Active Moms Club

Active Moms Club


How To Prepare Your Body For Childbirth

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Childbirth is the most challenging athletic event most women will ever experience. If we do little to prepare the body for the immediate physical tests of motherhood, we often suffer from a postpartum recovery that is dominated by low back and mid back pain, hip and pelvis instability, pelvic floor weakness, lack of energy or depression. Preparing your body physically for for the demands of childbirth is the essential component to not only empower your pregnancy and childbirth experience, but set you up for a quick birth recovery so you can handle the demands of motherhood.

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Photo credit: The Tummy Team

When your core is strong and working as intended to support the growing uterus, it places your baby in optimal alignment–head down and aligned vertically with the cervix and birth canal. Optimal fetal alignment places the core muscles in the strongest position to support the uterus during labor and birth, which may mean less pain for mom, less stress during labor, less chances of complications for mom and baby.

Give yourself and your baby every advantage of prenatal exercise. Let Active Moms’ Club help you strengthen your core muscles, and increase your fitness level to prepare for a more efficient labor. You wouldn’t show up on race day to run a marathon without putting in your training miles, would you?

Strength Training: The First Step To Prepare for Childbirth

Expecting Chicagoland mamas, join AMC for a special “Prenatal Fitness Fundamentals Class”. If you have any questions about what exercises you can or cannot do during pregnancy, or how to get started, this class is for you. No previous exercise experience is required.

During the 60-minute Fundamentals Fitness class, Coach Cassandra—a personal trainer with over 14 years experience—will teach the basics movements to keep your changing body as strong, stable, and as comfortable as possible–for as long as possible. Plus, you will learn the ONE exercise that will keep your abs and entire midsection strong during pregnancy. Yes, that’s right—one exercise that will help decrease aches and pain that are common in pregnancy, AND foster a speedy recovery! You have everything to gain with our prenatal program.

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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Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

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

Top 7 Prenatal Exercises for  Expecting Moms

Top 3 Exercises to Strengthen Core Muscles During Pregnancy

 

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4 Tips to Jumpstart Your Workout Routine

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Helping mamas establish their personal workout routines is one of my favorite things about being a fitness coach. I get it. Moms’ schedules are busy. We are pulled in 1001 directions—and let’s face it, we don’t tend to put ourselves on the top of our priority list. Our fitness (and nutrition) habits tend to be affected most.  

So what’s a mama to do to jumpstart her much needed self-care?

Plan. Schedule. Share your intentions. Execute. 

plan-schedule-share-execute

Tip 1—Plan your workout

First thing first. Plan at the beginning of the week to take time in your schedule for your workout(s). Notice I didn’t say, to “find” time in your schedule. No one ‘finds’ time. You have to take it. Inevitable that means something on your priority list will need to shift in order to make something else—in this case, exercise—fit in. My favorite saying, “if it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” Now start making a plan.

Tip 2—Schedule & prioritize your workout

Now that you have planned your workout for the week (if you’re starting from zero, one scheduled workout is PROGRESS!)— book your fitness as you book any other appointment. No cancelation unless dire urgency. This is the benefit of scheduling a fitness class at local boutique—like Active Moms’ Club, usually there is a cancelation policy if you no-show. Now there’s added accountability if someone else is expecting you to show up!

Tip 3—Share your intentions

Share your fitness intentions with your spouse and/or family members for their support, and to help protect your self-care time. A supportive environment will help you thrive. If family members and friends knows that exercise is important to you, they will support your needs to be active to take time for yourself.

Tip 4—Execute

Get it done mama—you planned your workout(s), made it a priority, and scheduled your fitness appointment with the support of your spouse! Show up and be present. Feel your body move. The movement is actually giving you energy. Notice how your mental state changes after you act purposefully and meaningfully. Now YOU’RE in control. 

You got this mama. One day at a time. Tomorrow be 1% better than you were today.

As a busy mama your personal, self-care time is precious. Make the most of your workout and be a part of a supportive mom-centric community with Active Moms’ Club. Our Fit & Fab Small Group Postnatal Training, and Prenatal Small Group Training sessions make exercise fun. Take a test drive for just $25 to experience a session, and be a part of our awesome community.

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 Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

My Favorite 10-Minute Workout To Torch Body Fat

5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights

90-Days of YOU! Fitness and Nutrition Program

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New Momma Wrist Pain

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New moms experience all different types of aches and pains as they care for their little ones. While often unexpected- pain in the wrist, hand and thumb-are very common for new moms.

Pain or ache in the wrist and hand come from repetitive lifting of the newborn, holding the head while nursing, carrying the car seat, and repetitive twisting of the hand and wrist.

This blog on momma wrist pain includes:

  • The Don’ts that can lead to pain
  • The Do’s to help decrease stress on the wrist and hand
  • Stretches and activities to help relieve the pain

Wrist pain

Wrist pain can start from poor carrying and lifting techniques as well as wrist posture when returning to work outs. Holding the car seat with one hand can really stress the wrist tendons and forearm muscles.

Instead of carrying the car seat with one hand with a bend at the wrist,

try carrying the car seat with 2 hands when you can and keep the wrist in a neutral position.

