Lose the Baby Weight | Pilates with Priya

3 reasons your abdominals may not be healing up.

14 May, 2017 Priya Tew

Saggy Tummy skin?

Mummy pouch?

Abdominal separation that hasn’t healed?

Here are 3 reasons you may not be seeing results.

1. Posture.

I can’t highlight this enough. Try this out. Place one hand on your tummy muscles. Stand up with poor posture, rounded shoulders, head jutting forward. Now what does it do to your tummy? Those muscles feel taut and strong, or saggy and loose? What changes when you lengthen up through the spine, bring the shoulder blades round and down in your back and straighten your neck? You should feel your tummy muscles are tighter and in a better position to heal up when you have good posture.

2. Nutrition.

If you are not giving your body good nutrition then you aren’t giving it the best chance to heal. Protein, zinc, iron and vitamin C are all important in wound healing and muscle repair. I know as a mum you need quick meals and often have to eat on the hoof, but you can eat still eat healthily. It is all in the preparation and mind set. Step away from the cake and focus on nutritious snacks that give you energy and fill you. Nuts, seeds, homemade granola bars, hummus, egg muffins are good examples. A bowl of fruit, Greek yoghurt (higher in protein) and a small handful of nuts is a fabulous snack. Make overnight oats with fruit and seeds the night before, ready for an instant breakfast. Bake a pile of sweet potato’s ready for lunches, then you can heat them in the microwave for lunch, top with tuna, pile some salad on the plate and it should keep you going. The diagram below is both relative for pelvic floor healing and diastasis recti.

3. Breathing and Stress.

How much attention do you give to your breathing? Probably very little. Yet thoracic breathing can be a deal breaker. When you breath into the ribcage and not the belly you activate the intercostal muscles instead of forcing the tummy muscles out. As you breath out your pelvic floor lifts and you core activates. So breathing alone can work to strengthen your pelvic floor and lower abdominals. Stress leads to shallow breathing higher in the chest. It also affects hormones, posture in a lot of people and eating. A triple whammy. So taking time to relax, bring your cortisol levels down and calm down can be a factor. A bath, reading for 10 mins, a pilates class, it all helps.

I know how hard it can be. I’ve been there. But I also know this stuff works! I’ve closed 2 diastasis in my own body. Don’t delay, start with the tips above today.

If you want a 1-1 session for posture assessment and exercises you can use at home then get in touch I can even work over Skype.

When should I return to high intensity exercise?

9 June, 2016 Priya Tew

Exercise can be so so key when you are a mum and so many people I work with and talk to are desperate to get back to their former routine, jeans and get time for them. Having had 2 babies and about to have the 3rd I completely get it.

Why should I wait?

Your pelvic floor deserves a break. After 9 months of carrying a baby it’s had a lot of extra work to do, then there is the act of pushing out a baby. It’s understandable that it may need some R&R time. Jumping back into high impact workouts will put extra pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, preventing them from recovering properly and potentially damaging them further. A weak muscle is a muscle that is easier to damage. It is NOT right to need to wear protection in your pants when you exercise. Leaks should not be the norm.

Your body has had 9 months of carrying a baby around. It takes 9 -12 months to recover nutritionally, so why would it take any less time to recover your physical body?

You need a good, strong, solid foundation before you build. Your core is your floor. So get that strong and the rest will follow. Your lower abdominals, pelvic floor, the postural back muscles and the obliques all functions together to provide your stable base. Don’t rush into running, lifting, jumping in order to have it crumble away under you.

How long to wait:

A lot of the time this is individual and depends on your previous fitness, how many babies you have had and how your pelvic floor function and core were before. But I recommend you wait a good 4-6 months and build up slowly. Listen to your body.

Things to watch out for:

If you feel a dragging or heaviness in your pelvic floor.

Have pain in your lower back, pelvis or abdominals.

Leaks when exercising.

It generally feels uncomfortable or wrong.

THEN STOP.

Go back to working on your core, get stronger and then try again in a couple of months.

After Baby it is time to Nourish YOU.

