The Postpartum Method - Core & Pelvic Floor program

22/05/2023

The short answer is yes - except under supervision, and no - because they can actually really help when done well.

Let me explain:

Crunches are one of the 12 exercises I use to close the gap in my core and pelvic floor program.

When they're done well, our diastasis recti closes.
When they're done badly, it actually opens it more.

If you've ever assessed the gap yourself you've probably used a crunch to do it, so you've seen it for yourself!

Most exercises are not good or bad in themselves - it's all about why you're doing it, and most importantly, HOW.

20/05/2023

Dealing with my own health issues across the last 15 months or so has meant I've had to really re-think exercise.

Whether you're dealing with an officially diagnosed condition, or have lesser symptoms that are of a similar nature, it's important to make sure the movement you choose to do each day helps facilitate REPAIR, rather than your body needing to repair FROM the workout.

It's a very different take on conventional exercise - which is largely catabolic (tissue breaking) in nature.

Anabolic exercise on the other hand, is tissue building. It calms and repairs the body through gentle stimulation of the lymphatic vessels, and by taking the nervous system into a parasympathetic (our rest and repair) state.

Listen to your body. If exercise leaves you depleted, try a different approach. If you avoid exercise for this reason (!) then this is a great alternative.

20/05/2023

This is our lymphatic system.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Some of it's amazing roles are :⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👉🏻 stimulating our immune function ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
👉🏻 maintaining our fluid balance ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
👉🏻 facilitating absorption of dietary fat⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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GREAT circulation of the lymphatic system is ESSENTIAL to feeling and being well. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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BUT - unlike the blood which is pumped by the heart, this system doesn't have its own internal pump. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It relies on enough physical movement, and great respiration (breathing).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And when we're dealing with health issues, or exhaustion, or a an overly taxed nervous system, it's hard to get either of these without feeling burnt out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If that sounds like you, tune in over the next couple of weeks for tips on how to use the right movements to stimulate - but not deplete - your system. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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05/05/2023

YOU DON'T NEED TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF.

Why as women do we feel the need to apologise for ourselves?

During appointments when I see my wonderful clients, some of the common ones I get are:

'I'm sorry my legs aren't shaved'
'I'm sorry I'm wearing the wrong thing'
I'm sorry I didn't do my exercises this week because I had a sick kid, a sick partner and a full time job to manage'

WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE GUILT.

I'm every bit as conditioned. When I decided to use this pic, I almost didn't, because I was sorry I 'wasn't wearing any make up' for a 'professional' post 🙄

We say sorry for our preferences and needs, for wanting more, and for not living up to standards that are ...well...kinda ridiculous anyway.

Please do you. You're enough 🥰

04/05/2023

The answer of course, as always, is it depends. 😋

If you stand up tall and poke along the line of your linea alba - so right above your belly button, then work all the way up to under the sternum - you can usually tell what kind of integrity it has.

If it feels thin, soft and easy to push into, then extension will be too much stress for the connective tissue structures.

If you go into extension and you feel your separation increase, then again, it's too much at this point in time.

When this line in your torso feels thicker, stronger, and firmer, and when you don't feel an increase in the gap, you can start small ranges of extension, increasing over time. 🤩

20/12/2022

15/12/2022

This is the transverse abdominis.​​​​​​​​
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I talk about it A LOT. I think it's my favourite core muscle in the whole world (gush 🤩)...​​​​​​​​
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As you can see, it's huge - it wraps right around to the spine at the back too - and it has a part in stabilising almost everything.​​​​​​​​
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Don't worry about curling to strengthen your 6 pack, or twisting for strong obliques if this gal isn't working correctly. ​​​​​​​​
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Without your transverse abdominis stabilising your spine, dissipating load and force, and keeping your organs from drooping, the rest will feel a bit like a waste of time. ​​​​​​​​
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Every single exercise needs this muscle to work. Not just the "ab" exercises - but all of them, from a huge, loaded deadlift, to an itty bitty calf raise.

