Stop doing this! You don’t have to take ANY EXERCISE out of your workout just because you are pregnant or postpartum. My whole goal is to help you NOT DO THAT!! There are MANY things you can do BEFORE you starting hacking away at your exercise list. Try some of these things first before you start to ‘just walk’ 1. Breathing Strategy? Are you holding your breath? Gripping your abs? Try breathing lower into your belly for a more foundational breath or exhale on exertion to support your lift in a different way 2. Position – work against or with gravity can change the pressure on the core system s ..read more

Here is a FULL LIST… Here are my tips to avoid injury and a safe and enjoyable return to the gym..⠀ Reduced risk of complications: G. Diabetes/Preeclampsia Reduced risk of surgical intervention: Episiotomy/Forceps Decreased need for Pain Relief Quicker recovery Reduced time in labor Smaller, leaner babies better prepared for birth Delivers 5-7 days earlier Fewer aches and pains Less weight gain Improved mood and energy level Fewer fetal complications Improved nutrient/waste exchange to placenta Increased blood flow to placenta Increased intelligence/language scores for babies Sleep Better Re ..read more

Gyms are open and you may start to feel better taking a class or getting back to lifting again. Here are my tips to avoid injury and a safe and enjoyable return to the gym..⠀ Take it Slow: don’t start at the weight or intensity you started at. If you’ve taken sometime off then start with lighter weights and build up over time – it will not take as long as before but it will take some time and that’s ok.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Perspective: For those of us who’s identity is tied up with being strong – starting lighter may be frustrating. Having some perspective and being gentle with yourself can help combat tho ..read more

Here is something you don’t know… Successful Exercise is 99% just showing up. It’s not about how many squats you can do or how much you can bench. For the majority of you out there – even getting a 15 min workout in and a shower in the same day is a huge win. Moms are working on a different planet when it comes to exercise. I live on this planet so I get it. You want to exercise. You really do. But you just don’t have the time or energy or knowledge of that to do with the little amount of time you do have. If you are wanting to shake it up in 2022 – your mindset can be a great place to start ..read more

Pregnancy is not a special population 85% of women have kids. So here is my question…. I recently read this in my @pregnant.postpartum.athlete course and it made me angry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Why is it taking FOREVER to get decent fitness programming for prenatal and postpartum women?! And can we please remember that once you have a kid – YOU ARE ALWAYS POSTPARTUM!! I have surrounded myself with educated people (like much smarter than me) so I know what is good and what is bad but I know that this is the exception and not the rule.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The good news is – things are changing. Mothers are actually starting ..read more

I pee when I jump…but that’s normal right? One more time for the moms in the back… It is never ever normal to leak urine when you don’t want to be. Period. Laughing. Jumping. Sneezing. Coughing. Running. Ever. Story time – 6 years ago, I was training a client for about 6 months – it casually came up in our conversation that she peed herself a little every time she sneezed. She never thought to tell me as she just felt it was ‘normal’. (Don’t worry – my assessment process is much more thorough now). Normal is a relative term and I’m very hesitant to use it BUT peeing yourself is not normal. Let ..read more

This is something that most trainers won’t tell you…⠀⠀ The first workout back after having a baby will look different for EVERYONE!! And to be honest – it’s hard to pinpoint EXACTLY what to do for everyone – it depends on so many factors!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ NO MATTER WHAT, LEARNING TO ACTIVATE THE MUSCLES OF THE DEEP ONE IS ESSENTIAL TO BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR YOUR BODY.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here is a sample of what I would do with some of my clients and the first workout inside my NEW MOM TO MIGHTY STRONG ONLINE PROGRAM.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Chose a few lower body exercises to see how things feel in the body ..read more

Coning/Doming is just the visual representation of pressure from within your inner core system. When there is a mismanagement of pressure within the system, it takes the path of least resistance to get out.⠀⠀⠀ When tissues of the abdominal wall including the linea alba have been stretched or have an increased laxity – this results in CONING through the front of the abdomen.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is feedback and it doesn’t have to be scary. Not all coning is created equal. You actually may NOT have to stop that exercise. Here is what you can do:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Inspect the coning. How does it feel? Is it soft to t ..read more

FOR ALL MY PREGNANT WOMEN OUT THERE….watch out for this BAD workout advice: “Just continue doing what you were doing before…” Raise your hand if you were a runner, a power lifter, loved your Bootcamp classes, cycling or anything other high impact – high intensity workouts.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now you know me – I help women continue to do the movement they love during pregnancy and beyond BUT not taking ANY considerations for CORE SUPPORT, PELVIC FLOOR and PRESSURE MANAGEMENT is just plain silly.⠀⠀⠀ That’s IF you want to keep doing what you love. See the pictures? That’s me deadlifting and squatting quite ..read more