Postpartum Fitness & Nutrition Blog

“Help! How Do I Know I’m Engaging My Core Right?”

You hear it all the time.

Especially in group exercise classes.

“Engage your core.”

“Activate that transverse abdominis.”

“Turn those ab muscles on, ladies!”

But what does that even mean? And how can you make sure you’re actually engaging your core right (or right-ish)?

This can be really tricky – especially for new moms who are having a tough time even feeling their ab muscles work.

So what do you need to know to actually get this core engagement thing down pat?

Should You Exercise When You’re Tired? Here’s How to Decide.

Your baby alarm clock starts wailing at 6:12 and you groan as you roll over and less than gracefully stumble/fall out of bed.

You narrowly miss cranking your shoulder on the door frame as you try to see through your puffy eyes to get to baby (wishing you could press the snooze button).

You’re exhausted.

Up half the night trying to coax your tiny human back to sleep only to wake up to them wailing again 2 hours later.

#MomLife

You’d planned to go to that exercise class with your friend today and you were really looking forward to getting out of the house and getting a good workout in but right now all you want to do is crawl back into bed and sleep for another 4 hours.

You’re a busy mom. Your energy is always coming and going. But on days like this you really question, “Should I exercise when I’m so darn exhausted all I can think about is how many seconds I have to keep it together until naptime?”

And while it may seem like there’s a simple answer, there really isn’t.

There’s more to this picture than meets the eye.

And before I help you decide whether that workout is the best idea for you, I need to consider something else.

Something that we need to explore in order for you to get the whole picture.

A Behind the Scenes Peek at My Pregnancy Workouts

Have you ever wondered “How should I exercise when I’m pregnant?” or “What can I do? And what can’t I do?”

There’s so much information out there that it can be fear-inducing and overwhelming trying to figure out this whole pregnancy workout situation.

One person tells you crunches are safe for pregnancy.

Another person says you should never lay on your back because you’ll pass out.

Then someone else tells you that their best friend’s sister’s mother ran throughout her entire pregnancy and never leaks – so it must be okay to run when you’re pregnant.

While another one shares an anxiety provoking story of a woman who ran throughout her entire pregnancy and ended up leaking constantly for months after giving birth – so running is definitely off the table.

Who do you believe?

The truth is there’s no one best workout or type of exercise or strategy for every expectant mom.

Every body is different. Every pregnancy is different.

And it all comes back to you.

What do you want to do?

How do you want to workout?

And how can we develop a plan that works for you – without causing any issues like pain or core and pelvic floor dysfunction?

And the thing is, this may change from day-to-day, trimester-to-trimester – especially as your energy comes and goes.

One day you’re feeling super energetic and ready to lift some weights.

The next day getting out of bed sounds like a lot of work and you’d rather just not.

That’s okay.

We need to remind ourselves – constantly – that pregnancy is an incredibly challenging task to put our bodies through. It’s a 24/7 workout itself.

And you don’t need to push through exhaustion just to get your workout in because that’s what pre-pregnant you would have done.

Yes, if you’re just feeling a little tired and you know a workout will probably actually help give you a boost of energy (and take your mind off of feeling like you constantly need to barf) go for it!

But if you’re not even remotely interested in feeling the burn because the fatigue has got you in its tight little grip, it’s okay to rest or swap some gentle core and floor exercises and stretching for that weight training or cardio workout you had planned.

What I’m getting at is that no two women are alike. No two pregnancies are alike. No two days are alike.

So use my behind the scenes peek into what I’m doing as an educational, use what works for you, leave what doesn’t tour. Not a dogmatic, must-do approach.

Cool?

The Best Kind of “Feel the Burn” Cardio For New Moms

You’re sick of the low impact, low intensity, low fun stuff.

You just want to sweat a little (or a lot) and get that cardio exercise high that says, “Yes! I just had a great workout!”

But the problem is you’re still pretty early postpartum and you may even be dealing with things like diastasis, prolapse, or leaking and you don’t want to run, jump or push your way into more issues, pain, or setbacks.

So what’s a mom to do?

You want to get that heart pumping cardio goodness.

But you don’t want to risk shattering your still healing core and pelvic floor.

The good news is that I have a solution that’s low impact, still gets your heart rate up, and can actually help with your core and pelvic floor healing process.

Should You Wait Until You’re Done Having Kids to “Fix” Your Body?

You’ve decided you’re not done at one.

You want more kids.

You’re thinking two? three? Maybe more?

So since you’re going to get pregnant again sometime in the near future you might as well just hold off and not worry about rehabbing your post-baby body until you’re absolutely sure you’re done, right?

I mean, what’s the point if you’re just going to go through it all again?

You don’t want to have to work hard only to have it all come undone with your next pregnancy.

So it just makes sense to wait until you know you’re done having kids to “fix” your body, right?

Well… my answer might surprise you.

Junk Food Cravings Ruining Your #HealthyMom Goals? Here’s Help.

“I want to eat healthier but sometimes it’s so hard to get into a healthy rhythm when I’m so used to grabbing a cookie
(or three).”

Sound familiar?

It does to me.

Trying to make healthy food choices since becoming a mom has been… interesting. To say the least.

One sleep deprived night with a sick munchkin and all I want to eat is all the carbs. Cookies for breakfast? Sounds great! Even though I know that won’t help my energy/mood and will actually make me feel worse in the long run.

So what do I do to help myself make healthier choices (while still enjoying some sweets and treats here and there because this isn’t about depriving yourself of donuts all the time)?

The truth is, we’re busy (famished) moms who don’t have time to sit and enjoy a perfectly balanced meal or snack whenever we want.

So how can you make the healthiest choices possible, as much as possible?

Specifically during those times when you’re at the grocery store and the family sized salt and vinegar chip bag is whispering “take me home!”

Or those times you’ve just put munchkin to bed and Netflix and the Costco sized bag of Chipits is on the menu.

Or those times you’re so stressed out because you’re still up at 1:42am trying to finish that super important project that needs to be done before 8am tomorrow that you just can’t help but eat your emotions.

What then?