Pilates for Mommies...or...Exercise for the Exhausted

Congratulations! Your new bundle of joy is home from the hospital and you are a mommy! You will get amazing love and snuggles, and this little baby will look at you like the sun rises and sets with you, because, in his eyes, it does. Bu, you will not get a good night's sleep again for the forseeable future, nor will you sit down to a meal without being inturrupted by a child that wants to eat (it doesn't matter when you fed them, they just seem to sense these things.) And if you have to go back to work anytime soon, you will likely experience the worst guilty feeling for leaving your child in the care of someone else, or, if you are lucky enough to be able to take him to work with you, guilt for not paying enough attention to him or your job.

Health time is going to be hard to fit in for the next little while, but it's very neccissary. First of all, your self-esteem needs to know how powerful your body is. The delivery high is gone, and you are left with a body with extra skin in places where it isn't flattering and extra fat stores that your body stocked away in some caveman-esque way so that you could produce breast milk for your new child. These fat stores would be useful if we didn't have ready access to food in our society, but we do, and just because you have the fat stored doesn't shut off your hunger triggers. So you have to learn a new balance of getting enough calories so your body produces enough milk for your child and doesn't go into starvation mode without overeating and adding to the bulk.

As for exerice, you need to be kind to yourself. I highly recommend walking, keeping the Pilates principals in mind. Concentrate on pulling your shoulders back and your arm pits down to open up you chest whenever you have the opportunity- you are spending a lot of time with your shoulders rounded looking down over your new little one. If you still have a diastasis, refer to my previous posts by Jennifer Gianni for safe Pilates exercises to do. If your diastasis has closed, start slowly, but begin doing work to tone you core- I recommend this series: Assisted Roll up, Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Strech, Criss-Cross (aka Jane Fonda's Bicycle), Swan, Pilates Push-up. Do 3-5 reps of each, working up to 7-10.

Jennifer Gianni Post Pregnancy Part 2

PART 2 Post-Pregnancy Exercises: 8 Weeks and Beyond

By: Jennifer Gianni
Published: Tuesday, 18 August 2009

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Here are several more exercises that you can add to your regime to help recover your pre-pregnant body. As stated in our previous installment, just because you are 8 weeks post-partum may not necessarily mean you are ready for this workout plan.

Everyone has their own set of circumstances and you may need to stay with the beginning exercises depending on your situation. Remember this is a delicate time, even if you are past the 8-week mark and feeling very strong. You will still need to monitor yourself very closely and listen to your body. There may be days when you'll do more and days when you'll scale down. I’ve selected a few more advance post-pregnancy exercises that you can add to your list.

This first series is side-lying leg exercise work. It tones and sculpts the outer thigh area to create a smoother outer thigh shape along with a stronger more stable outer leg. You want to create a neutral spine and pelvis in a side-lying position. Put a yoga mat on the floor. Lie down on your side and line up your head, shoulders, and hips with the back edge of the mat. Make sure the shoulders and hips are stacked one on top of the other. If the neck or bottom shoulder feels compressed, place a small pillow under the head.

Bring the legs out to the front corner of the mat. Bend the knees so the feet go back and the kneecaps point forward. Reach the top hip toward the feet so the bottom waist lengthens. During the side leg work you want to avoid collapsing into your bottom waist.

1) CLAMMING

• Keep the shoulders and hips stacked and the heels squeezing together.
• Inhale and lift the top knee. Be sure that the top hip does not rotate back as you lift the knee.
• Exhale and slowly lower the knee.
• Do 8-10 reps on each side.

2) CLAM TO PARALLEL

• Again, keep the shoulders and hips stacked.
• Inhale and lift the top knee with the heels squeezing together.
• Exhale and lift the top ankle in line with the top knee.
• Inhale and reattach the ankles.
• Exhale and slowly lower the knee.
• Do 8-10 reps on each side.

3) PUSH OUT

• Keep the same alignment in the shoulders and hips.
• Lift the top leg up so the hip, knee and ankle are in alignment.
• Inhale and press the leg out to a straight position.
• Exhale and bend the back in towards the chest.
• Do 8-10 on each side.
• If straightening the leg puts to much strain on the abdominals or lower back , only press half way out and then back to the starting position.

4) CIRCLES

• Keep the same alignment in the shoulders and the hips.
• Lift the top leg up so the hip, knee and ankle are in alignment.
• Keep the knee bent and imagine you have a crayon at the knee cap and as you circle the leg you are drawing a circle on the wall in front of you.
• Inhale for half the circle and exhale for the other half.
• Do 6-8 in one direction and then change directions.
• This exercise massages the ball of the femur in the hip socket helping to create synovial fluid and lubricate the joint.

This next set of exercises involves three positions—lying on the belly, gentle twists and gentle forward bends—to help restore the uterus and its ligaments back into the proper position after birth.

5) PRONE FLIGHT

• Lie on your belly with the feet hip distance apart, the arms by your body with the palms facing the ceiling and the forehead on the mat.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and float the crown of the head and sternum up. Keep the back of the neck long and the feet pressing into the mat. Hover the arms off the mat and reach back for the feet.
• Inhale and hold at the top.
• Exhale and slowly float down.
• Do 6-8 reps.
• When finished slowly sit back into Child's Pose.

6) GENTLE TWIST

• Lie on your back with the knees bent and the arms extended out by your side in a cross position with the palms up.
• Inhale and drop the knees to the left and look towards the right.
• Hold for 3-4 breath cycles.
• On your exhale slowly bring the knees and eyes back to center.
• Inhale and drop the knees to the right and eyes to the left.
• Hold for 3-4 breath cycles.
• On the next exhale bring the knees and eyes back to center.
• Do 4-6 on each side.

