to behaviors.

Take out a piece of paper and draw four circles. Label them:

Outcome: 6 months from now
This month
This week
Today

In the first circle, identify what you want as your health or fitness goal outcome to be in the next six months.

In “this month”, “this week”, and “today”, write what you will do to get to the “Outcome: End of six months”.

Notice how what you do right now — and in the near future — contributes to the outcome you seek.

Set yourself up for success

Be realistic with what you can do. For now, under-estimate your capacity.
Better to start small and succeed than go big and feel disappointed for “failing”.
Focus on doing one small, achievable behavior at a time. Then high-five yourself when it happens.

This article has been shared as part of my Precision Nutrition Coaching certification program.

Precision Nutrition is the world leader in nutrition education for professionals. I’m partnering with them to deliver a life-changing curriculum that AMC will roll-out in the Fall! The cool part, I’ll actually be leading the process as your coach—helping moms AND dads (yes, DADS too!) to get active and eat better, so that as a team, you both can lead your family by example.

I’m so excited to introduce this program! No diets. No meal plans. No juice cleanse. No gimmicks.

It’s a program that MOTIVATES you, INSPIRES you, and TEACHES you how to maintain a healthy weight FOREVER with behavioral change.

Are you as stoked as I am?

Stay tuned, details will be rolling out next month!

Navigating Pregnancy & Exercise

July 2, 2018 By Cassandra

A few clients recently shared me that they are expecting again. These clients are regulars in AMC’s Fit & Fab Small Group Postnatal training sessions. They have asked very common and important questions concerning their pregnancy and how it will effect their exercise routines. I want to share our dialogue with you:

Q: I’m about 6 weeks pregnant, so it’s very early. I have some questions as I re-think my exercise routine. When does it make sense to switch to AMC’s prenatal classes? I’m guessing part of this depends on how I’ve been feeling, which is pretty well for the most part. I find that I tire more easily and I’ve had some on-and-off nausea. I’m also not sure what is safe and recommended to do at this point – I didn’t really exercise when I was pregnant with my daughter, so this is new territory for me.

A: You could stay in the Fit & Fab program for as long as you feel comfortable. The most important element is that you continue to exercise. You’ve been doing AMC workouts for the last year—given you have a healthy pregnancy—realistically you could do the same workouts well into your 2nd trimester. It’s really what you feel comfortable doing. I can give you appropriate modifications for your body’s specific needs if you want to stay with postnatal training for the next couple of months.

For prenatal training, I have the women doing similar exercises as Fit & Fab as they are relatable for increasing overall strength, they just move through the exercises at a slower pace and don’t include plyometrics (double jump squats, jumping lunges, mountain climbers, etc). And of course there are more specific prenatal exercises that will enhance core strength, such as deep belly breaths, and more stabilization/balance exercises that are effective for each trimester.

You may find over the next few weeks that you will begin to feel your heart rate elevate quicker than usual, and that’s due to physiological changes in your body— such as increase in blood volume. It’s a normal side effect of early pregnancy, and obviously more pronounced/expected in 2nd and 3rd trimester when a bigger baby is taking up space inside your torso and compressing your organs.

“I’ve noticed that my heart rate elevates quicker already.”

Q: What are some warning signs that I should slow down?

A: Great question! With your doctor’s approval, you could continue all your regular workouts, including running, for as long as its comfortable for you.

Two signs to slow down your activity during pregnancy

The best way to monitor your intensity is with rate of perceived exertion (RPE) or the talk test. On a scale 1-10, your RPE could reach up to a 7-8 on the RPE scale. Or simply use the talk test to guide you. You should be able to speak a sentence while working out, and it would be okay if it were a labored sentence…you’re still talking.
If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded. This may be due from low blood sugar levels, or you have quickly changed positions (such as going from a plank to standing up, or doing a walk-out plank where your head is physically lower than your heart). The best way to prevent lightheadedness is to eat a small snack 30-45 minutes before a workout—a banana, handful of raisins, piece of fruit would do the trick, ideally 100 calories or so. A snack will keep your sugars regulated—also be sure to stay hydrated before, during and after a workout.

Currently I have three pregnant women participating in AMC’s Small Group Postnatal training program. When they are ready (typically sometime in 2nd trimester), they will transition to our Small Group Prenatal training program. If you are experiencing a healthy pregnancy, your body and growing baby will continue to reap the benefits from your activity.

We now know through mounting research that exercise has many benefits for both mom and baby. ACOG recommends women with uncomplicated pregnancies should be encouraged to engage in aerobic and strength conditioning exercises before, during, and after pregnancy. Regular physical activity during pregnancy improves or maintains physical fitness, helps with weight management, reduces the risk of gestational diabetes in obese women, and enhances psychologic well-being.

Let Active Moms’ Club help you prepare for childbirth. Visit our website to learn more and to register for our special Prenatal Fitness Fundamentals Class, or AMC’s ongoing Small Group Prenatal Fitness program.

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Read other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

4 Myths About Prenatal Exercise

How to Prepare Your Body For Childbirth

How to Give Birth Like a Champ! One Mom’s Story

My Favorite 10-Minute Workout to Torch Body Fat

June 15, 2018 By Cassandra

As a mom we are pressed for time. The good news—studies show a mini workout session provides physical and emotional benefits. With just 10-minutes a day you can break a sweat, rev up your heart rate and blast some body fat. At the end of the week you’ll have an hour+ of activity that you may have not done otherwise; and hopefully it will inspire you to continue to make workout time a priority this summer!

This customizable ‘stacker’ exercise has become our Fit & Fab moms’ favorite. The intensity builds and with each set. You’ll need a stop watch to complete 5 exercises in 30 second intervals (10 minutes):

SQUATS (optional, hold a 5-15 pound weight) or SWINGS (if you have Kettlebells)
PUSH-UPS (modified from knees, or from toes)
LUNGES (any variety: side, back, front, or curtsy lunges)
PLANK (any variety: forearm, high hand plank, or side plank)
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS (modify if needed to reduce impact, step/walk feet in & out rather than hopping), or DOUBLE JUMP SQUATS (as seen in video)

Here’s how these exercises will stack:

complete 30 seconds of squats or swings, then rest for 30 seconds
complete 30 seconds of squats or swings and go right into 30 seconds of push-ups; then rest for 30 seconds
complete 30 seconds of squats or swings, 30 seconds of push-ups, 30 seconds of lunges; then rest for 30 seconds
complete 30 seconds of squats or swings, push-ups, lunges, and a plank; then rest for 30 seconds
complete 30 seconds of squats or swings, push-ups, lunges, plank, and mountain climbers or double jump squats. Congratulations. You just finished a 10 minute workout!

This workout is totally customizable with any exercise, add more exercises for more time. Pregnant mamas could also do this workout–I suggest to move at a pace comfortable to your current fitness level and stage of pregnancy. If needed take a 60 second rest between last few stacks.

Visit ActiveMomsClub.com to see our prenatal and postnatal class offerings in Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook – we have lots of fitness tips, motivational stories, and ideas for workouts.

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Other related articles from Active Moms Club’s blog:

How To Make the Most of Your Workout Time

5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights