Core Restore: A workshop for moms.

Join us this fall for our most popular workshop.

In this session you will learn the Do's and Don'ts to restore your abdominal muscles after birth.

No more crunches, jack knifes, leg lifts or bicycles. Toss out the old, traditional abdominal exercises and learn the simple and effective exercises that can help improve your posture, flatten your tummy and strengthen your pelvic floor.

After this workshop you will:

• learn how to assess yourself for abdominal separation
• learn appropriate exercises to strengthen your core without crunches!
• receive your own personal ebook with corrective exercises to follow 
• receive a password protected link to video tutorials demonstrating the corrective exercises
• one complimentary pass to any FITMOM Durham class

Register at www.fitmomfitness.com/durham or email Jennifer at fitmomdurham@hotmail.com

Spaces are limited

$25+hst/person
Baby's & Toddlers Welcome

No crunches, no problem!

Each week at our FITMOM classes members approach me and ask a number of fitness related questions, from the best stretches to alleviate tight muscles to knee strengtheners and hip whittlers, but the most popular discussion above all is how to train their core effectively and without crunches.

Today I thought I would share my favourite, crunch-free abs.  Some of these exercises may not be suitable for women with abdominal separation.  Abdominal Separation or Diastasis Recti (DR) is a separation of the rectus abdominus muscles into left and right halves and is caused by an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. The separation occurs at the Linea Alba which is connective tissue at the front of your abdomen.  As pressure increases, the tissue stretches and weakens to form a diastasis.  Pregnancy, posture & alignment, previous & untreated DR, repetitive crunches and genetics can also contribute to the separation.  

New research confirms that 100% of women have some level of separation present in the 3rd trimester.(Gillard & Brown 1996, Diane Lee 2013).   After a woman gives birth her body starts to heal & repair itself.  At FITMOM we recommend you do a self-assessment between 2 & 4 weeks post partum and again at 6 weeks.  Many  women continue to have a gap at 8 weeks post-partum. (Coldron et al 2008, Liaw et al 2011) If it is not addressed, the gap remains unchanged one year later.  

DR often presents itself as "mommy tummy" - where the abdomen protrudes and people often assume a woman is still pregnant.  You may also notice a coning or doming of your tummy, especially when you are lifting yourself up after lying down, 

Naturally a person would assume that the way to fix this problem is to resume traditional abdominal exercises, like crunches. Unfortunately doing so only makes the condition worse.  
If you are concerned that you have Abdominal Separation you should find a professional who can help you restore your Core. FITMOM fitness offers a Core Restore Workshop- either done privately or a small group.  Contact us today to book your session.

However, if you have addressed your abdominal separation, but you are looking for some crunch-less abs, here are a few of my favourites.

Standing monkey bends

Plank with leg swing- done best with a cheeky toddler/kid "motivating" you from below!

Down Dog Reach

Reverse Table Top Toe Taps- check out how the boys "helped"-lol

What's the FITMOM program like?

The FITMOM program developed by our founder, Andrea Page, is very unique and comprehensive pre and post natal program for women in their childbearing years.  Not only do we specialize in prenatal & post partum fitness, but we are also a community of FITMOM Coaches who support women during one of the biggest transitions in their lives, motherhood.

I am sure many women join our program because they want to create time & space in their life to be more active. It doesn't take long to realize that caring for a newborn or young child is physically demanding- moms are constantly lifting, lowering, pushing or carrying something or someone. 

Our FITMOM+Baby & FITWOMAN classes incorporate the essential strength building women need to restore balance, core strength and improved posture.  But it's what happens inside our classes that is the secret to our longevity.  This April Andrea Page's Original FITMOM programs will be celebrating it's 15th year.  I am sure that our staying power can be attributed to the sense of community, support and connection that happens each week in our classes. 

 

 

Women who attend our classes receive support in strengthening personal relationships with

partners & spouses and increase bonding time with their baby.  Members also gather information on feeding their babies- from breastfeeding challenges to recipe exchanges for making your own baby food.  We work together in supporting one another to make healthy choices by actively exercising more, sleeping better and feeding ourselves (and our families) with healthy food  and more yummy recipes.  Women also share what's working for them & what's not as we all try to figure out how this new identity of 'mother' fits into how we see ourselves and how we feel others perceive us. 

These weekly discussions flow informally before, during and after class.   In between all of the squats, lunges, planks and push-ups friendships and connections are made.  We all leave our hour long classes feeling uplifted and empowered, and less lonely. 

 

Sadly, loneliness is a big challenge many mothers have to overcome, our classes help women feel less isolated and better connected to their community.  This has a HUGE impact on how we feel in our role as mothers which in turn, has a positive impact on our young children. 

 

Personally, I have never left a FITMOM Class feeling bad, and I don't think many of you have either (in fact I hope that is never a feeling anyone ever experiences after one of our classes!).  Instead, I hope like me, you are leave feeling energized, happy, less tense and smiling. 

 

Over the past 5 years that I have been offering the FITMOM program in Durham Region, I have had the most amazing time developing and fostering some pretty amazing connections with all of you.  In fact, without your support, our FITMOM program would be missing the most essential ingredient: YOU! 

 

Thank you so much for being a part of our FITMOM programs.  Over the next few weeks we want to hear from you, our current & past FITMOM members.  We would love for you to share your thoughts on how our programs have impacted you on your journey towards a happy & healthy mothering experience.  Drop me a line at fitmomdurham@hotmail.com if you would like to share your story or testimonial!  We would love to profile you on our Facebook Page!!!

 

xox

Your FITMOM Coach,

Jennifer :)

 

 

 

 



Did you know......

Did you know that traditional abdominal crunches increase downward pressure on your pelvic floor? 


For women who are dealing with pelvic floor weakness or dysfunction post partum, repetitive crunches can actually make their condition worse! 

I know from speaking with hundreds of new moms that far too many women return to this outdated abdominal exercises soon after birth in an attempt flatten their post partum tummy, often because they did not know what exercise to do in it's place.  There are far more effective abdominal exercises that will flatten and tone your tummy after baby much better than the traditional crunch.

An isometric Belly Breathe is a much better option to strengthen your abdominals and your pelvic floor too!

Try it now:

1. Sit upright on a chair or stability ball, feet planted on the floor hip width apart.  Make sure your tailbone is not tucked under, allow for a natural curve in your lower spine
2. Place your hands on either side of your rib cage
3. Inhale deeply and feel your ribs expand
4. As you exhale, close your ribs

To progress this exercise and engage your pelvic floor too do the steps above and then add this:
5. Inhale and expand your ribs
6. As you exhale imagine picking up a jelly bean, or blue berry with your pelvic floor and close your ribs
7. Inhale and expand your ribs and relax your pelvic floor

Repeat 8-10 times. 2-3 sets




 

Join our Core Restore Workshop with Special Guest Kim from Appreciating Health

Whether you had a baby 10 weeks ago or 10 months ago, this workshop is for you. 

 

Join us on Friday, February 6th and learn the fundamental Do's and Don'ts of Core Exercises after baby.

 

Many women experience Abdominal Separation, or Diastasis Recti (DR), after pregnancy.  Diastasis Recti is caused by intra-abdominal pressure and is a combination of the separation of the Rectus Muscle and a weakening of the linea alba, the connective tissue that connects your 'six pack'.  This connective tissue becomes weak and is unable to support your abdominal wall and internal organs.  It is also very common for DR to weaken your pelvic floor.

 

More often then not, we resume traditional core exercises, like crunches and planks, with the hopes of improving our core muscles and to 'bounce back' after birth.  However  these exercises can actually make the separation worse if you have DR, causing more weakness and leaving you susceptible to low back pain, pelvic pain or prolapsed organs. 

 

Whether you are working out at home or in a group setting, learning how to identify & assess yourself for Abdominal Separation and following the guidelines and best practices to restore Your Core is essential.  Join us for this interactive workshop and learn exactly what to do to safely exercise after and with baby! 

 

Kim from Appreciating Health will also be delivering a great session on Nutrition for the New Mom.  Learn what to eat to fuel your body to boost your energy and feed your family.

 

Register via email at fitmomdurham@hotmail.com by February 4th, 2015.

 

Hope to see you there!

 

 

Abdominal Separation: Ensuring optimal core health in pregnancy & beyond

If you have met me in person, you have likely heard me speak a lot about abdominal separation, or diastasis recti.  Abdominal separation is caused by intra-abdominal pressure, resulting in a separation of the rectus abdominals into left & right halves.  Typically, this will begin in the second trimester of pregnancy and persists into the 3rd trimester.  The degree of separation can vary and is often measured in finger widths, with 1 being normal to low and 4 or more being a high risk separation.  However, length and depth of the separation should also be evaluated as well as a consideration for how long the separation has been present.

Although the condition of abdominal separation is not detrimental to your health (meaning you won't die), left untreated, it can negatively impact your quality of life.  The greater the separation, the more likely you are to suffer from organ prolapse (uterine, bladder and rectal prolapse being most common).

At FITMOM, we recommend that you & your care provider check for abdominal separation once in the first trimester, twice in the second and three times in the third. By doing so, you create an awareness of the condition and can rehabilitate your core correctly in the post partum period.  Engaging in effective abdominal exercises during pregnancy can keep your core strong and reduce/limit the degree of separation.  Avoiding crunches during pregnancy is a good start!

Am I at risk?
Anyone who is pregnant is at risk for some degree of separation.  However, some other factors may increase your risk:

• Genetics
• Carrying multiples
• Previous undiagnosed or untreated separation caused by previous pregnancies
• Engaging in sports or movement where your torso torques (Tennis, ultimate Frisbee, or any activity that causes you to repeatedly cross the midsection)
• Short midsection

After you give birth we recommend that you do a self-assessment at 2 weeks post partum to get a baseline and again at 6 weeks.  In many cases, the separation will close on its own, however one should not make any assumptions.

It is vital that you have your abdominals assessed again prior to starting any traditional core exercises.  Engaging in inappropriate core work can cause further separation and deterioration of your core muscles, leaving your midsection unsupported and at greater risk of prolapse.
Women with a high risk separation will need physiotherapy and in some rare circumstances, surgery.
In most instances though, women with low risk separation can often see full recovery when following certain protocols.  Review our handout on best practices "Core Restore Tip Sheet".

If you are concerned you have a separation and would like to close the gap, please contact me.  I would be happy to help you improve your core strength, rebuild your confidence and improve your overall conditioning.