By Jen Dugard
THE 3
‘MUST-DO’
POST NATAL EXERCISES
W
hen working with post-natal clients and creating their exercise program, it is
important to consider their new role as a mum. Some women—especially if
they haven’t exercised much or primarily worked in an office environment—
are faced with the most physically demanding job in the most de-conditioned state
they have ever been in. Many women are physically and emotionally drained. They
may have a baby that doesn’t sleep, be struggling with feeding and adapting to their
‘changed body’.
During this time mums should be
encouraged to understand their bodies,
re-build from the inside out and build
a base level of strength. A better
knowledge of how and why they ‘feel’
the way they do on a day-to-day basis
could truly change their experience of
early motherhood.
I took some time to think about my top
three favourite and essential exercises
that I like to teach all of my post-natal
mums. Choosing only three was a tough
job, but here they are:
1. Pelvic Floor and
Transversus Abdominis (TA)
Breathing
18
My absolute favorite and one that can
be done as soon as a new-mum feels
ready, this exercise is the foundation of
the postnatal woman. Learnt and
performed well, it can help to
rehabilitate her pelvic floor and has the
potential to help correct any abdominal
separation preventing further injury
down the track.
To ensure this exercise is performed
correctly, I recommend every new mum
should see a Women’s Health
Physiotherapist (WHP) at around the
6-week mark. If a pregnant mum can
be taught how to do this and sees a
WHP during her pregnancy, it will be
beneficial.
How to correctly teach pelvic floor
breathing:
• Ask your client to lie on her back
• Ensure knees are bent and feet are
hip width apart
• Check the spine is in neutral to
avoid over-arching of the lower
back or pushing it into the ground
• Client should place one hand on
one of her obliques (you can also
do the same to check whether the
correct muscles are contracting)
• Take her/your other hand and lay
it from hipbone to hipbone— this
is the area to concentrate on
throughout this exercise
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SUMMER 2017