Whilst your GP may give you the green light to get back to exercise at your 6-week check, your body needs time to heal post birth – particularly if you had an episiotomy, stitches, C-section or an assisted birth. There are 4 stages of wound healing and this process takes at least 1 year to be complete and in …
Pregnancy typically alters our posture away from its usual or intended “neutral” alignment and this doesn’t necessarily reverse straight after birth. Particularly when you’re carrying a small person around & bending over them for much of the day! Whilst every woman is different, it’s extremely common to see: rounded shoulders rounded upper back lowered head hands falling forwards anteriorly tilted …
27.8% of recorded UK births* in 2016-17 were via Caesarean Section and I’d love to know what percentage of those 174,720 women were advised or shown how to massage their scars and/or told why this is beneficial. Frustratingly it’s likely to be a very small number. When your body is healing, it produces internal scar tissue and these adhesions (as …
Pregnancy can have a huge impact on our breathing patterns due to the growing baby and this can have a potential impact on our core and pelvic floor* muscles. When you breathe in, your diaphragm (your breathing muscle) contracts and moves downward to increase the space for your lungs to expand and fill with air. And this downward pressure should …
The most common concern of moms joining my postnatal classes is whether pregnancy has left them with a separation of their “6-pack muscles”, or a diastasis recti as it’s more formally known. I think this is largely due to the positive focus of many professionals now on female core and pelvic floor muscles, but also due to the associated confusion …
According to Neal’s Yard Remedies, 70% of women in their 40s and 50s feel they are largely ignored by mainstream media. But if I were to do a poll of my clients I’d suggest that many younger women feel equally disconnected with the images and narrative that they see on a daily basis – particularly new and expectant moms. Somehow, …
Women love boxing in my experience. It’s always noted when I leave it out of the circuits in both my pregnancy and postnatal classes. Not every woman feels confident in a boxing gym, however, or in male dominated classes with reputations for beastings or where throwing up is a badge of honour. And if you’re a postnatal women with a …
Your core and pelvic floor muscles are typically something that you only learn about and focus on when they let you down. And if you’ve experienced this firsthand, you’ll know just how big an impact this can have on your life. This is certainly true of Yvonne Brady, the Founder of EVB Sport. In a well intentioned attempt to get fit …
…so skip the diet! There have been a couple of mantras at the heart of my recent online challenge and this has definitely been one of them. Momlife is hectic and finding time to prioritise your health and wellbeing can feel impossible…particularly when you’re sleep deprived. But it absolutely is doable and it plays a huge role in aiding your postnatal …
I’m delighted to announce that I’ve joined the Harborne Movement Therapy team as their pregnancy & postnatal fitness specialist and I’m now taking 1-2-1 and small group personal training bookings at the clinic on Earls Court Road. My expertise in helping women to workout safely and effectively during pregnancy, to rehab post birth and to ultimately get back to the sports and …