7) GENTLE FORWARD BEND

• Sit on the floor in front of a chair or stool in a straddle position.
• Inhale lengthen the spine as much as you can.
• Exhale and start to hinge forward and then relax onto the chair seat.
• Hold for 2-4 minutes.
• Take very deep inhales and exhales.
• As you advance you can start to deepen your forward bend. First by taking away the chair and adding a stack of blankets or a bolster in front of you that you can fold into. Eventually you can lessen the stack of blankets so you start to bend deeper and deeper.

Join us next time for more post pregnancy exercises.

More from Jennifer Gianni

Post-Pregnancy Workout—8 Weeks And Beyond!

By: Jennifer Gianni
Published: Tuesday, 11 August 2009

This part of the post pregnancy exercise plan is where most begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel; 8 weeks and beyond. But please remember, just because you are at the 8-week mark does NOT mean that you are ready to progress to this. Everyone has their own special set of circumstances, energy level, and strength to take into consideration. It may be best for you to spend a few more weeks practicing the 6/7 week exercises. Staying with the 6/7 week exercises may be the reason you stay healthy and fit instead of ending up with an injury. Remember that overworking and going beyond what you are ready for is just as bad (really worse) than under working!

Whether you decide to stay with the 6/7 week exercises or to progress to the 8 week and beyond, please continue to find the connection and relationship of your pelvic floor, multifidus and transverse abdominals through your breath work. These very important core muscles are essential to the stability of your skeleton and are only fired by the breath!

Try these next few exercises if you are ready to move on. If you feel any discomfort or pain please return to the more beginning exercises in our previous installments.

1) ROLLING PELVIC BRIDGE
In post-pregnancy, an extreme anterior tilt of the pelvis can remain causing the lower back muscles to be strained and tight. The Rolling Bridge exercise helps to stretch the lower back and to restore a neutral pelvic position.

• Start on the back in a neutral spine and pelvis with the arms long by the side and the eyes to the ceiling.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and slowly start to peel the spine up off the mat one vertebra at a time starting at the tailbone.
• At the top of the move anchor yourself at the top of the shoulders. You should feel no weight or pressure on the neck.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and slowly start to roll down from the top of the spine one vertebra at a time until you are back in a neutral position.
• Do 4-6 reps.
• Hug the knees into the chest when finished to stretch the lower back.

2) HINGING PELVIC BRIDGE
In post pregnancy the deep abdominal and back muscles can become weak. This Hinging Bridge can create core strength and stability when practiced regularly.

• Start on the back in a neutral spine and pelvis with the arms long by the side and the eyes to the ceiling.
• Inhale and prepare.
• Exhale and hinge the back up in one piece and anchor at the tops of the shoulders. Be sure no weight or pressure is put on the neck.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and hinge down in one piece. As you come down the spine and pelvis should stay in a neutral, still position.
• Do 4-6 reps.
• Hug the knees into the chest when finished to stretch the lower back.

3) DIAMOND BEND STRETCH
After delivery the abdominals will be weak and stretched out. This will be the case for quite a while. Be gentle with yourself and do not do any hardcore abdominal work. Doing any extreme abdominal work could do more harm than good.

• Start on the back in a neutral spine and pelvis with the arms long by the side and the eyes to the ceiling.
• The legs should start bent with the feet flat on the floor and the kneecaps pointing to the ceiling.
• As you move through the legs, keep the spine and pelvis still and neutral.
• Inhale and prepare.
• Exhale and slide the legs out to a straight position, keeping the heels on the floor.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale, turn the legs out, connect the heels and slide the legs into a diamond position.
• Inhale and brings the legs back to the starting position with the knees pointing up to the ceiling.
• Do 4 reps and then change the direction.
• Inhale and prepare.
• Exhale and allow the legs to open into a diamond shape with the knees to open to the sides with the heels together.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and slide the legs out to a straight, parallel position.
• Inhale and slide the legs straight back into their starting position with the kneecaps pointing to the ceiling.
• Do 4 reps.
• Hug the knees into the chest when finished to stretch the lower back.

4) TABLETOP LEGS
After delivery the abdominals will be weak and stretched out. This will be the case for a while. This exercise will help to tone and strengthen your transverse abdominals, the deepest layer of abdominals.

• Start on the back in a neutral spine and pelvis with the arms long by the side and the eyes to the ceiling.
• As you move through the legs, keep the spine and pelvis still and neutral.
• One at a time bring the legs into a tabletop position. The legs should be in a 90 degree angle with the knees over the hips and in line with the ankles.
• Inhale and prepare.
• Exhale and slide the legs away from you as you pull the deep abdominals in and across.
• Inhale and slide the legs back in.
• Do 6-8 reps.

5) TOE DIPS
After delivery the abdominals will be weak and stretched out. This exercise will help to tone and strengthen your transverse abdominals, the deepest layer of abdominals.

• Start on the back in a neutral spine and pelvis with the arms long by the side and the eyes to the ceiling.
• As you move through the legs, keep the spine and pelvis still and neutral.
• Bring the legs into tabletop one at a time. The legs should be in a 90 degree angle with the knees over the hips and in line with the ankles.
• Inhale and prepare.
• Exhale and dip the left toes towards the floor. The leg should move from the hip without any other angle changing. Imagine you are a wooden doll and the bent leg can only hinge from the hip.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and bring the left leg back up from the hinge at the hip.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and hinge the right leg down from the hip.
• Inhale and hold.
• Exhale and bring the right leg back up from the hinge at the hip.
• Do4-6 on each side.
• Hug the knees into the chest when finished to stretch the back.

Join us next time for more advanced post pregnancy exercises!!