17 January, 2016 Priya Tew

Being a mum is amazing, it teaches you so much about yourself, it challenges you the furthest you have probably ever been challenged. There can be moments of joy, fear, hilarity, excitement, frustration and annoyance all in one hour. Your little ones are the most amazing gift and a true miracle to watch them grow.

So it is not surprising that in the midst of all the hard work of mummy hood that YOU, the mummy, can be the one that gets forgotten. Perhaps you don’t have time to eat properly, you aren’t getting proper sleep, you don’t have the time to look after yourself and there is very little You time.

The problem is your body is in recovery. For 9 months it has carried and nurtured a growing baby. That’s a lot of work. Your body has provided nutrition, your muscles have been stretched and strained by carrying the extra weight, your breathing has even adapted and your blood flow. Your hormones have been altered. Then you have given birth. No small feat, in fact a massive achievement and a massive ordeal for the body to then recover from. Mums are expected to spring back to full form in a matter of weeks – but it can take the body a good 9 months to a year to recover nutritionally, hormonally and in strength.

So how can you help yourself?

Nourish yourself with nutritious and delicious food. It can feel like the last thing you have time to do but the inside of your body is your powerhouse. If you are not sustaining yourself then you will not be able to look after anyone else well.

Base your meals around: good lean protein sources, wholegrains and fruit and vegetables. Plan your meals out, there is nothing worse than being starving hungry, having little time to cook and now having a clue what you are going to make.

Meal plan like a goddess: I like to meal plan on a Sunday and then bulk cook – cooking 2-3 meals in one hit works for me as it means it can all be done in a hour or so, I do all the mess, chopping and clearing up at once and can stock up my freezer too. For example today I have made a large batch of minced beef : half for a lasagne, half for the freezer, then a chicken soup using the chicken carcass and some roasted vegetable pasta sauce. So I have meals for Mon, Tues and Wed then on Thurs we may eat a meal from the freezer and Friday is a relaxed affair in our house so may be baked sweet potatoes with tuna and salad.

Stop the chocolate cake: Snack instead on proteins (nuts, seeds, yoghurt, hummus, egg muffins) and fruit/veggies. It can be hard to break the habit but it will make you feel better. Find a system that works for you – make up snack boxes ahead of time, buy in ready made snack boxes, bulk bake healthy snacks such as healthy oaty bars or my Cocao Power Balls. For that sweet treat switch over to a little bit of dark chocolate, you won’t eat as much of it and it is packed with antioxidants.

Move away from the caffeine and sugar rush club. It can make you feel better initially but it really doesn’t give you long lasting energy or health. Eating protein and low glycaemic index foods such as oats will lead to you having more sustained energy levels, more stable mood and will help regulate your appetite.

Sleep is the queen. Having had 2 babies who did not sleep well I know what a nightmare sleep deprivation is. Literal torture, your brain doesn’t function properly, your appetite steps up a gear, you are cranky and still have a whole day to get through. Find a way to get a decent nights sleep in, see if you can take it in turns with your partner or have a family member help in the day so you can nap. That magical work, nap!

Wine o’clock. Maybe this should be whine o’clock?! You know that 5/6pm moment when it’s all just too much and you wish bedtime would hurry it’s ass up? That’s the point I want a glass of something. I don’t see anything wrong with a glass of wine now and again, but it’s remembering that it is also a toxin and when your body is trying to recover you don’t want to overload it with other work to do. So enjoy that glass of wine, but don’t go OTT.

Relaxation Hour. Well you may not have an hour, but building in regular time for you to unwind and relax is vital. When your stress levels are high you respond to things differently. Try using a meditation app such as Headspace, go swimming, get your nails done, read a new book, go for a walk – whatever you can manage. Just do something that calms, chills and centres you.

Mummies, you are amazing. Your bodies are amazing. Go love them, nourish them and enjoy your babies.

Look out for my next post on postnatal nutrition – the micro’s and macro’s.

