Postpartum Exercise Facts & Stats

You're at least 6 weeks postpartum, and you're already thinking about wanting to get out of the house and get active. Struggling with what to do? Here are some great facts and stats that will show you why you should sign up for an Oh Baby! Fitness class!

POSTPARTUM EXERCISE FACTS & STATS

- Returning to exercise is linked to a decrease in postpartum depression.

- Women who took structured group exercise programs after delivery showed more success at losing body fat and keeping it off 1 year postpartum than those who didn't exercise.

- Women who brought their babies and exercised in a group with others in an Oh Baby! Fitness class had less guilt about leaving their baby with a caregiver, were able to stop and feed the baby any time, and were able to build a community.

SAFE EXERCISES TO DO DURING FIRST 6 WEEKS POST DELIVERY

- Walking - ONLY if it makes you feel good!

- Kegel exercises (pull pelvic floor muscles up and in, similar to how you would stop the flow of urine).

- Abdominal hollowing (pull belly button toward spine during exhale and imagine pulling bottom ribs toward each other, and hold for 3-5 seconds, no need to do it in a wall squat! Do in a sitting position).

- Chest stretches (bring hands behind back, interlace fingers, open chest)

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

There are 3 types of postpartum emotional and mental woes:

1- Baby Blues- women feel weepy, overwhelmed, and irritable. It can last up to 10 days, and 80% of women struggle with this post baby. Extra sleep and some time away from baby helps lessen the symptoms.

2- Postpartum Depression - women feel sad, anxious, have changes in appetite, insomnia, and/or guilt. Can last 2 or more weeks, and at least 15% of women struggle with PPD. With counseling and/or medication (and exercise!), women can begin to see a decrease in symptoms.

3- Postpartum Psychosis - women feel manic, paranoid, severe depression, violent thoughts and/or tendencies. Only 5% women struggle with PPP, and they are able to find peace and comfort through inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Read more at Postpartum International at www.postpartum.net or call (800) 994-4PPD.

Prenatal Exercise Facts & Stats

For those of you who are deliberating over whether you should start exercising or continue exercising once you're pregnant, these facts and stats are just for YOU! 

These stats and facts are based upon research done by Dr. James Clapp, who was a professor emeritus of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University and a research professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

PRENATAL EXERCISE FACTS

-Pregnant women who exercise experience shorter, easier, and faster labors (an average of 2 hours less!).

- 24% of exercising pregnant women had fewer cesareans and fewer complications than women who did not exercise.

Pregnant women who exercised also experienced:

- 35% decreased need for pain relief

- 75% less maternal exhaustion

- 50% decreased need to be induced

- 50% lowered need to have Pitocin to quicken labor

- 50% decreased medical intervention because of abnormal fetal heart rate

- 50% less episiotomies (ALL THOSE KEGELS!)

- 75% decrease in the need for forceps or c-section

***Women who exercise regularly during pregnancy maintain positive attitudes about themselves, their pregnancy, and their upcoming labor and delivery.

***Exercise decreases the occurrence and width of Diastasis Recti (abdominal separation).

Want to learn more about prenatal exercise? Sign up for an Oh Baby! Prenatal Fitness class at 

ohbabyfitness.com!

How Coordinated Pushing is Important During Delivery

There is plenty of research and studies done to show the importance of core strength and breathing techniques during labor and contractions. However, there is not much education for pregnant women on what muscles to use and what muscles to relax when pushing their baby out.

It's key to think about what actually happens during the pushing phase of delivery. When it's time to bear down and start pushing, what tends to happen is that the mom will tighten all of her muscles: abdominals, buttocks, legs, and pelvic floor. Although this is natural (being in severe pain and fatigue obviously makes it hard to relax and let your body do its thing!), what happens is while the mother pushes her baby down the birthing canal, she is also moving her baby's head up against her tight and contracted muscles in her pelvic floor. 

Learning and practicing coordinated pushing can help prevent this (along with other things, like tearing) and encourage an easier and faster delivery. It can be hard to learn at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's so important to practice and use during delivery!

Performing belly breathing is a great way to practice contracting and strengthening the abdominals. Kegel exercises are just as important and great for strengthening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. The trick to coordinated pushing is including both of these exercises in a combined manner. As the saying goes, "push with your gut, not with your butt!". Practicing by contracting the abdominals and relaxing the pelvic floor is exactly what should also be done during the pushing phase of delivery.

