The FIRST Pre/Postnatal Twitter Chat – Tues 12 Aug 2014 #ppnchat

How exciting is this? I’m working with Claire Mockridge (another fab pre/postnatal instructor) to bring you the first pre/postnatal twitter chat. A great chance for instructors to network, information share and learn from each other.
Twitter is a great place to meet others and pick up top tips. I’m regularly found taking part in twitter chats.
So… if, like me, you work with pregnant or postnatal women, pop this date/time in your diary:Beautiful pregnant woman.

 

  • Tuesday 12 August 2014
  • 2:30pm GMT (click here to calculate your timezone if you’re not in the UK/Europe)

 

 

Make sure you’re following me on Twitter here:

@pilateswpriya

Save this hashtag now: #ppnchat

The  will be centred around the word ‘community’.

It can be pretty lonely out there if you’re one of the only Pre/Postnatal Experts in your area. This is where social media can be a Godsend. I often ask advice and seek out others who I can learn from in this way. Community is important so come and build it with us.

 Don’t worry if you’re a complete novice when it comes to Twitter.

Follow us, send a Tweet beforehand and we will hold your hand through the process.

This Twitter chat is for ANYONE who works with pregnant or postnatal women, eg Reflexologists, Fertility Experts, Massage Therapists, Baby Yoga Teachers, Physios, Chiropractors, Osteopaths – you name it!

We will be encouraging people to introduce themselves, answer a few community-themed questions to get the conversation flowing and hopefully enable you to connect with others around you in similar fields of study or locality.

 

A FEW GUIDELINES…twitter

  1. Every tweet you send must contain the hashtag #ppnchat (otherwise you’ll be just talking to yourself)
  2. There will be 5 questions on the #ppnchat which will be numbered Q1, Q2, Q3 and so on, as follows:
    • Q1 – What products/services do you provide for pre/postnatal women and which city/area are you based? #ppnchat
    • Q2 – How important is it for pre/postnatal women to be introduced to other mums-to-be and new mums nowadays? #ppnchat
    • Q3 – How do you help your pre/postnatal clients find other women just like them? #ppnchat
    • Q4 – Do you find it lonely sometimes working in this specialist field? How do you combat that? #ppnchat
    • Q5 – What local businesses do you network with to help promote your products/services? #ppnchat
  3. When answering a question, please include ‘Q1′ at the beginning, followed by your answer eg Q1 I’m Claire, an Ante/Postnatal Fitness Expert running fitness and Pilates classes for pre/postnatal women in Nottingham#ppnchat
  4. Tweets must be fewer than 140 characters, so keep things short where
  5. Twitter’s tagline is ‘Join the Conversation’, so please don’t be shy!

 

And, there you have it!Claire-6

If you can’t make the FIRST #ppnchat on Tuesday 12 August 2014, don’t worry – just search the hashtag when you’re next online and connect with those who took part afterwards.  It won’t be a waste, I’m sure.

Please help spread the word about #ppnchat on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or via your mailing list.

 

See you ‘virtually’ on Tuesday at 2:30pm!priya

 

Regards

 

Claire Mockridge and Priya Tew

From Bump to Birth, It’s a Wrap. Antenatal DVD.

Wow what a day. I’ve been filming the new Pilates with Priya DVD, as I’m currently pregnant it made sense to make an antenatal DVD. Personally I found Pilates kept me well in pregnancy. I have a tendency to suffer from lower back pain when pregnant and Pilates is such a help for that. I was only teaching 1 class a week during my last pregnancy so was doing my own pregnancy pilates each night.

We now have 3 Antenatal classes running a week and it’s a joy to see so many pregnant ladies stay fit and strong throughout their journey. I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant with number 2 and am teaching 11 Pilates classes a week at present, it’s certainly keeping me toned and those aches and pains are staying away.

So as so many in my classes have said how helping Antenatal Pilates has been to them….. we took the hint and the new DVD will be coming out soon! Today we had 3 cameras, 2 sets of lights, 2 camera men and me, all in my little studio. It seemed to go well, but I haven’t seen any of it yet – looking forward to that bit 😉 The DVD includes a standing warm-up, some exercises seated either on  gym ball or a chair, exercises in hands and knees and lying on the side. It’s designed to strengthen the core and the pelvis, support the lower back and help prepare ladies for labour whilst keeping them well in pregnancy.

So if you are pregnant or know any one who is – then watch out for our DVD, coming very soon.

How to get a six pack and recover from diastasis recti.

Sit-ups, or any variation of this movement where you go into forward flexion eg when lying on your back, you bring your torso towards your knees to work the six pack muscle (called the Rectus Abdominus or RA), is considered a NO-NO for postnatal women, ladies post hysterectomy after some types of abdominal surgery, in those with abdominal doming or in diastasis recti (seperated tummy muscles).  This isn’t limited to women, lifting heavy weights can cause it to happen in men too. Performing this exercise can cause more harm than good.  So, if you’ve any of the above conditions and you’re doing sit ups, STOP them immediately.

How do you strengthen your abdominals? Pilates!!!

The first thing we need to do regarding this area is actually focus on strengthening your pelvic floor which is a bit like a sling of muscles supporting you from underneath, then locate the deep abdominal muscles which lie under your six-pack/R.A muscle.  These deep muscles are known as the Transversus Abdominis (TA). If you work on strengthening the deepest muscles first, then focus on the next layer, then the next layer after that, then your abdominals will re-align to their original structure.

Sit-ups strengthen and work the R.A.  During pregnancy with diastasis recti and after some surgeries, we know that this muscle has lengthened and separated.  If you don’t have a solid foundation underneath this six-pack muscle before you work  then sit-ups will actually make your separation worse, because you’re forcing the muscle to strengthen, when it’s still in a weakened, separated state.  The amount of abdominal pressure placed on the six-pack muscle when performing a sit-up, forces it to separate further apart.

The best type of exercise to do for your abdominals, postnatally is Pilates-based.  Pilates focuses on your pelvic floor and TA. As an instructor I’d focus on strengtheing your core first and then later on work on those sit ups to shorten the RA muscles.

So, I hear you ask: “Why do people do sit-ups?”.  Well, in most cases, people do sit-ups in the hope that they will get themselves a toned, flat stomach and a noticeable six-pack.  However I’d debate this, often sit-ups are not performed safely and unless you are super leaned  with a strong core, they aren’t going to work.

So, to get a six-pack, there are three things you need to do: a) clean up your diet, b) make fat-burning exercise part of your routine (the best way to burn fat, is to build lean muscle eg weight/resistance training), and c) work your pelvic floor and TA by doing Pilates.