C sections, the how, what and why of exercise

5 January, 2015 Priya Tew

C-sections can be planned or emergency. I knew very little about them when I gave birth the first time and actually avoided the antenatal class on the topic! However it is really best to have some knowledge in case you have one. Some women elect to have a section, and others go through the stages of labour and then deliver their baby via section. Around 25% of all births in the UK were delivered by section (2008).

What is a c-section?

An incision made horizontally, just above your pubic hair line. Contrary to belief, your abdominal muscles AREN’T actually cut with this incision, it’s the outer coating of the muscle, and the cling film type structure in between the 6-pack muscles that is. The incision is made on the outside of your body horizontally, and then your surgeon gently peels your Linea Alba apart (vertically) to gain access. The Linea Alba runs vertically down your stomach, and separates your six pack muscles in half, above and below your belly button. The outside incision is then sutured back together, but the inside cling film/Linea Alba is not.

I know I’m having a c-section, so I don’t need to do pelvic floor exercises, right?

If you elect to have a section, there’s a misconception that your pelvic floor will be fine. You might think that because your body won’t be going through the stages of labour, your pelvic floor won’t be affected. However, pregnancy itself puts tremendous pressure on your pelvic floor, as the weight of your developing baby gets bigger and bigger, and therefore weakens these muscles. So, it’s still very important that you strengthen your pelvic floor during and after pregnancy, even if you elected to have a section.

When can you return to exercise following a c-section?

You will need to have had your Doctor’s Check up before your return to exercise after a c-section, which, depending on your Doctor’s Practice/Surgery could be 8 weeks, 10 weeks or even 12 weeks, so give them a call to see what their guidelines are. It’s major surgery and your body will need time to heal, so my top tip is to listen to your body and don’t rush back into exercise too early.

What is recovery like after a c-section?

After a c-section, your recover time is longer than a natural birth, you may have a loss of sensation, a numbness in your abdominals especially around the scar area, and the scar tissue itself may reduce your ability to do certain movements completely pain-free. Your pelvic floor may take a little while to activate consciously too, but keep sending the signal from your brain to these muscles, and eventually, it will switch back on, I promise.

What exercise is safe after a c-section?

Postnatal-specific Pilates-based or core exercise is probably THE best form of exercise for any new mum to be doing, regardless of the type delivery. Pelvic floor work and then TVA core work is essential to get everything firing again and to start toning that tummy too. It can take time for sensation and nerve impulses to start working again, but it will happen. Patience and perserverance are needed. Babies teach you a lot about both of those I find 😉

Say NO to Sit Ups

8 August, 2014 Priya Tew

Sit-ups are one of those exercises that I’m really not keen on. Many people perform them incorrectly, they are not safe in pregnancy or post-birth… and yet they are often one of the main exercises people will be doing.

A sit up or any variation of this movement where you go into forward flexion , bringing your upper body towards your knees, is not a good thing for postnatal women. In fact it can cause more harm than good as it works the tummy muscles in the wrong way. So, if you’ve recently had a baby and you’re doing sit ups, STOP them immediately.

Sit ups work the tummy muscles that run vetically down the tummy, called the Rectus Abdominis but commonly known as the six-pack muscle. These lengthen in pregnancy and as your baby grows and your bump gets bigger, this muscle my start to separate around your belly button. The abdominals can take time to come back to normal after your baby has been born, so for several weeks and indeed months after birth, these muscle remains in a lengthened, separated state.

The danger of doing sit ups in this state is that you can widen any separation you may have of the abdominals and you can actually strengthen the muscles to stay in this separated state. The long term problems with separation include the risk of a hernia (the intestines poke out as there are no tummy muscles covering them), pelvic floor weakness and it also means you won’t get a flat tummy back again.

Instead of doing sit ups, you need to focus on strengthening the pelvic floor and the Transversus Abdominis, which runs like a corset around your lower tummy. By strenghtening these muscle that are deep inside you will strengthen the body from the outside in. These muscles are your foundation, once they are working then they will help realign any abdominal separation you may have and will knit you together again.

