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Kegels are the colloquial term for lifting/engagin Kegels are the colloquial term for lifting/engaging the pelvic floor muscles. They are a concentric contraction or “shortening” of the muscles. Named after Dr Kegel back in 1940. He named them himself, naturally 🥴 It’s good to know how to lift and contract these muscles. But we ALSO need to know how to LENGTHEN them! This is where “just do your kegels” falls short. It just speaks to the shortening. Muscles need full range of motion for function. So instead of kegels, do pelvic floor muscle training instead. Basically learn to lift AND release. Here are 3 examples of how you can incorporate pelvic floor muscle training into exercise. Go slow (this is sped up) and work to release on your inhale, then engage on your exhale. This is a huge part of our pre and postnatal classes. ❤️ We want a Goldilocks pelvic floor - not too tense, not too lax….strong enough to support your organs but supple enough to push out a baby and live without pain. Shoutout to local Toronto @charlierae.co for this new cactus colour set I’m loving right now! And rest in peace @tinaturner you have been a big influence on me ❤️ #kegel #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloorexercises #prenatalworkout #postnatalworkout #thebellemethod #momworkout #incontinence #prolapse #pelvichealth #kegels
You can train for birth. Consider it like a marath You can train for birth. Consider it like a marathon. There are “sport specific” exercises you can do to prep your body for the main event, and the long game recovery (aka postpartum). This goes for everyone - no matter what kind of birth you end up having, your recovery will be smoother if you train in pregnancy. Here are some snapshots from a few Push Prep course workouts. I was 33 weeks pregnant here! There is so much fear (still) around working out in pregnancy unfortunately. Movement is so beneficial for both mom and baby. My dad made many comments about me “exercising too much”. Did you get those comments too?! Old school thinking dies hard. 1️⃣Lateral Pulls 2️⃣Lunge Pulls 3️⃣Banded Squats 4️⃣Banded Hinge 5️⃣Pelvic Balance 6️⃣Ball Wall Hinge July August Push Prep sign up is open. Start now with instant access to your dashboard with 30+ follow along workouts, expert birth education, reading materials, printables and SO MUCH MORE. I’m so proud of this course and can’t wait to support you. Just click the testimonials highlight above 😘 Link in profile. ⬆️ #pregnantlife #prenatalworkout #prenatalpilates #thebellemethod #thebumpmethod #fitbump #fitpregnancy #birthprep #pushprep #laboranddelivery #pregnantandfit #diastasisrecti #pregnantbelly
MAKING MOM FRIENDS Making new mom friends can fe MAKING MOM FRIENDS Making new mom friends can feel like the first day of junior high - a bit lonely & awkward as you navigate the cliques and figure out where you fit in. Here’s what I want to say to every new mother I see pushing a baby stroller. “Hey there, I see you also have a tiny human. Well done! How are you & can I buy you a coffee?” “I know this part can get awkward because it kinda feels like dating - figuring out if we want to hang out or whatever….” “For the record, I really don’t care if you breast-feed or bottle-feed, sleep train or co-sleep, or if you had a planned C-section, epidural hospital birth or home water birth with a harp playing.” “I mean, I’m happy to chat about it if you want, but it’s cool if we do things differently.” “Stay at home mom or career mom? Married, divorced, single mom by choice, adoptive mom, IVF mom, 20 year old mom, 40 year old mom… none of this matters to be my friend.” “Here what I really wanna know about you…” 1️⃣Are you kind & open minded? Will you promise not to judge me? 2️⃣ Can I text you with random questions at midnight? 3️⃣Will you laugh with me over stupid memes and remind me I’m still badass when I’m feeling overwhelmed? 4️⃣Will you celebrate the wins with me and talk me off the ledge when I’ve had a rough day and I’m hiding from my family in the bathroom? 5️⃣Will you remind me that I’m a good mother when I need to hear it? So let’s skip all the other crap, and cut to the stuff that matters. Soooo...coffee? It’s on me. ❤️ My friendship with @getmomstrong is a testament to the fact that you can make incredible mom friends online that translate to real life. Tag a mama friend if this spoke to you and SHARE where you live in comments. Maybe people in the same city can meet each other 🥰 #momfriends #motherhood #momlife #mumsofinstagram #mamahood #momsneedmoms #momcommunity
