Day 139: Perinatal Fitness Picks for the THIRD trimester!

May 18, 2012 By 2 Comments

Fem365: Fitness. Food. Femininity.

In case you missed the first few posts in my weekly perinatal fitness series, here they are!

Now for the THIRD TRIMESTER! I am thrilled to introduce my guest blogger, Angela, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the founder of Restore Wellness Physical Therapy. I “met” Angela online a few years ago when she stopped by my blog and left a couple of comments. I stopped by HER blog, and found her writing to be engaging, well-researched, and incredibly helpful! She knows her stuff, and I always learn something from her. Read on for Angela’s “must-do” exercises for the third trimester. It’s all Angela from here on out…

Quick List of MUST-DO Third Trimester Exercises

#1. Align your feet!

I know, you’re wondering what your feet have to do with birthing a baby. In a word, EVERYTHING. Would you drive a car that had its tires pointing every which-way? Nope. So why walk on feet that aren’t straight? It affects the entire body’s alignment including the pelvis, which needs to be in optimal position for birth.

So line ‘em up. Grab a straight edge – a textbook, a ruler, a line in the tile or wood floor. Place the OUTER edge of each foot against the straight edge. This is where your feet should be when standing and walking.

Fun fact: Did you know that 25% of your body’s muscles, bones, and motor nerves are from the ankle down?!

#2. Stretch your calves and toes

If the lower legs and feet are tight, the feet, and by default the rest of the body, can’t be properly aligned, especially when in a birthing position such as a squat. Also, tight calves often = tight pelvic floor. Not something you want tight while giving birth, believe me.

-Calf Stretch: Grab a thick rolled towel or a ½ foam roller if you have one. While standing (with feet straight of course) place one foot on the top of the towel/roller with the other foot stepping forward, if possible. If you can’t keep your balance or stand up straight, bring the non-stretching foot back a little until you can stand completely upright. Again, keep the outer edges of the feet straight. Hold 1 minute. Repeat on other side. Do 3 times on each leg throughout the day.

-Top of Foot Stretch: Next, stand straight and extend one leg behind you, placing the top of the foot on the ground to stretch the tops of the toes. Hold onto something if needed to keep your balance. Hold 1 minute. Repeat on the other side. Do 3 times on each side per day.

#3. Open the pelvis

Two ways to help relax the hip and pelvic surrounding muscles and create space for a smooth and seamless birth are to stretch the inner thighs and to untuck the pelvis.

-Inner Thigh Stretch: Lie on your back (slightly elevate with a pillow under your upper back if needed) with the soles of your feet together. Allow knees to open and gently relax to the floor. Hold 1 minute. Repeat 3 times.

-Tailbone Lift: Stand with feet straight, hip distance apart. Have a chair in front of you (facing you) and lean forward until your hands are on the seat of the chair. Try to keep knees straight and lift the tailbone up toward the ceiling. If the tailbone is tucked (i.e. lower back is rounded), try bending your knees a little and see if that helps. If so, add a hamstring stretch (see Bri’s 1st trimester video) to the mix and place your hands on something a little higher until you can keep the knees straight and tailbone up. Hold for 1 minute in knees straight, tailbone-lifted position. Repeat 3 times.

-Squatting: An excellent way to “practice” positioning for birthing a baby is while using the restroom. A recent find (and one I’m loving so far) is the Squatty Potty, which is a stool made specifically for squatting over the toilet while eliminating. This is a great way to practice untucking the pelvis and squatting while relaxing the pelvic floor muscles and using the abdominals (specifically the transversus abdominis) to push. Not only is a squat stool a great pre-birthing tool but is excellent for maintaining a healthy pelvic floor throughout all of life’s stages.

Above all, relax. You’re doing an excellent job preparing for your little one and your body knows what to do. By adding these simple exercises, you’ll have an even greater advantage to achieve the birth you were created to have. Congratulations Mamas-To-Be!

A note from Bri: Are you in your third trimester? How are you feeling? Have you tried any of Angela’s suggestions? Please comment below!

Share
Filed Under: Fem Fusion Fitness, Pelvic Health Plus Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Days 21 & 22: A gentle kegel reminder.

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s been a LONG TIME since I posted about my favorite exercise… The humble kegel! I talk about kegels all the time in my FemFusion group exercise classes, but have neglected them on this blog. I recently received an email from a friend of mine asking some “Kegel questions.” The following is her email, and my response.