Our specialist Postnatal Pilates class and our DVD focuses on strengthening these muscles in the correct order. So we find the lower tummy (transversus abdominus) muscle first, along with the pelvic floor. We then shorten the rectus abdominus muscles running down the tummy. When this is strong enough and any abdominal separation has been realigned, then the other tummy muscles can be worked.

How to Exercise with Your Baby!

13 July, 2014 Priya Tew

Life changes dramatically after your have a baby. Everyone told me this before I had baby 1 but I didn’t really believe it until it happened. Suddenly I went from someone who could spend long periods of time in the gym and go for a run whenever I wanted… to someone who had a baby who fed for 14 hours a day, someone who was living off a few hours sleep, someone who had a small person dependant on them.

Yet I can tell you I still managed to fit in exercise. Even after baby 2 when I had even less sleep and even less time. I wouldn’t say I’m a fitness addict or a superstar mum. I’m just someone who knows that exercise: 1) Boosts my endorphin levels so makes me feel good, 2) Gives me more energy, 3) Helps me tone up and get back in shape.

This is how I fit exercise in…

Walks with the pram. With my first baby I regularly went out for an afternoon walk to help her sleep and to get myself some exercise and fresh air. With my second baby I combine with with a trip to the park to wear out the toddler!
Running with the pram. I did this alot with my first baby, she loved it and still does at 3 1/2 years “Mummy go faster”.

I went back to teaching my Step Aerobics and Pilates classes as soon as I could. Personally I needed this baby free time. If you can find a postnatal exercise class then go and do it.
Put the baby in a door bouncer or a bouncy chair, put on a postnatal fitness DVD and let them watch. I now do this with the baby watching and the toddler copying me.
Wear the baby in a sling and go walking, up hill or up and down the stairs is especially good.
Once the small ones are asleep have a set night you go out to exercise or do some exercise at home.
Exercise with other mummies – either in a class or go walking together.

I’ve even been know to teach and do Pilates classes with baby asleep in the sling…. but I wouldn’t recommend you try this out.

Try it out, I promise it will make you feel good 🙂

Back to the Studio…What has Pilates taught you?

19 January, 2014 Priya Tew

It’s been 4 months since baby Judah arrived and the time has literally flown by. Our team of instructors have been amazing at covering classes and I’ve enjoyed every minute of spending time being a mummy. However I’ve also been itching to get back to the studio. What has amazed me has been the journey of working on my own body postnatally and seeing how much it needed strengthening. I’m not fully back to my usual strength yet but I’m certainly well on my way.

Weight wise I’m almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m back in my usual jeans, which are a little tight but are getting looser by the week and I’ve just got a bit of a muffin top left to shift 😉 however I see that as my breastfeeding stores.

I’m now back teaching 11 classes a week plus some one to one sessions and my dietitian work. So it’s go go go. However I’m extremely lucky to have amazing clients who know I have to work around my gorgeous baby. So he is sometimes in the studio with me and has even come in for a sneaky feed during a class.

Pilates for me has been amazing. It’s taught me body awareness which means throughout preganancy and now postnatally I am really trying hard to listen to it, work out what muscles are tights, which need stretching, which need working and when to stop. For example I know I had a slight gap between by tummy muscles after birth which I’ve been ultra aware of, I’ve also got a clicky hip and shoulders from the relaxin that is kicking around my system still. It’s also the ideal exercise for me to do in between feeds as it it can be done in small chunks of time, it corrects my posture and it relaxes me. What has Pilates taught you?

Week 9 Post-baby: Picking up my trainers

29 November, 2013 Priya Tew

After 4 weeks of twitchy feet and 8 weeks retraining my core I decided it was time to try out a short run.

Now I do not advocate rushing into high intensity exercise too soon post-birth. Here are the reasons I felt I was ready:

I have worked on building my core strength back up and although its not where it was pre-pregnancy, I’m confident it is strong enough.
I was active all throughout pregnancy (step aerobics until 37 weeks) so my body is used to exercise.
I’ve spent several weeks building my cardiovascular exercise up with short workouts and walks.
I still have a diastasis recti, its now 1.5cm but the depth of this has significantly lessened and I can feel the improvement.