If you are experiencing wrist pain but still want to return to working out. Try to avoid wrist stress in the push up position and keep a neutral wrist to relax the tendons of the wrist and forearm.

If this position is painful for push-ups or planks,

try this position to continue your workouts with less wrist pain.

Carpal tunnel pain 

Carpal tunnel pain (usually occurs along the middle of the wrist on the palm side and can cause numbness and tingling into your palm and fingers) does not always end when your baby arrives. It can linger into post-partum life and be very disruptive to the day to day with a newborn. Try these wrist and nerve stretches to relieve lingering carpal tunnel pain:

 

For stretching and nerve glide instructions, click here for wrist stretch and here for nerve glide stretch information on the ErgoMomma blog.

The New Momma Thumb (aka De Quervain’s syndrome)

The New Momma thumb (aka De Quervain’s syndrome) is a condition where the tendons along the thumb to the wrist become inflamed and can cause mild aches to severe pain on the thumb side of the wrist. The Mayo Clinic does a great job describing the pain if you are looking to see if you may have the condition (click here for their article).

The pain is located along the tendons of the thumb seen below.

New momma thumb pain usually starts from lifting the baby frequently and holding the head of the baby when nursing. Lifting the baby with the “L” shape of the thumb and hand under the baby’s arm stresses these tendons. Try picking the baby up with your thumb close to your hand and keep the thumb more neutral than strained.

Holding the head of the baby when nursing tires these tendons and can cause inflammation. Try using a pillow to rest your arm and support your hand while nursing.

Hand glides can help reduce hand and thumb pain if performed daily

If thumb pain increases, try the use of ice to decrease pain and swelling: 15 minutes of ice on the thumb per each hour. Consult your physician about the use of a splint to help immobilize the thumb or if pain persists.

We know how SUPER busy you are, and we understand you cannot lift perfectly all the time. However the more often you do lift correctly the less likely you are to injure yourself.

Sarah Hammett, MPT founded ErgoMomma with the mission to provide busy moms with education and resources to help reduce aches and pains of momma-hood. Sarah combines 10 years of physical therapy experience with her momma brain to guide ErgoMomma’s ergonomic tips and stretches. (UPDATE: Sarah Hammett is no longer operating ErgoMomma— but we thank her for sharing this useful information with AMC!)

Live in Chicagoland area? Learn more about Active Moms’ Club classes and fitness & nutrition programs. We provide fitness through all stages of motherhood: Prenatal Fitness and mom and baby postnatal recovery class, postnatal small group training, and nutrition programs. We can help you safely kickstart your after baby workouts.

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 Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

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

Your Body After Baby And Exercise

New Mom’s Postpartum Body: From The Baby Blues to Kegels – A Few of My Favorite FAQs

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5 Reasons Why Women (Especially Moms) Should Lift Weights

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Research shows that women can significantly benefit from lifting weights. Yet, despite study after study, many women opt for cardio over weight training. Lifting weights gives you the edge over belly fat, aches & pains, stress, heart disease, cancer – and it is also a great way to make you feel empowered and look svelt! So what are you waiting for?

Here’s 5 reasons why it’s time to hit the weights (at least once a week):

1. You’ll Lose Belly Fat

While it is true that you can’t spot reduce—your body is born with pre-conceived places it wants to store fat (hello baby bearing hips)—a University of Alabama study found that the women who lifted weights lost more intra-abdominal fat (deep belly fat) than those who just did cardio. It’s critical to boost resistance training to help boost growth hormone—which is aids in fat-burning. This not only helps you slim your waistline and feel better in your clothes, but it also lessens your risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and some cancers.

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2. You’ll Feel Empowered

Lifting weights—and building strength as a result—comes with a big self-esteem boost. Your strength will not only show in your lean, toned body, but also in your attitude and ability to tackle parenting. “I feel so bad-ass, and empowered when I lift weights. I love AMC workouts”.

3. Your Clothes Will Fit Better

Research shows that between the ages of 30 and 50, you’ll likely lose 10 percent of your body’s muscle mass. And unfortunately, muscle will likely be replaced by fat over time. This change increases your waist size, because one pound of fat takes up 18 percent more space than one pound of muscle.

 

4. You’ll Prevent Injury

Achy hips, sore knees, and a bothersome back do not have to be a part of how your day starts. Strengthening core muscles, and those surrounding and supporting your joints can help prevent injuries by helping you maintain good posture, as well as strengthening joint integrity. As you know, it’s a lot of strenuous work to take care of your little one(s)!

5. You’ll Increase Your Metabolism & Torch Body Fat

You may have been told that cardio is the ultimate fat burner, but that effect stops the minute you hop off the treadmill. Build more muscle and you’ll keep your body burning fat all day long. In fact, a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who did weight training burned an average of 100 more calories during the 24 hours after their training session ended.

As a mom your personal, self-care time is precious. Make the most of your workouts by incorporating weights into a high intensity circuit workout with Active Moms’ Club Fit & Fab Small Group Training and reap the benefits for yourself. Join us, we’ll show you how to hit the weights.

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 Other related articles from Active Moms’ Club blog:

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Your Body After Baby & Exercise

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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.

postnatal diastasis-recti, abdominal wall separation
Photo credit to Healthy Moms® Fitness

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

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