Check out this video from the Oh Baby! Fitness blog on combining Kegels and Belly Breathing to perform Coordinated Pushing.

To strengthen your core, pelvic floor, and learn more about coordinated pushing, sign up online today for a Prenatal Oh Baby! Fitness class taught in Berry Hill in Nashville. More than just prenatal yoga, we focus on cardio, upper and lower body strengthening, core and pelvic floor health and strength, and some yoga stretches!

Click HERE to sign up!

Top 8 Excuses That Women Use to NOT Exercise During Pregnancy

So you're pregnant. And you know you need to either get active or stay active (depending on your fitness level). But you also have these fears, doubts, and concerns about what's too much, what's not enough, and if it is even safe at all. 

As Kathleen Donahoe (COO of Oh Baby! Fitness) puts it:

"ACOG (the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology) recommends pregnant women work out at a moderate level for at least 30 minutes on most, if not all days of the week.  Basically, they want you working out at a moderate (note, not gentle) level every single day. Pregnancy is not the time to curl up and rest, it’s the time to prepare for the most strenuous jobs on the planet- motherhood! ".

I've been doing some research on what seems to be the biggest reasons why women are either too afraid of working out while pregnant, or are just trying to justify their way out of staying active throughout their pregnancy. And here is what I've discovered.

Top 8 Excuses Why Women Will NOT Exercise During Pregnancy

1. "I am not in shape!"

Just because you are not "in shape" when you get pregnant doesn't mean it's not a good time to start exercising! Pulling from one of the Core Beliefs held by myself and Oh Baby! Fitness:

Pre- and postnatal EXERCISE IS IMPORTANT. We believe exercise during pregnancy creates easier labors, healthier babies, and happier new moms. We listen to the latest studies about perinatal exercise, share them with our clients and instructors, and build our programming based on their recommendations. And we encourage women to get in the best shape of their lives during pregnancy.

Prenatal and postpartum exercise is key to having a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum recovery! Not to mention, a healthier mom and baby!

2. Wrong Trimester

Check this out: as long as your doctor KNOWS and APPROVES of you getting active, there is NO WRONG TRIMESTER to start exercising! Exercise provides multiple benefits throughout each trimester and can help with prenatal aches and pains. Studies have shown that women who exercise up until their delivery date are:

-       Less likely to have premature labor

-       Less likely to have babies with low birth weight

-       Less likely to have a c-section

-       Less likely to request/use pain management during labor

-       More likely to have shorter, quicker labors

-       More likely to gain less weight during pregnancy

(http://blog.ohbabyfitness.com/category/pregnancy-exercise-tips/page/3/#sthash.RzdavdEk.dpuf)

Note: if you develop a condition that causes you to be high risk, it is important to listen to your doctor and your body before exercising.

3. You've NEVER exercised a day in your life

You have never used a dumbbell. Exercise bands look like they could snap in half. And you've never done any kind of pushup ever. You are the PERFECT candidate to start exercising! Especially with other pregnant or new moms! It's a gentle environment filled with support, compassion, and a Perinatal Fitness Expert who is ready to guide you through each and every question you may have!

4. Feeling under the weather

If you're feeling nauseated in your first trimester, limited in your second, or exhausted in your third, going for a walk (not doing a massive workout) can at least help makes those feelings subside. Better yet, getting out and being a little active with other expecting or new moms can lighten the load of all those feelings, and others such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness. 

5. Back, hip, and other pains and aches

Your hips are aching due to round ligament pain or your low back hurts because of sciatica. Getting active and moving your body gets the blood flowing, loosens up muscles, and can help relieve several discomforts: swelling of feet and hands, varicose veins, pelvic pain, SI joint pain, spinning breech babies to head down position, carpel tunnel, nausea, insomnia, control/manage gestational diabetes, and control overall weight gain.

6. "What if I need to pee 10 times during a prenatal fitness class?"

It’s okay to go pee, and barf, and eat, and fart, and cry. A pregnancy exercise class is sometimes the ONLY place no one will look at you funny for the behaviors that pregnancy brings on. So don’t worry if you suddenly are the girl that accidentally lets one fly, or that breaks down in tears. We understand, and I've seen it all! So do your thing, and we'll do ours!

