What is postpartum corrective exercise?
by Mom Home Fitness

Depending on who I am speaking to I will say that I offer postpartum corrective exercise OR that I help moms to stop peeing their pants when they laugh, cough, sneeze, workout, etc…You’ve got to read your audience with that one – the latter can be too vivid for some people. And, I get it! Not everyone wants to talk about incontinence. Many moms don’t until we get in session, then; it’s down to business because they have had ENOUGH and want to stop peeing their pants.

When my son was 13 months old I wasn’t talking to people, telling them that I peed my pants, mid-race, in front of 1000’s of people (now I tell people all the time!). I also wasn’t sharing with anyone that I had been diagnosed with postpartum depression partially because I had stopped running immediately after “the accident”.

Being sentenced to a lifetime time of “what if” when I ran or worked out just didn’t seem right to me. I needed to move, and I needed to feel confident that I could move without issue.

I started doing research, while in the meantime working on getting certified to be a personal trainer. I discovered that incontinence is common, but not normal, this is not the way the body should function whether you have, or have not, had a baby.

Now I am on a mission to help to change the narrative of “That’s just what happens when you have a baby”. We hear this all the time from well-meaning friends, family, medical practitioners and trainers…

It doesn’t have to be that way.

There is a lot that we can do to help the body to have better function, to help moms to feel more in control of their bodies.

(Side note – if there is trauma, pre-existing or due to pregnancy/labor, there are some phenomenal pelvic floor physical therapists in the area that can do amazing work to help restore function and may be a good starting point, before exercise.)

With postpartum corrective exercise, we focus on specific exercises, and timing of those exercises, to retrain our natural system of bladder control. We work to close the abdominal gap (diastasis recti) that sometimes sticks around postpartum. We work on core strength to help moms to feel strong again.

What would we do without the internet! With the ease and accessibility of Google Hangouts, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, I have had clients as far away as London. I also offer in person, 1:1 sessions within Hillsboro and Beaverton (some SW Portland).

If you are looking for a group setting, I teach Postpartum Exercise Series 1 & 2 (under 5 kiddo can be in class with mom), as well as Core Strength for Moms Series 1 & 2 (no kiddos in class) at The Movement Park in Hillsboro, near Jones Farm Intel. These classes are kept to a limited size to be able to address the individual needs of the all the moms.

Also, in an effort to reach as many moms as possible, if you have a moms group and would like to schedule a workshop, I offer 1 free workshop ($50 value) a month. For these workshops, I come to your moms group and show you the 2 fundamental steps that you can take TODAY to stop the leaking!

Tonie Lough – Certified Personal Trainer
Mom Home Fitness

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