Back in February I saw a mom running with her kid (probably two years old), with her dog in 15 degree weather. My first thought was, holy hell that mom is kicking ass and taking names running in this weather! Then my next thought was, has she taken care of her pelvic floor? Did she educate herself on how to recover from delivery? Does she have pelvic organ prolapse? Does she have bladder issues? Has she checked for diastasic recti? Does she know what it is? Or maybe she is she possibly ignoring DR because she is more focused on getting back into shape after baby?
EVERY time I see a woman with a child(ren) I ask myself these questions without fail. I worry about her- I am dead serious. I worry because I hear all about the stories from women about how difficult their delivery experiences were. What problems they had, the things that the doctors never told them. Like I had no idea that my hair was going to fall out at 4 months postpartum!! Like why did my doctors not warn me about such things? Was that a shock!!!!! I hear how women wish they had some guidance during pregnancy and postpartum and what they would have done differently. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some of that guidance while in the moment?
Then my next thought was, how is her body? Does she have leaking? Do her hips hurt and just pushes through it? Is she struggling with her mental health? The narrative changed quite quickly. She may not have been feeling any of those feelings but I was still worried for her. Did she have access to postpartum health after her baby? Did she get the right guidance during pregnancy for her running? Every woman deserves to feel loved and well taken care of after delivery but not every recovery will look the same. So when you are looking at all those social media influencers that look like they have never had a baby or tell you how to loose all of that baby weight, ask them how their recovery was. Ask for the bare truth. Their answers may surprise you.
This brings me to my last question: What would you have done differently if you had access to the information that you know now about postpartum recovery? Next month we will be reviewing what Diastasis Recti is and how it pertains to women health.
NEWS!
Don’t forget that April 29th, I will be hosting an event at Convergence Coworking from 2:00pm till 4:00pm. Tickets are now FREE and I will be giving the scoop on prenatal fitness and what to expect in postpartum recovery. Live demonstrations and take home notes will be provided along with a Q&A session so that you can have all of your questions answered! You can purchase you ticket at the link below.
Did you know that I also provide 1:1 Personal Training? I currently have five slots available for personal training that can cover everything from transitioning from Physical Therapy, weight loss, postpartum recovery and recovering from injuries. Packages range from 10 sessions to 30 sessions and can work with your schedule! Call to schedule your free 30 minute consultation to see if I am a good fit for you!
TIPS OF THE DAY:
Speaking of running….
Can you run after delivery? YES but there’s a catch.
Before I had mentioned that pregnancy is basically a huge injury to our body. We have to rehab it before we get back to our regular scheduled programming. And sometimes running feels completely different after pregnancy. Our balance is affected, our muscle tone, how much we lean forward/backward, and our weight differential. My husband is the runner so the only time I like to run is with him. However I have pelvic floor hurdles to handle when I do. So here are a few tips and tricks for running during and after pregnancy.
-As hard as this sounds, relax your belly when running. Clenching or holding in your belly can cause more pressure on you pelvic floor and can stress and already stressed system.
-Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth.
-As Brianna Battles likes to say- “TITS OVER TOES”. Lean slightly forward when you feel pressure, feel like you have to pee, or it feels uncomfortable. This takes the pressure off your PF.
-Run in cycles. So what if you cannot run every day. You shouldn’t run every day! You have to let your body rest. Again this point goes back to stressing an already stressed system.
-Cross train to keep your muscle tone up. Weightlifting and strength training is a must.
-Start slow, then grow. Start with only 10-15 seconds of running alternating it with 30-45 seconds of walking. Then slowly grow that number the better you feel.
RECIPE OF MONTH:
Teriyaki Bowls are one of my favorite and quickest recipes that I can fix during the week. I sometimes have classes some weeknights. Plus you can basically use anything in the fridge whether leftovers or random extra veggies from the week. I love asian flavors so this is my go to recipe. You can rotate your proteins as well to accommodate your taste or dietary needs. Steam in a bag veggies are PERFECT to limit dishes, or to prevent overcooking of veggies. This meal takes me less than 20 minutes to prep. I will start to marinate the chicken before class and then just pop it on the grill.
4oz chicken thighs
1 1/2 cup mixed veggies
1/2 cup white rice
Marinate chicken in Teriyaki sauce for 1 hour. I love “VERY TERIYAKI” from Wegmans. Chicken thighs provide enough fat in the cooking so that you don’t have add any extra fats. If I use beef, I like to use skirt steak or any grilling meat.
My favorite veggies for this dish is snow peas, broccoli, carrots, and onion. Sauté in a little sesame oil and Mirin. Cook carrots first as they take longer to cook but they should be still be a little crunchy. The broccoli and snow peas should stay a vibrant green. Instead of measuring our 1-1/2 cup of veggies, I suggest measuring by ounces instead. Suggested amount is 6-8oz portion.
If you are doing rice on the stove, its always a 1 to 2 ratio. Example 1/2cup rice to 1 cup water. The measurement for rice is when it is cooked. You will be surprised how much food this turns out to be!
Yes you can drizzle extra sauce to help flavor your rice and veggies. Just be aware of how much.
As always, go and lift all heavy things!!
Coach Lindsay
The Wellness Barn and Fitness