THIS TOWEL TRICK CAN HELP PUSHING ✨ If you find THIS TOWEL TRICK CAN HELP PUSHING ✨ If you find yourself pushing on your back, this trick can help save your pelvic floor & tailbone. Evidence supports the benefits of “sacrum freeing” positions for pushing. Why?! Not only does lying on your back for pushing require more force (you’re pushing against gravity) but your coccyx (aka tailbone) must bend back into extension as baby is born. This cannot happen if mom is lying on her back when pushing and the sacrum is pressed against the bed. (Is it any wonder so many women report tailbone pain postpartum! 🤨) Unfortunately, we are commonly told we must be on our back for pushing. This is largely for the comfort of care providers - this is how they are trained to deliver babies. That said, there ARE birth scenarios where you may need or even want to be on your back. This towel trick can help create more space for the tailbone to move! Were you on your back for pushing? How did it work for you? Did you have tailbone pain? We talk about this and so much more in @thebellemethod Prenatal Push Prep course! July/August session is open for sign up. Join now and access on demand prenatal workouts, key birth education, expert workshops and so much more right away. Top link in profile ❤️ #birthtips #empoweredbirth #thebellemethod #obstetrics #birthwithoutfear #birthing #midwifery #obstetricia #birthprep #laboranddelivery #prenatalfitness #tailbonepain
Don’t freak out if you see doming like I demonst Don’t freak out if you see doming like I demonstrate here at 25 weeks pregnant. It’s just your body giving feedback. Doming = pressure in your core canister: pressure that shows up against weakened tissue. The connective tissue in the middle of your 6 pack muscle (called the linea alba) is weakened and thinned from the pressure of baby growing. This is normal and adaptive as your abs stretch to make room for baby. 100% of us will get some degree of Diastasis Recti (a.k.a. abdominal separation) by the end of pregnancy, BUT it is possible to reduce the severity of diastasis by being proactive in pregnancy. How? Better pressure management! That includes a better breathing strategy, core activation pattern and even lifestyle habits like how you poop! We want to reduce unnecessary strain on our tissue. We want to avoid repetitive coning! ❌ Have you ever noticed coning in pregnancy? It shows up often when you sit up to get out of bed. HOT TIP: Try rolling over to your side and using arms to press yourself up vs crunching forward out of bed! ✨WORTH NOTING✨When you see visible doming in your abs, you are most often also putting downward pressure on your pelvic floor (whether you can feel it or not!) You’ll see I repeat the move again but the doming goes away with a breathing and TVA recruitment! This is the foundation of the physical aspect of our Prenatal Pilates & Push Prep course and why we include movement in our classes. Regardless of HOW you deliver your baby, this work will 1000% improve your postpartum recovery. And you’ll feel those benefits for years to come (less prolapse, leaking, core dysfunction, etc)❤️ We call it pregnancy prehab 💪 July/August session is open for sign up! Start anytime before 36 week (ideally sooner!). Ideal for September - January due dates. Link in profile. #pregnancy #fitbump #thebellemethod #prenatalfitness #diastasisrecti #hugthebaby #pregnancytips #prenatalworkout #birthprep #fitpregnancy #pregnancylife
If you bought a birth ball for labour, here are 6 If you bought a birth ball for labour, here are 6 ways to use it for postnatal workouts. ✨ These moves increase in challenge. I wouldn’t call number 6️⃣ pikes a “postnatal exercise” - but the key to getting results is progressive overload. So you can work up to it! It’s a tough one! Master your breath, work from the inside out (find your TVA first) then build endurance with isometric holds. 1️⃣ Ball Bird Dog 2️⃣ Frog Kicks 3️⃣ Bridges 4️⃣ Frog Pull Ins 5️⃣ Hamstring Push 6️⃣ Pikes Did you buy a birth ball? Did your hospital or birth centre provide one? I am often asked if hospitals provide birth balls. It varies so much!! Would love to know if you had one or not. This Earth ball is from @venndesign but the inside is a regular birth/stability ball 🥰 May/June classes can still be joined! Prenatal Push Prep, Postnatal Level 1 & 2 and Core Express are in session 🔥 #birthball #stabilityballworkouts #thebellemethod #diastasisrecti #coreworkout #athomeworkouts #postnatalfitness #postnatalworkout
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