So I planned a morning run, got the toddler and baby sorted and hubby at home to look after them. At last minute the toddler decided she was coming too. My first run turned into myself, the buggy and toddler running to the sounds of “What’s that mummy” and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”, what better company could I ask for? I took it gently and managed a little cycle of running for 4 minutes, walking for 1 minute, a total of 15 minutes. Not quite my usual 6km run, but a good start. Here we are pre-run.

Later in the week I managed to sneak out for another run, this time with baby and the buggy and managed 4 1/2 minutes running, 1 minute walking. I’m hoping this will improve each time.

I’ve also had a sickly baby this week so other exercise has been teaching my Pilates classes and attending a Pilates class and ballet class for my benefit, no walking or weights but I have lost 1kg (2lbs).

If you are thinking about starting running post-baby here are my tips:

Make sure you have a very good sports bra, especially if you are breastfeeding. I’m wearing a sports bra, support top and a top with a built in support.
Build up to it, so get walking and doing other exercise first.
Ensure your core is strong enough to support the impact or you could do more harm.
Start small. Try running for 1 minute and walking for 1 minute in a little cycle and build it up.
Wear good trainers, they will make all the difference.

Losing the Baby Weight Week 6: my first training session.

9 November, 2013 Priya Tew

So I’ve reached the 6 week post baby place. This is usually when you get an appointment with your GP and hopefully are given the green light to exercise. In my GP surgery the 6 week check is carried out at 8 weeks. Fortunately as a specialist in the antenatal and postnatal fitness arena I know what exercise is safe to do at this stage, so this weekend I made a start. I’d love to go for a run and do some high impact work, but I’m very aware that my core is not as strong as I’d like it to be yet and my pelvic floor is still regaining strength. Also Relaxin is still in my system making my joints prone to overstretching. So I’m being patient and holding back. Doing high impact activites such as running, jumping, aerobics can put extra strain on your pelvic floor and joints. So my thoughts and advice are to take it easy and go for low impact options after birth until you have regained some core strength first, this is like your foundation for all other exercise. My Exercise this week: I’m doing some Pilates pretty much everyday. Just 15 minutes is really making a difference and I am now so much stronger than I was. I’m loving 1/2 roll ups, swimming in hands and knees and shoulder bridges with knee folds. I’ve even done a bit of Pilates with baby asleep in the sling 😉 Hard work indeed!

At the weekend I did my first weights session. I focused on squats, lunges, chest presses, shoulder rows and modified press ups. My toddler joined me with her imaginery weights and baby kicked along to the music on his playmat. Exercising with children can be done! It was nice to feel my muscles the next day! Walking is key for me too, I’m making sure I get a walk in 3 time a week, usually this is with baby in the sling or pushing the baby and toddler in the buggy – both make for a good workout 🙂

Losing the Baby Weight Week 4.

21 October, 2013 Priya Tew

The past 4 weeks has on the one hand flown past and on the other hand it feels like its been forever that this little boy has been around. Life has calmed down with visitors being less frequent, more of a natural routine appearing and sleep deprivation properly setting in as the adrenaline wears off!

I’ve just gone back to post natal Pilates, very cautiously. It’s great to be back in my studio exercising with other mums but I’m pacing myself and only doing short bursts of gentle core work. My tummy muscles separated a little in this second pregnancy, a condition known as diastasis recti, and I have a 1cm gap at present. This is nothing to worry about but I’m keen to close this gap completely before attempting any exercises that involve curling up.

For more on diastasis recti see here and here.

Here is my post natal mummy tummy. I’m keen to dispel the perfect tummy, air brushed celeb look and would love pics of your post baby tummies, at at any stage after baby for a blog post. Names optional! Please send them through to me – [email protected]

Pilates with Priya: Post Natal Tummy Week 4

I’m also trying to fit in a daily walk, the fresh air and cardiovascular exercise is great for me and baby. Plus having a toddler have to get out and about. It’s all about pacing yourself and planning I think. What are your thoughts?

Category: Lose the Baby Weight