Exercise in the postpartum period

As you may have noticed, I offer a Postpartum Exercise series. What is this? and why would you book it?

I am a strength athlete and I have found that as my made my way through the fitness landscape that women are sorely left behind or ignored during their times of transition - puberty, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause. Our lives and our time constraints and our bodies change enormously throughout our lifetimes. Usually the young guy (caveat I have had the pleasure of having very accomplished, human-first coaches who respect my mental-emotional and physical state so this is not a blanket statement) coaching us has no clue and; therefore, in the name of safety (or ignorance) backs away during these times when it would be better to lean in and offer substitutions, education and scaled progressions as well as a listening ear. 

I have dabbled in CrossFit and I get why people LOVE it, but it doesn't always lend itself to the postpartum period where we need to rebuild and reconnect with ourselves (and our pelvic floors and core). I have also been known to Sun Salute and even had a brief spell of barre addiction. I have run half marathons and was a competitive high school swimmer and played soccer. Spin is still a place that feels like a very sweaty meditation and I love a long, long walk or a short, short sprint. So it doesn't matter what your sport is even if it's hiking, cycling or the infrequent walk, you need to reconnect with your body in the postpartum period. There are plenty of people including me who can help you do that. 

When you join me for a Postpartum Exercise class, we will learn to do a full 360 breath and learn how to stretch and strengthen some hot spots like the chest and back. We will do some developmental movements like crawling and rolling. We will figure out a plan to get you back to your sport of choice. I will teach you how to monitor your diastasis recti (abdominal separation) and refer you to physical therapy or pelvic floor physical therapist if it looks like you need more specific attention. 

I did my Postpartum Corrective Exercise training with Dr Sarah Duvall, DPT . She is a mother herself, a physical therapist, rock climbing enthusiast and all around good egg who is focused on attainable goals and the reality of the postpartum situation. Her website has some great articles. She taught me a lot of what I know about letting a diastasis recti heal.

Check out Considerations for Returning to CrossFit after Pregnancy from Girls Gone Strong, a beautiful resource for all things female and strength training. Girls Uplifting, started by my friend Beth Adamec, encourages girls and women to embrace their power and claim their space in the world by maximizing their strength potential through powerlifting. They also have a resource of coaches who train female powerlifters. BirthFit upholds four pillars of fitness, nutrition, mindset and connection and I am deeply rooted in their style of teaching as a BirthFit Coach. Below I have included BirthFit's Recommended Activity Levels. 

Want to come back, grow stronger and meet other moms? Join my next Postpartum Exercise Series - a set of 8 sessions, twice a week for four weeks.

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