Pelvic Floor 101 by Les Mills

Words spoken by a mother who is expecting another child (number 4!)

Courtesy of Les Mills

RAIN THE MUSCLES YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE

by Diana Archer-Mills , 11 DAYS AGO

Posted in Pregnancy, Fitness, Techniques, Newsfeed

11

It’s time to stop skirting the issue (get it, ‘skirting’ the issue… Never mind). Your pelvic floor is due some attention.

Have you pushed another human out of your body lately? Do you ever plan to? Even if you don’t ever plan on reproducing, you might want to spare a thought for your pelvic floor.

Carrying humans around and expecting them to exit via a hole smaller than seems appropriate is not the only reason our pelvic floor muscles weaken. As we age we also lose strength in our pelvic floor and vaginal muscles naturally. And this is because we just don’t think about them! Imagine what your glutes would look like if you never did a squat? Or how you’d slouch if you never worked on your postural muscles? The same can be said for your muscles down low. And, just like having a nicely toned back can benefit your life greatly, so too can strengthening your pelvic floor. How does a better sex life sound? Or dramatically reducing the possibility of you ever wetting your pants in public? Yeah, the whole subject is surrounded by an aura of hilarity, but it does need to be taken a little more seriously! Unless the word ‘prolapse’ doesn’t send shivers down your spine like it does mine. Ugh.

The good news is studies have found that there doesn’t have to be any loss in strength and toning, even after childbirth, as long as you work your pelvic floor muscles. It gets better, as toning them is super easy. So let’s just suck it up (get it, ‘suck it up’… Okay I’ll stop) and go there!      

How to tone the muscles that matter

First up, get comfortable. Now imagine that you need to use the bathroom and can’t cross your legs or shift your weight around to help you. Contract the muscles around your base, but don’t squeeze your glutes or thighs. Can you feel a lift? It might be microscopic to start with, just like the first time you exercise any muscle group.

Once you know the feeling you are looking for, try a set – squeeze and hold while you count to 10 seconds. You may feel your muscles start to fade, the contraction lag, and that’s OK, muscular fatigue means you’re increasing your strength. Release and try another 10 count. And again. Aim for 5 holds to start, and gradually increase this number, and the length of the hold, every day. Science says you should notice a big difference within 12 weeks.

It’s easy to forget to do this – so write yourself a coded message on your bathroom mirror and do them while you’re brushing your teeth, or as you’re driving to work.

Woohoo – happy lifting.

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50 Tips to becoming a Fit Mother

To the mothers out there, if you want a quick read rather than the other post of mine, check this one out. I like no. 50. Original post here

Staying healthy is a whole different ball game when you’re a mother.  You can forget about keeping a consistent schedule, sleeping eight hours a night and spending two hours at the gym. While the day-to-day physical challenges are one thing, the daily mental challenges are another. Not only do you deal with stretch marks, hormonal fluctuations and pregnancy weight gain, but you have to deal with your insecurities around women who have never had a baby, a sleepless night or a full-on toddler tantrum. I knew becoming a fit mother required me to make extra efforts in creating a successful environment.  After gaining and losing 110lbs for three years after having three kids, three years old and under, here are my 50 top tips to becoming a fit mother.

