General advice disguised as expert advice and why you need to worry about it…

When it comes to the season of life for women who are trying to conceive, are pregnant or have had kids, the health and fitness advice we commonly get is usually wrong. Thats the straight forward way of saying it. Here is why you need to worry about it.

I have seen first hand, time and time again the effects of doing mainstream programs during pregnancy or returning to incorrect exercise after birth. Given 1 in 2 women that have had a baby suffer prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction - thats a HUGE 50%!.. and 30% are suffering abdominal separation, it is VITAL that we place priority on preparing the body during pregnancy and rebuilding the body appropriately post birth! The damage that can be caused, affects a womens body for the rest of her life. 

That damage can go unnoticed for many years and then rear it’s ugly head at a later stage. We might feel like we are smashing our workout program in pregnancy and be excited to get back into it post birth and not actually realise the damage we are doing. Did you know you can actually RE-OPEN your abdominal separation? Yep, it’s a thing and I recently did a poll with my members and 100% of them did not realise this.

It doesn’t help that we are in a conditioned society that focuses so much on the visual appeal of the female body, so feeling under pressure can impact the focus we put on exercise in nutrition during this stage which adds to the danger. We get sucked in to making sure we stick to our regime out of fear for our bodies and in turn can actually cause damage making it harder to stick to our healthy lifestyles.

It all starts with awareness and spreading the correct information. Education is empowering and I am here to make sure it isn’t misguided.

Firstly I want to start by saying that the clearance from your doctor when you are pregnant, is clearance that tells you - it is safe for your BABY. It is not specifically directed at exercise being safe for your BODY. E.g: You may be doing HIIT training with heavy weights pre-pregnancy and because you have been doing so, your doctor will tell you, you can continue anything you were previously doing. My extensive research and education has shown me that this is VERY dangerous advice.

The advice should be, to switch to a pregnancy SPECIFIC program as soon as 4 weeks. Our bodies start to change and the relaxin hormone kicks in as soon as this point and therefore our training should be modified to suit.

Equally as alarming, our 6 week post baby check up is generally minimal and pending no ‘major’ issues, again the all clear is given with no REAL guidance. We should be directed straight to a post natal specific program to rebuild the body from the inside out.

It’s important to recognise that exercise is relative. What one person considers high intensity, another will consider an active rest session, which is where another issue lies. Womens experiences with exercise varies widely from person to person, so “yes you can return to gentle exercise” is not specific enough. It’s frustrating that the onus falls back on us to actually ask the right questions to get the right information, instead of getting blanketed feedback from practitioners that is generalised and off the mark.

The research is, overall, lacking and that’s why I stepped into this space over a decade ago, because I learnt first hand, even as a FITNESS TRAINER that I wasn’t being educated correctly on how to train women during this time. I suffered my own damage and issues during pregnancy because of this AND I WAS A QUALIFIED TRAINER at the time! If that doesn’t blow your mind I don’t know what will. I have dedicated 15 years, studying and working directly with women’s health physio’s to ensuring that pregnant women & mothers don’t damage their body the way I did and to make training readily available to all. Countless hours and thousands of dollars have gone into research, learning, program development & refinement!!

It is never to late to address post natal struggles, I have women come to me straight after birth, years after birth and even decades after birth wanting to fit their issues and WE DO IT. Preventing these issues is really where it’s at, thats my core focus, stepping in at the right time for these woman so we can avoid the battles, the confusion and the impact on their bodies.

If you pee when you sneeze or cough, if you can’t get up off the couch while holding your bub, if you have aches, pains or a sore lower back, you have prolapse, pelvic floor issues or abdominal separation - they are treatable with the right program. We can get your body, your muscles, including core and pelvic floor functioning optimally.

By getting this information out there I hope to avoid what I have just mentioned for other women by introducing my specialised programs I have crafted - at the point of pregnancy to AVOID these all too common issues.

I am being the change I want to see. I am being the change we need in this space. I am being a voice for women everywhere. I won’t stop in my mission. Join the movement to exercise properly. Tell your mother, your sister, your aunt, your friend. Active Mum is specialised female training with a difference.

If you would like to chat to me further on this subject, I am available.

You can reach me by leaving an enquiry on our website www.activemum.com.au or phone me on 0491-133-411