Exercise During Pregnancy Benefits You and Baby There are a lot of things you have to give up during pregnancy—but research tells us that exercise is not one of them. According to many of the leading organizations on women’s health, the benefits of a fitness routine during pregnancy are outright tremendous (for you and your baby). Doctor’s Orders While women in the 1950s and ’60s were advised to rest and take it easy for nine long months, today’s medical professionals encourage physical activity (with your doctor’s approval) throughout every trimester. Both the American Pregnancy Association a ..read more

What Affects Tearing in Birth? I’ve talked about push prep (super in-depth in my KnockedUp Fitness Program) and how to prepare for an easier birth, but today I wanted to talk about what actually affects tearing in birth.  There are 3 things I want to cover that I have found are really critical when it comes to having a positive or negative impact on tearing during birth. After working with 100’s of moms with all different birth experiences, I’ve really found that these 3 things can make or break tearing with a vaginal delivery. Here’s a video with all this info if you prefer to watch: Wh ..read more

What to Focus on First in Postpartum Recovery I get a lot of questions about what to focus on first in your postpartum recovery journey. I want to give you some excellent advice to help you navigate the unchartered waters of postpartum. A lot of women are told they can resume physical activity after their 6-week postpartum check-up, or 10-week check-up if they had a cesarean birth. While this can be true, I highly recommend listening to your body. If you feel like your body is ready for some activity, start slow. Today, I will recommend some breath and awareness work to begin lightly acti ..read more

Whether you’ve recently had a c-section or are 5+ years postpartum, you may be looking to strengthen your deep core and abs. I have 5 ab exercises that are perfect for after a c-section, no matter how long it’s been. If you’re tired of numbness in your lower abdomen or are just looking to wake up the pelvic floor, strengthening the deep core is key. Here are 5 moves to try! Ab Exercises After a C-Section Move 1: Pelvic Tilt Pelvic tilts are a great way to start waking up the pelvic floor. When I do pelvic tilts, I put my hand on my lower belly to help with the mind-body connection. When you ..read more

Do c-section mamas need to think about strengthening the pelvic floor after birth? The simple answer is – yes!! Your Pelvic Floor Post C-Section So often moms with c-section births think they don’t need to heal or strengthen their pelvic floor after baby comes – after all, they most likely weren’t pushing through birth. But, the pelvic floor is so intertwined with your entire body. Pregnancy and birth (no matter the method) affect your pelvic floor, and your pelvic floor affects your deep core, hamstrings, abdominals, alignment – basically everything! Many moms with a cesarean scar experience ..read more

Infertility and health, including sperm health. It’s no longer just about female health and egg health but if we aren’t addressing the mans health then that could be a big missing health piece for improving fertility. The good news it that men can pretty quickly improve the health of their sperm. Take a listen to my conversation about improving fertility with Elizabeth King. Erica – 00:03 Well, Elizabeth, I’m really excited to welcome you today and to chat with you. I always like to start off with just sharing a little bit about you. And what really sent you down this journey, this path to b ..read more

Recovery postpartum, don’t wait until your done having babies to heal your body postpartum. Enjoy this conversation with my Knocked-Up Fitness® client, Allie, mom of three. She’s an avid runner but started experiencing incontinence postpartum after her first pregnancy. She also started dealing with hip and back pain and found amazing relief when learning how to effectively strengthen her deep core and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy.  Erica:  What drew you to the Knocked-Up Fitness® Prenatal Program? Allie:  I’ve always been healthy, or you know, long term health is kind ..read more

Round ligament pain during pregnancy is common and happens because your uterus is stretching causing an intense stretch on your round ligament. The round ligament connects from your uterus to your pelvis and as your pregnancy progresses that round ligament is getting stretched and can cause pain and discomfort. What Does Round Ligament Pain feel like: It can feel like a sharp cramp, ache or pain on one side of your lower belly. I find it typically starts after baby hits a growth spurt causing more stretching on the round ligament. What Causes Round Ligament Pain: Not having a pelvic floor and ..read more

We hear this in our DMs all the time: “Don’t I have to wait 6 weeks after having a baby to exercise?” Our response is always the same: “There is SO MUCH you can do until then.” Before you even get back into your normal exercise routine, you must restimulate your pelvic floor. Mama, this is done by focusing on your breath as soon as your little one is born. No, you might not feel this connection at first but with time your fascia will respond to this gentle breathwork. *And we mean verrrrrrry gentle.* >>In these early weeks postpartum you are not exercising… you’re moving with proper con ..read more

Want 3 safe and effective pelvic floor strengthening exercises? I got you! Seriously…If you have just 5 minutes to connect with your pelvic floor, do one of THESE three exercises and watch your deep core activate! But before we dive into these exercises, I need you to do one thing for me: I need you to commit to showing up consistently. I promise you, this is the most crucial part of the healing process. Showing up consistently for your body is what will strengthen your pelvic floor and decrease pain and dysfunction. Are you in? (Good, I knew I liked you!) Now that we’ve got that out of the w ..read more