11/12/2022

🧐Can you lift both legs up and hold without bracing, holding your breath, or losing your spinal position (even without the ball)?​​​​​​​​
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⚠️For a lot of us, this is a really hard exercise to do correctly. ​​​​​​​​
We end up using our big outer unit ab muscles, our hip flexors get tired too quickly to stabilise our spine, and the whole thing just hurts. ​​​​​​​​
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→ It definitely isn't a beginner exercise - even though I see the 2 legs up position marketed as a "postnatal repair" or "diastasis recti fixing" position a lot.​​​​​​​​
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✅This is a screenshot from my Core and Pelvic Floor program - and it's a phase -3- exercise. ​​​​​​​​
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😊 So if you're not able to do a good transverse abdominis activation, if you push out onto your belly or pelvic floor, or you feel like you can't breathe properly with both legs up - THAT'S VERY NORMAL. ​​​​​​​​
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✅ Build up to it - sequence and order of exercise is everything.

10/12/2022

Last day to join the Core and Pelvic Floor program for just $24 per month for the first 2 months. ​​​​​​​​
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Tomorrow it's back to full price forever. ​​​​​​​​
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You get: ​​​​​​​​
✅3 levels of comprehensive exercise to go from healing, to stability, to strength​​​​​​​​
✅Complete return to running/impact cardio routine ​​​​​​​​
✅Daily access to me for questions and coaching ​​​​​​​​
✅Step by step guidance for each pathology - including pelvic floor issues, diastasis recti, SI joint dysfunction and back pain​​​​​​​​
(yes - it's way underpriced right now )​​​​​​​​
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Join today, no contracts - link in profile

09/12/2022

Need some one on one attention?​​​​​​​​
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I'm currently seeing people from my home studio in Kew East, as well as online.​​​​​​​​
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Get in touch if you feel like you need an individualised look at your technique, your training, or a symptom that just won't budge.

09/12/2022

THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE KEGELS.😳​​​​​​​​
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OK - truthfully they have their place for about 4-6 weeks -same as any isolated muscle rehab.​​​​​​​​
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THIS is the Inner Unit of the Core (capitals mine but deserved). All of these muscles work on the same neurological loop -and they are designed to CO-CONTRACT and CO-RELEASE.​​​​​​​​
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SO - if you were taught to do a pelvic floor squeeze hard or fast (outer unit behaviours FYI but that's a story for another day) WITHOUT using your breath, or your belly: AND you still have pelvic floor problems, or movements you can't do - this might just be the solution. ❤️

07/12/2022

Inside our torso (and actually in most areas of the body) we have 2 sets of muscles. (swipe to see)​​​​​​​​
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Muscles that stabilise us, and muscles that give us power. ​​​​​​​​
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Generally, our stabilising muscles (the inner units around our body) are meant to be in the lead - backed up by the power muscles (outer units) IF we really need it. ​​​​​​​​
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During pregnancy, our inner unit muscles in our core cannot work very well, due to the huge stretch on our transverse abdominis, the weight on our pelvic floor, and the squished up-ness (technical term) of our diaphragm!​​​​​​​​
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And so when we don't recalibrate this after birth, whenever we try to move, we tend to use our outer unit muscles instead - and our inner unit is no longer in charge. ​​​​​​​​
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In daily life this can look like:​​​​​​​​
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- tight lower back ​​​​​​​​
- clenching your butt muscles to stand still, or shifting side to side​​​​​​​​
- tight upper shoulders and neck​​​​​​​​
- pronating (rolling in) feet ​​​​​​​​
- distended or heavy lower belly ​​​​​​​​
- heavy or urgent pelvic floor ​​​​​​​​
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Over time, these compensations are automated by the nervous system (because it loves efficiency!) and then they become hard to undo.​​​​​​​​
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If this sounds like you come and check out the Core and Pelvic Floor Program - sale ends Dec 10th - and get these things sorted.