7. "Do I need a gym membership to come to a class?"

Nope! You just get to walk into class, sign in, sign a waiver, and get your sweat on!

8. "I'm afraid that I will have a miscarriage"

Many women fear that exercising, falling, lifting heavy objects or the like can trigger a miscarriage, but the chances of that happening are slim. “Unless you are a smoker, illicit-drug user or heavy drinker, there’s very little you can do to cause a miscarriage,” notes says Henry Lerner, M.D., an OB-GYN at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass., and an assistant clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School. 

What other fears, concerns, or excuses do you find yourself having that keeps you from being active during your pregnancy?

Contraction Squats - Practicing For A Contraction

Wanting to have a natural birth? If so, it's important to practice your mind-body connection through discomfort. This is key during labor and delivery. Learning that what you are going through is "positive pain" instead of "I can't do this!" or "I'm going to split in half!" is a hard thing to practice and to master. This is why I have my prenatal clients practice "contraction squats". 

After teaching my clients their belly breathing (inhale-push the abdominals outward, exhale-pull the abdominals in and upward), I have them use it during a 1 minute squat hold. This helps them to focus on their breathing, increases their muscular stamina, and teaches them to work through their discomfort with positive reinforcement. It also gives them a very SMALL glimpse into how their mind and body will work together through a contraction. This offers great practice and preparation for the real thing.

Different squats I try with my prenatal clients:

Wall sit

Wall Sit With Ball

Deep Squat

Chair Pose

Practice never makes perfect, but it definitely helps you get better! And that's all you can do, is your best. Getting ready for labor and delivery is hard and can be scary. But getting prepared and strong will not only increase your physical strength, but also your mental and emotional strength as well. Making a strong bond with your mind-body connection is key. This squat is a great way to get that started!

New Oh Baby! Fitness Prenatal Classes!

Wow, it's been a long time. Sorry for being so busy!

I'm very excited to announce that I will now be teaching Oh Baby! Fitness Prenatal Toning, Fitness, & Yoga Combo classes at Results Fitness on Music Row! Starting May 27th-July 24th (no class July 1st or 3rd), so sign up now and get your Oh Baby! Fitness ON!

From the website:

At Oh Baby! Fitness, our focus is to give new and expectant moms a place to find support, make friends, get fit and bond with their babies. We offer the widest variety of fitness classes designed to take moms from pregnancy through birth, and then into the toddler years with their child. Our programs allow Mom to get out of the house, get her body back in shape and spend time with baby.

All of our instructors are specially trained in a nationally recognized pre/postnatal fitness certification, so they really know what they’re doing. Our instructors will help you make the modifications you need to build strength and lose weight. We've also partnered with area hospitals because they offer a safe environment for our classes and because doctors need to know what kind of exercise their pregnant and postpartum patients are participating in. 

If you live in or close to the Nashville area, go to ohbabyfitness.com to check out the classes and sign up. Classes are small and will fill up soon, so get a move on!

I've Seen Food Inc. And I Still Eat Meat

I know the documentary Food, Inc. came out a while ago, and it's kind of old news. But I've written about it before, and I wanted to revisit it.

There's a lot of people out there who have and have not seen this documentary. Some people I know who haven't watched it say it just brainwashes people into being vegetable loving hippies who want to save the animals and the planet. The funny thing is, and they touch on this in the movie, is that they do their best to try to unveil the realities of the food industry today. They have tried their best in this movie to show that we've already been brainwashed and how to wake up and see what's really happening to our food and what it does to our bodies, environment, and society. 

They touch on a lot of really important issues, such as the handling and treatment of livestock and meat, the feed that is given to the livestock, the farmers who provide the feed and livestock to the major meat companies. They also talk about the meat and food that is making adult and childhood obesity go through the roof, the effects of dirty meat and E. Coli outbreaks, the local independent farmers who are trying to change the way America eats food, and the issue of illegal immigrants and their dangerous working conditions.

In case you were wondering, I really do like meat. That being said, I will also say that I'm a part-time vegetarian. Why part-time? Because I do not trust where our food comes from anymore. I do not trust our government companies who take the easy, cheap, and fastest way out using illegal immigrants to work, instead of the more intentional, natural, and affordable path giving millions of jobless Americans a way to work.