1.      Breastfeed: it burns tons of calories and contracts your uterus to become smaller.

2.      Create short term goals to keep you motivated.

3.      Measure your progress by inches, clothes and confidence…not just the scale.

4.      Stock up on meal replacements, like protein shakes, if you are too busy to eat.

5.      Drink some tea or coffee for an extra boost of energy.

6.       Journal what you are eating so you get a good idea of your caloric intake.

7.      Only keep healthy foods in your house.

8.      Bring healthy snacks like a protein bar/shake or nuts for quick snacks in your car.

9.      Carry a water bottle everywhere you go.

10.  Workout in the morning before the children wakes up.

11.  State your intentions every morning by creating daily workout and diet goals

12.  Invest in a jogging stroller. (I’ve purchased mine inexpensively on Craigslist)

13.  As soon as your baby is old enough, instill a routine for him/her so your schedule becomes more predictable.

14.  Join a stroller club or No Excuse Mom Fitness group

15.  Perform exercises with your baby like “kiss the baby sit-ups”

16.  Buy workout DVD’s to perform at home.

17.  Jump rope while watching your kids in the backyard or park

18.  Climb on the jungle gym with your kids

19.  Play the Wii instead of video games

20.  Create a mini-home gym complete with some weights, strength bands and a yoga mat

21.  Join a gym with a kids club

22.  Befriend other fit mommies

23.  Find a role model who is a fit mom

24.  Make “workout dates” with your friends

25.  Set a goal like a beach vacation to keep you focused

26.  Hold yourself accountable by telling other people your fitness goals

27.  Workout with your partner for support

28.  Enjoy active recreational activities like hiking and biking

29.  Don’t finish the rest of your child’s food

30.  Start eating more raw foods (fruits and vegetables). It saves on cooking time and is more nutritious.

31.  Eat before attending birthday parties

32.  Avoid eating out (and save yourself from the chaos of bringing kids to the restaurant)

33.  If you eat fast food, always order a salad or grilled chicken sandwich

34.  Eat most of your sandwiches “open-faced” or with just one slice of bread.

35.  Forfeit the bread basket at restaurants and only drink water or unsweetened ice tea (with lemon!)

36.  Eat s-l-o-w-l-y. Allow your body and mind to get satiated by the food your consuming.

37.  Purchase a healthy cook book and try a new recipe every week. If it’s not within budget, follow healthy Facebook pages! There are tons.

38.  Subscribe to an informational fitness magazine or online newsletter (that is often free).

39.  Try out new exercises every week as it will promote change, challenge and avoid boredom.

40.  Perform core exercises three times a week to tighten up your midsection. Here are my favorite AB exercises.

41.  Incorporate both weight training and cardio in your exercise routine

42.  Invest in cute workout clothes that make you feel beautiful and confident

43.  Brush your teeth at 8pm to avoid eating late at night

44.  Create a workout calendar as a visual reminder

45.  Make a personal pact to spend a minimum of 20 minutes a day exercising

46.  Get acquainted with the free workout channels on your television set

47.  Find your favorite workout videos on Youtube.com

48.  Be an active consumer in your local farmer’s market

49.  Plant a vegetable garden with your kids

50.  Focus on becoming a positive role model for your kids

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20-Minute Calorie-Burning HIIT Workout

If you're short of time (like me) try this! Body weight training and you don't need to go to the gym for this. It can even be done in your living room or garage.

With the holiday season in full swing and the hustle to get end-of-the-year projects complete, it’s easy to stray from our regular exercise habits. Who has time for exercise when we are shopping for presents, cooking for family, running errands, traveling and attending parties? You. You have time for exercise. If your regular routine of going to the gym is getting trumped by this busy time of the year, try a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout that offers both fitness and calorie-burning benefits. Plus, you’ll work up a good stress-reducing sweat in a short amount of time.

High-intensity interval training features alternating bouts of all-out high-intensity exercise effort and short rest periods for a specific number of sets. These short, intense bursts of activity give you an incredible aerobic, anaerobic, strength and power workout all rolled into one. During a HIIT workout, your body metabolizes fat for fuel and after your workout your body will tap into fat stores for the energy. This makes HIIT one of the best ways to maximize caloric burn in a short amount of time. All you need is 15 to 30 minutes to reap all of these benefits of a HIIT workout.

No fitness equipment necessary for this 20-minute HIIT workout, but make sure you have water close by and a timer to keep track of the work/rest exercise intervals.

This workout includes two sets of three exercises repeated four times in row. Each exercise in the set is performed for 20 seconds followed by a one-minute rest. When set #1 is complete, move on to set #2. 

High Knee Running: Run in place, bringing your knees up toward your chest and pumping the arms as quickly as you can. 

Diagonal Jump-ups: Begin in lunge position, with your right foot forward and your body turned toward the upper-right-hand corner. Push through both feet, jump up and land in a lunge position with the left foot forward and your torso facing the upper-left-hand corner.

Burpees: Squat and place both hands down on the floor. Jump or walk back to high-plank position and perform one push up. Jump or walk your feet back to the squat position and immediately jump up with arms overhead.

Ankle Touches: Run in place, turning your knees slightly outward, bringing the inside of the leg up toward the chest and reaching your hands to touch the inside of your ankles.

Squat Jumps: Lower down into a squat, swinging your arms back behind you. Immediately jump up, swinging your arms up toward the ceiling.

Push-up + Jump In/Out: Begin in quadruped position, with your hips over the knees and shoulders over the hands. Curl up onto the toes and lift the knees slightly off the floor. Jump or walk the legs back into high plank and perform one push up. Jump or walk the legs back into the elevated quadruped position.

STEPHANIE THIELENContributor

Stephanie Thielen, BS, has a fitness career that spans over 24 years with experience in group fitness training and management in the community, corporate and collegiate setting. As an ACE Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, two-time IDEA Presenter, NETA trainer, AEA Trainer, and BOSU National Master Trainer, Stephanie provides land and aquatic workshops that teach logical methods for class construction, providing the “tools of the trade” to assist fitness professionals develop their teaching skills. Find Stephanie on Facebook at Stephanie Thielen Fitness, LLC.

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