(From a friend who is spearheading a fitness program for moms): I also wanted to ask your advice on some Kegel questions (how often do you hear THAT phrase?). How do you “coach” your students to do them? I have heard all different numbers for reps and length of time to hold, plus all different descriptions of how to actually control the muscles for contraction. I figured I would put “do your Kegels” as a bonus point they can earn during the days, but want to make sure they are doing them right. For me, whenever I taught my students about Kegels, a few always still seemed confused, no matter how many different ways I tried to explain. 

(From me): As for your Kegel question: the first thing you must always do is help your students understand where their pelvic floor muscles are. Most of us are told we have pelvic floor muscles, but we are never really taught specifics. It’s the same story with kegels… We are told to “squeeze the pelvic floor muscles.” But again, if one doesn’t know where one’s pelvic floor is, it’s pretty hard to “squeeze it!” Explain to your students that the pelvic floor muscles are the muscles at the very base of the pelvis; the muscles that help support the bladder and the uterus, and the muscles that help to stop the flow of urine. You can also flat-out state that they’re the muscles that surround the vagina (because they are! People don’t like to hear the word vagina and I’m trying to change that ;)

Next, tell them to “squeeze and LIFT” the pelvic floor muscles. If you are watching your students, you should not see them doing anything, because the pelvic floor muscles are inside the pelvis. If their bottoms squeeze a little, or their abs tighten a bit, that’s OKAY… Just make them aware that the primary feeling they should have is a squeeze and lift of the deep, inner pelvic floor muscles (PFM). After they contract the PFM, they need to fully relax in order to complete the kegel. My favorite visualization is to think of pulling a marble into the vagina (verbal cue: “squeeze and lift”) during the contraction phase, and then letting it roll out (verbal cue: “fully relax”) during the relaxation phase.

There’s no “magic number” in terms of kegel reps/sets… I usually encourage people to do them often enough so that they can “use the pelvic floor muscles when they need them.” In other words, they need to have enough strength, coordination, and familiarity with their pelvic floor muscles that they can contract them when the really have to go to the bathroom but there’s not a bathroom nearby, or when lifting heavy objects, or when bracing before a cough or sneeze. A good, basic kegel program to have your students complete is 5-10 quick kegels (just a squeeze/lift and relax) and 5-10 endurance kegels (squeeze/lift, hold for 5-10 seconds, then fully relax) at least three times/week.

If a person has a specific issue or diagnosis they may need more a more intensive kegel “prescription;” the info above is just for preventive “kegel-ing.” ;)

Share
Filed Under: Fem Fusion Fitness Tagged With: , , , , ,

Day 5: Fitness tip… Move furniture.

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Fem365: Fitness. Food. Femininity.

Humans were meant to lift heavy things; to push and pull and drag and haul. Thursday is my vacuuming day, and today I am going to celebrate my inner cavegirl by moving some furniture around while cleaning my floors. Have you ever looked behind your couch and almost screamed due to the size of the dust bunnies?

Watch out, bunnies. Today I am going to get under the couch, behind the potted plants, and between the railings. I’m going to scorch some calories, increase bone density by taxing my muscles, and come away with a squeaky clean house. (Oh, and of course I will use proper body mechanics when lifting and I’ll “zip up” when shoving things around!!!)

Share
Filed Under: Fem Fusion Fitness Tagged With: , ,

Finding Balance

December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of my favorite exercises to do during the mat/floor portion of my FemFusion group fitness classes is the very simple, very basic prone alternating arm/leg extension (AKA “swimming”). It is a wonderful strengthener for all of the muscles of the back and the glutes, it stretches the hip flexors, and it stretches and stengthens the chest and shoulder muscles.

Lie face-down and lift the opposite arm and leg just a few inches off the floor. Return them to the floor, then switch sides. Your gluteals (buttocks) should be engaged throughout the entire exercise.

There are a few key points that I like to explain when teaching this exercise.