Therefore, I do a quick run down my list of expectations before I even consider meat to eat. I need to know exactly where my meat has derived from, how it's been handled (both living and butchered), who has been handling it, and how far it traveled.

The list:

-animals must be humanely treated - Meaning they've had ample space to move around and carry on appropriate behaviors, had safe and clean living quarters with natural sunlight and fresh air which lessens their chances of injury and not living in their own manure, and are handled with care.

-organic, clean, no hormones, antibiotics, or corn-fed- I don't want meat that has any ammonia-cleansed filler (this makes up 70% of most beef products) or blood and manure that has been unintentionally but lazily processed with it, no hormones to make the chicken, cow, or pig grow faster and bigger, no antibiotics to treat all of the E. Coli found in the meat, and no meat that was given corn instead of grass that increased E. Coli growth.

-animals that are farmed locally- This is a harder expectation to meet, but it happens more than people think; it takes so much money and fuel to transport millions of meat across the country. So why not save on all of that and try to buy chickens, beef, pork, eggs, cheese, and milk local? Yes it can be very expensive; but wouldn't you rather eat and drink animal products every other day or sparingly throughout the week than eat and drink modified, lesser quality versions of the real thing every day?

Joel Salatin, Owner and Farmer of Polyface Farms.
Click here to check out their website.

-farms who employ American citizens and/or legal immigrants of proper age- This helps lower the instance of having illegal immigrants, forced labor, and child slaves who could care less about the product working in harsh, dangerous, and life-threatening conditions for low wages and 60 hour work-weeks. When they get caught, they get arrested, but not the major meat company-heads who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. What is wrong with this picture?!

I became a part-time vegetarian almost 4 years ago. And although it was a struggle at the beginning, because meat has been such a big part of my life growing up and I am the only one in my family that has made this decision, it's gotten easier throughout these recent couple of years. Thankfully, my family has started taking these issues seriously as well, and have also changed their lifestyle when it comes to buying quality food. 

I will admit that the summertime makes it easier to be a vegetarian than the winter months. With farmers' markets in full swing who have such fresh and pure products, it's easy to have variety and creativity. However, never underestimate an organic beef stew with organic veggies. And now that I'm married to a hunter, it's definitely a bonus to eat true clean meat.

It's also important to me to not to be an inconvenient part-time vegetarian. If I go over to somebody's house and they have meat and vegetables, then I'm just going to stick with the veggies and whatever else they have. But if the main meal is only meat, I will be thankful for that food and eat it heartily instead of asking if they have anything else. I do still have my southern hospitality manners after all!

You may then wonder how I acquire enough protein in my diet, especially being as active as I am. Here are just a few things that I have incorporated more into my nutrition since I've made meat scarce:

-Homemade black bean patties (click here for the recipe)

-Organic cheese

-Organic milk

-Local organic eggs

-Plain greek yogurt (I eat Fage)

-Homemade hummus

-Peanut Butter

-Quinoa (the only plant derived grain that has all 8 essential amino acids that make up protein)
-Farro and bulgur wheat are also great sources of healthy carbs and proteins

-Applegate Farms meat (very sparingly because they're a tad pricey); click here to read about their products.

With all this to say, I hope my honesty and food choices have sparked your interest into learning more about what you're putting into your body and the real food industry we unknowingly contribute billions of dollars to. 

There's a reason why many people in this world don't care about what they eat or where their food comes from.  One of the biggest reasons is because they have been blind to the reality of it all because these major companies don't want us to know.  They create cheap and addicting products that are convenient for our busy lives. These companies have also made us believe that it's not a big deal if we don't care, and that it's normal to make the more convenient, unhealthy choice than the educated, healthier choice. There's also a reason why childhood and adult obesity and diabetes are rapidly spreading throughout this country. 

Maybe it can be said this way: ignorance is bliss. 

Or is it?

But that's for another post.

For more information on how to start being a vegetarian, or at least part-time vegetarian, feel free to contact me anytime!

And please, for your sake, check out the movie Food, Inc. just to get a small look into what you're really eating.

To find the closest CSA or Farmer's Market in your area, click here to go to LocalHarvest Farmer's Market page.

To learn more about our government and agriculture, click here.

To learn more about the U. S. Food And Drug Administration, click here.

Educate yourself!


***all photos are still frames from the documentary, Food Inc.
***I do not own any photos or claim to.