Pilates, coffee and Mom Life
When first thinking about writing about Pilates and motherhood, I naturally went right to pelvic floor health and diastasis recti. Yes, I could ramble on how Pilates helped me with my pelvic floor and d.r., but there are so many other experts in that field. Dr. Mandy Trussel from Renew Physical Therapy, and Dr. Hannah Anderson are a couple from the Cedar Rapids area. One of my personal favorites is Claire Sparrow. She offers great workouts and wisdom on the pelvic floor, so I don’t need to talk about it. Instead I am going to dive into how Pilates gives me the strength and mobility that I need to face every day mom life.
As I begin to write this next blog, I made my second cup of coffee for the day because last night was rough in the sleep department, and I just completed a 2 mile walk with my son in his backpack, so about an extra 25 lbs on my back. What has helped me through motherhood? Caffeine (duh!) and Pilates.
I live my life forward and look down a lot. My son is 19 months old. He still loves to be picked up and carried, I look down at him to watch him and feed him, and I am sitting on the ground to play with him most of the time. My posture is hunched more than I would like to admit. And, not to mention all the baby stuff. It is not light! I have a B.O.B stroller and throwing that in the trunk of my car can feel like the crossfit games at times. Upper body is huge. Exercises like chest expansion, pulling straps and triceps are a must in my Pilates routine. Pilates gives me the strength that I need to keep picking my son up, taking him for walks and helping me to have a strong, tall spine. Plus, all these exercises help to stretch my pecs out which is so needed.
Legs. Hello laundry day. The washer and dryer are downstairs in my house which means I am going up and down stairs a lot, and squatting down to pick up a basket full of clothes to go back upstairs. And, of course, squatting down to pick up my son. Exercises like footwork and feet in straps work my hamstrings, quads, hips, and ankles to keep my legs happy and powerful so that I continue to keep chasing my son, do laundry and go on some epic walks. Pilates has taught me how to engage my hamstrings. Trust me, it is a game changer.
I am sure most of us want to get our core back. I was right there with ya after having my son. But, when I talk about core, I am referring to rectus abdominis, obliques, pelvic floor, butt, low back and hip flexors. The core keeps me upright everyday so that I can stand tall as a push stroller, carry a backpack, or just get off the floor (which does require the core to work!) Exercises like kneeling arm work, all four abs, and supine arms are amazing for your center. What I love about Pilates, I am not doing a million crunches. Yes, it took time for my center to come back, but I have better core strength now than I did before having my son.
Mobility and stretching. Mom life is a lot of work; you are following or chasing a toddler all day, going down slides, scooping them up and you are constantly getting down and up off the floor a lot! One day, I was on the nature trail, and my son wanted to get out of the backpack to walk around and there was no bench. With my mobility, I had no problem getting him down and picking him right back up when we were ready to go. And, let’s not forget, reaching for a toy while driving. It is amazing how my arm can move to comfort a screaming child in the back of the car. If I didn’t include mobility training, all my daily activities would not feel good after a while, and joints would most likely start hurting. Exercises like leg circles, hip bridges, lunges and mermaid give my joints the juice they need to stay smooth and my muscles a beautiful stretch so that I feel aligned which means that I can better care of my son and family.
Pilates goes way past the pelvic floor and the delivery room. So, sure, Pilates was a huge help in my prenatal journey, but has proved to be the best thing for my postnatal recovery and being a mom with a toddler. Happy Mother’s day (and month ;D)
Now, pour yourself another cup of coffee and treat yourself to some Pilates.