Where to begin?

So where to start you may ask? Read on to find out 6 steps I have my clients take to return to full activities.

So as you can see from my last post ( if you havn't read it yet, read it first) everything is interconnected, you can’t just learn how to do a couple of specific exercises to strengthen your body as a whole.  You need to take into account the whole system and how its all connected.

I always begin with breathing (1), without proper breath and connection between your diaphragm and pelvic floor the core won't fire. Without your core, your low back won’t release, thus your posture won’t correct nor will your glutes be able to fire and from there you can see how many things could go wrong and why so many moms are still weak in the core, in pain and dealing with prolapse and or DR.

Next, learning to connect your breath to your core (2). After that you should be able to regulate your pressure and most likely your posture will have already started to improve. Then, I have clients work on posture (3) and teach them proper movement patterns for daily activities (4), think hinges and squats.

You can rehabilitate you core during every movement throughout the day. Be mindful of your body while caring for your baby, breathing with intention, sitting, standing, picking up and holding your child with good posture and alignment.

Every movement during the day or night is a chance to coordinate and strengthen your system.  It will take time to undo these dysfunctions caused by pregnancy and postpartum. Real change and strength happens over time by using the whole system functionally throughout the day not just during your exercises. Click here to read a blog on how to pick up your child.

Once you are moving in good alignment it’s time to challenge the system(5), connecting the core with your lower and upper body (think lunges with rotation, overhead movements, single leg exercises and multi joint movements) creating a solid core and pelvis, while strengthening your whole body. 

Last but not least is preparing your body for high impact activities (6) by reintroducing impact into the system. Think single leg hops, skater hops, squat jump etc... Click here to read a blog post on returning to running and high impact activities.

Postpartum return to fitness and activities is a journey.

Jumping back in too quickly can lead to injury, pelvic symptoms and pain.  Take the time, show your body some love. Think of this period as a good time to give your body a full reset and come out stronger than you were before. Most moms I work with thought they were strong before pregnancy. Soon after starting the Mountain Mom Strong  Postpartum Program, they quickly realize, they had so many muscle imbalances, improper breathing patterns and faulty movement patterns even before pregnancy and birth. They were thankful that the postpartum period forced them to slow down and  rebuild their body back up stronger than before.

Mountain Mom Strong is a restorative approach to postpartum fitness.  It was developed so that moms, weekend warriors and athletes alike are empowered to rebuild their core, reset their bodies and become stronger than ever to take on life as a new mom, while returning to their favourite sports and activities with confidence. 

Because being a mom is tough AF, being strong will help you feel confident, independent, capable and ready to take on the world and excel in your sports and activities and life as mom.