Postpartum fitness, it’s never too late to start

Even if your baby is in college, you may still need to adapt your fitness program to your postpartum body. Carrying, giving birth to and raising a baby can cause muscle imbalances that can persist for decades after the baby is born, if not corrected. Here are some issues that may be linked way back to your baby-rearing days and what you can do about it.

LEARNING FROM OLDER MAMAS

Several years ago I was mentored by a physiotherapist who specialized in pelvic disorders. I assisted her in teaching a 4-week course for mature moms called ‘Reconnecting to the core’. It focused on educating older moms (in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond) about muscle imbalances associated with their pregnancies 10, 20, 30 or more years ago. The course provided me with an incredible background in the changes in the female body associated with having a baby, even years before I had my own baby. This foundation helped me for the next 2 decades, to guide my female clients to reconnect to their core and helped me with my own return to strength and function after I had my baby.

RECONNECT TO THE CORE

When asked how many of the moms in the ‘Reconnecting to your core’ class suffered from continence troubles, approximately 90 percent of moms raised their hand. When those moms were asked if their problems began right after having their baby, 100 percent of women raised their hands. When we assessed the function of the transversus abdominis muscles (TVA), all of the women had non-functioning or very weak TVA’s. So what the heck is the Transversus abdominis and how do you get it working?

The transversus abdominis is the deepest abdominal muscle. It is often referred to as ‘mother nature’s girdle’ because when it contracts it causes a narrowing of the waist and flattening of the stomach. It also serves as an important protector of the spine and works closely with the pelvic floor to hold the abdominal organs (bladder, reproductive organs).

TVA can become lengthened or injured during pregnancy. The resulting dysfunction may include back pain, pelvic pain and or incontinence. Many women experience these issues for years postpartum and their fitness programs are less effective because of it. Some women avoid fitness entirely because of these issues, and women who attempt to begin new fitness programs later in life struggle with results.

What should you do?

Learn to reconnect to your TVA muscle and strengthen it. Pilates is an excellent way to learn to connect to your core, however, I have found that my clients who had previously attended classes or learned from videos were still not able to isolate and create a correct TVA contraction. Be sure to get at least 1 private lesson with a knowledgable Pilates instructor or speciality trained fitness instructor who can assess the level of your TVA function and make sure you are doing it right.

ARE YOU A HUNCHBACK MAMA?

Has your posture gone out the window? It’s likely related to all the ways you carried your new and growing infant. Do you remember carrying your baby on your hip? Chances are it was always the same hip. That asymmetrical workout happened daily and lasted a couple of years so you can imagine the muscle imbalance it created.

What you ended up doing is overworking the muscles on one side of the spine. Eventually, they may have become tight and short. Even after the baby became independent your muscles stayed tight. Now, you may notice subtle things like mystery back or pelvic pain, one shoulder may sit higher than the other, or you may have a leg length discrepancy.

What should you do?

An assessment of your postural alignment can be done by a physiotherapist, chiropractor, or a speciality-trained fitness specialist. A posture assessment is relatively quick and simple, usually involving just a digital photo.  Your practitioner will prescribe a smart posture correction program that includes stretching the muscles that are overactive and strengthening the ones that are weak and lengthened.

BELLY FAT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HERE TO STAY

Pregnancy weight gain is expected. Retaining the extra pounds for decades is not.  Estrogen is a women’s frenemy. As women hit midlife (35-55) and estrogen levels decrease, their bodies store more fat. Why? Fat tissue produces estrogen. As the ovaries start shutting down, fat-storing enzymes kick it up a notch, and fat-releasing enzymes take a breather.  A healthy diet and regular exercise used to be able to keep body weight in check but not anymore. Our environment is far too toxic to make it that simple and a majority of women really struggle with weight gain.

What should you do? To win the battle of the bulge, I used to recommend paying more attention to the energy game: energy in/energy out. I used to coach my clients to make significant adjustments to their lifestyle to prevent or lose the extra pounds. This would entail developing a sound understanding of how much energy they consumed everyday (yes, calorie counting) plus a strategy to expend more energy every day (more exercise). Now that I have a better understanding of metabolism and weight gain, I encourage older women to explore their digestive health first.

A Naturopathic physician can guide you in examining your digestive health.

GET IT BACK MAMA

Muscles can be temperamental and belly fat can be relentless however, once you know which muscles are overactive, and which are weak and lazy, it is surprisingly fast and simple to get them back into proper balance. Plus, you can restore your pelvic function and your posture. Once you get your digestive health restored the fat-burning engines will fire up and the fat will melt away.

Happy Training Mama,

-Shari

References

Stress Urinary Incontinence & The Pelvis, Diane Lee PT & Linda-Joy LeePT

Outsmarting the midlife fat cell. Winning Weight Control Strategies for Women Over 35 to Stay Fit Through Menopause, Dr. Debra Waterhouse