Ask Amy: Exercising post-birth for new mums

Ask Amy

Gently does it . . . exercising post-birth for new mums

BY | Dr Amy Lauren Pillar Chiropractic & Pilates owner and chiropractor

Congratulations, you’re a mum. At such an exciting and busy time, it’s easy to put our movement and exercise routine on the back burner, but you don’t have to, as long as you move gently and know your limitations.

Women often underestimate the physical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy, birth and the “fourth trimester”. When it comes to returning to exercise post-partum, these changes need to be kept front of mind.

Receiving the all-clear from your health care provider to return to exercise post-partum is not a green light to resume the level and intensity of exercise you undertook pre-pregnancy, or even during pregnancy.

A gentle and measured approach should be taken, especially for women who have undergone a caesarean section, which is major abdominal surgery.

Many health practitioners recommend gentle exercise in the form of pilates to re-engage and strengthen the core and pelvic floor and to build strength into postural muscles which are often compromised from hours of holding and feeding your baby.

For post-partum women who attend our reformer pilates classes at Pillar, I am constantly reminding them that the goals around exercise should now be different.

Simply making it out of the house, in an often sleepdeprived state, is an achievement.

To assist in finding the motivation to return to exercise, I also recommend women choose a form of exercise they enjoy and view that exercise as a form of self-care, a time to check in with themselves and reconnect with their body.

Finding a specific post-natal exercise class also allows women the opportunity to connect with other women in the throes of early motherhood, which is incredibly important.

The benefits of sharing the ups and downs of motherhood with people in the same position as you can not be underestimated, it helps with feelings of isolation and encourages positive mental health.

And as you get back into the groove of stretching and exercising, please remember not to be too hard on yourself, your body has just created life and should be celebrated for it.

This is a sprint not a race, and gently does it should be your mantra. Your body and mind will thank you for it. Pillar Pilates runs weekly post-natal reformer pilates classes with baby-minding services available for the duration of the class. Visit pillarperth.com.au to find out more.

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COSMETIC MEDICINE

It’s time to shake off the cobwebs and focus on your inner core and wellbeing, says Gail Williams.

Spring into wellbeing

How do we love spring in Subi? Let us count the ways.

Walks through Kings Park to see the wildflowers? Pink blossoms sprouting in front gardens. The smell of boronia in the air? There’s also the sounds of vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers and hedge clippers as Subiaco gets into a frantic spate of spring cleaning.

But spring is not just about cleaning out our physical spaces. It’s also a perfect time to focus on mental health and wellbeing. A time to slow down and rejuvenate our minds and souls.

There’s no shortage of harmonic havens in Subiaco where residents can lie back and do just that.

Here we meet a few:

Lunge Yoga

Level 1/157 Rokeby Road, Subiaco Phone: 0412389603 This Japanese form of yoga is just the ticket for spring rejuvenation of mind and body. It follows a seasonal program in the Oki-do tradition: true knowledge comes from awakening deep, inner personal wisdom. Parents of teenagers would welcome that there is something to suit everyone, including classes specifically for teenagers, men and surfers.

Rumble Boxing Subiaco

Shop 1A/500 Hay St, Subiaco Phone: 0473 515 999 If you thought that belting out your frustrations on a punching bag would not lead to a state of zen, it’s time to glove up and do a 45-minute 10-round workout with Rumble, a newbie to Subi.

A few sessions and you could be the undisputed Muhammed Ali of chillax.

As John Travolta would say, “It’s electrifying”. And it takes place against a background playlist of a megawatt sound system. Leave your yoga mat at the door but you’ll get the same high.

Beyond Being Yoga

32 Townshend Rd, Subiaco. Phone: (08) 6161 7176 or 0411 581 550 Hayley Schmidt, owner and creator of Beyondbeing Yoga, has an invitation that is hard to refuse.

“Step into the flow of grace—and tap into your full physical, spiritual, and healing potential”. And she has a team of instructors ready to share the love with classes starting as early as 6am. Keep an eye out for the Gong Bath and Sound Healing workshops.

Life Wellness Massage Therapy

3/73 Hay St, Subiaco Phone: 0481 187 830 Like all animals coming out of hibernation, humans turn to rebalancing body and mind in spring. Life Wellness, with their team of nimble-handed experts, are just the people to help whether you are after remedial massage, relaxation,

sports massage, deep tissue, or lymphatic drainage.

Or if you fancy a bit of back walking or firm trigger point to get rid of knots and stiffness, this is the place.

Embody Health

4C Centro Avenue, Subiaco Phone: (08) 9380 9994 Aah spring babies . . . There’s a reason nature chooses spring as the best time to have a newborn. At Embody Health, they know all that, which is why they have a practitioner with a specialised skill set to return the bodies of new mums back to its best with a remedial massage.

And let’s not forget those who are pregnant with a range of holistic treatments, designed by Embody Health founder Caroline Oakes, to help women through the physical and emotional changes that arise during pregnancy. There’s also a fertility massage. Living Wellness

201 Railway Road, Subiaco Phone: (08) 9389 1008 If a medical treatment has been around for 5,000 years it’s got to have something going for it. James Evans, licensed acupuncturist, hasn’t been around for quite that long. But he does practice traditional Chinese medicine and consults on all sorts of things from the effective treatment of acute and chronic ailments including fatigue, insomnia, pain, infertility and complex gynaecological and medical conditions.

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