  • First, be sure that your pelvis stays flat on the ground while you lift the opposite arm and leg. I find that one of two things tend to happen (let’s use the example of lifting your left arm and your right leg off the ground). Either the right side of the pelvis lifts off the ground in an unconscious attempt to lift the right leg higher, or the left side of the pelvis lifts off the ground as you lift the right leg because you are not effectively engaging the muscles of your core. The core muscles (including the hips, glutes, abdominal, pelvic floor, and back muscles) keep the pelvis stable, secure, and flat on the ground.
  • Second, be sure that your leg reaches straight back (toward the back of the room) as you lift it up. Sometimes one leg (or both!) will tend to drift outward into hip abduction as you lift it. Don’t let this happen!
  • Third, strive for balance. Try to reach both legs and arms the same amount when you switch between sides. Make an effort to really feel your body in space. Note how high your left arm and right leg lift, then try to mirror that when you switch to the right arm and left leg. Often, one side will be stronger than the other and you may not notice that you are reaching for completely different heights when you switch between sides. This is not doing your body any favors… In fact, it may be doing harm by reinforcing muscular imbalance and skeletal misalignment.

I was explaining this to my class the other day and the reminder to “strive for balance” resonated with one of my students. Not just for the exercise… But for life in general. Tricia (fabulous Tricia) stopped when she was doing and said that finding balance in all areas of her life is something she is really trying to attain these days. Then she returned to the face-down position and showed me a perfectly balanced, aligned, and symmetrical “swimming” exercise. You go, Tricia!

Balance. What a wonderful goal. I always have to remind myself of the same thing. Whether it’s balancing friends and family, work and housekeeping, eating/living “clean” vs. letting loose and having-a-little fun-dammit (!)… We all need to rememember to strike our own personal balance in order to live life to the max.

“Art imitates life” — so does exercise! Find your balance. Be aligned. Be well. While you exercise, and of course, while you live!

Are you feeling balanced right now? If so, how did you achieve balance in your life? If not, what is “off” and how do you plan to fix it? We can all learn from each other — I would love to hear your comments below.

Share
Filed Under: Fem Fusion Fitness Tagged With: , , , ,

Five Fingered Fun

November 11, 2011 By 2 Comments

Well, it looks like I have officially jumped on the bandwagon. I have not ordered a pair of my own (yet), but Vibram Fivefingers Barefoot Shoes are now on my Christmas wish list. (Please Santa? I’ve been good!)

Initially, I thought they were plain weird. But after hearing their praises sung by friends and by bloggers on the various Paleo lifestyle Websites I watch, I finally decided to give ‘em a go. A girlfriend of mine (Hi K!) loves her Vibrams so much she has two pairs. She shares my foot size, so I asked if I could borrow a pair for a few days. I slipped them on, wore them around the house for the day, and WHOA! My feet and legs were in for a rude awakening! The verdict? The muscles of my lower leg and foot are weak! They are usually snoozing when I walk around in comfortably padded and supportive footwear or walk on bare feet.

Huh? “Bare feet? But these shoes are supposed to mimic bare feet! How is wearing the shoes different than walking around with bare feet?” I found that way the shoes are made and the way my feet are made are different enough that my toes really had to spread out to fit into the toe slots. This sounds like a bad thing, but it’s not. It forced me to use my entire foot and all of my toes when walking and standing, which apparently is not the way I typically walk and stand. Using my whole foot and all of my toes really “woke up” the small intrinsic muscles in my feet as well as the evertors (the peroneal muscles on the outside of the lower leg) and the “shin” muscles. I can see how one would have to ease into wearing them, especially for running. Fair warning: there is a technique to running in Vibrams… I haven’t tried yet, but I might… We’ll see. For now, walking was enough of a wake-up call to alert me that my feet and legs are typically sleeping on the job.

There were a few cons to these shoes. My foot is narrow and my toes are long. Really long. The “toe slots” (as I’ve taken to calling them) are too short for my toes, so I can’t say they fit like a glove. They were also a bit wide for my foot. I would be interested in trying on a few different pairs for a size-check… Where to shop for Vibrams in Kaiserslautern, Germany? I’ll have to work on this one.

So Santa, although there are a few cons, I would love to own two pairs. One for wearing around the house like slippers, and a second pair for my morning walks. I’m on the barefoot bandwagon… Are you?

Click here to read a recent article that’s all about running barefoot or in barefoot-style footwear.

And here’s an awesome video that details how to strengthen and stretch the muscles of the feet and lower leg in order to make the most of your “barefoot” running (or walking!) experience:

Share
Filed Under: Fem Fusion Fitness Tagged With: , , , ,
« Older Posts