When you think of the core, chances are you think of the abs. However, the core actually consists of all the muscles that encompass your midsection, back and hips. Pregnancy (the weight of the baby) and menopause (hormonal and postural changes) weakens all these areas.
During pregnancy, as the belly expands, the abdominals stretch and the back muscles shorten. The connective tissue in the abdomen thins and separates (Diastasis Recti). The ligaments and joints in the pelvis become very unstable. The pelvic floor often weakens under the weight of the baby. The rib cage and the diaphragm change to accommodate the growing belly and it affects breathing.
Things don’t just snap back into place after the baby arrives.
The postpartum recovery period comes with its own set of physical challenges:
- Muscular tightness and weakness caused by more sedentary lifestyle,
- Kyphosis which can suppress the breathing patterns because of nursing, lifting and carrying the baby,
- Postpartum problems: diastasis recti, prolapse, urinary incontinence and painful scar tissue after C-section and episiotomy.
Moving on to menopause when estrogen levels begin to drop, it may be harder to control your bladder because of weakening of pelvic floor muscles.
The weakened, tightened and overstretched muscles of your whole affect alignment and in the long term can lead to injuries while exercising. Also doing wrong type of exercises like crunches, which we all rush to do to get the six-pack, can make everything even worse.
Core restoring programme is designed to help prepare for challenges which women face while their bodies change throughout their lives. It helps to safely strengthen the core muscles during the pregnancy, restore the core health after arrival of your baby and regain vitality during menopause.
Core restoring program:
- Help to identify and address postural problems (lower back, pelvic, neck pain)
- Heal and strengthen pelvic floor muscles to resolve postpartum complications (diastasis recti, prolapse, incontinence),
- Retrain diaphragmatic breathing which is integral part of optimal core function,
- Strengthen core muscles to regain strength in you lower back and core,
- Educate how to eat, move and look after yourself to improve your vitality.
Francesca Granato
,,Anna’s fitness classes were tailored specifically to post natal mums – I was 7 months post pregnancy when I did her six week course. Anna was very accommodating to having babies around during the class. I felt the course good for the soul as well as the body!
I was surprised how easy it was to do the classes in our small living room space. Anna is very practical and accommodating when it comes to making classes work – including helping with babies and tailoring exercises to home settings.
Anna gave us useful tips for healthy eating and loads of tips on how to fit exercises into a hectic daily routine when caring for young children.
Anna’s courses are not all about physical exercises, she also explains the physiology behind each routine. She definitely has a wholistic and educational approach to fitness and wellness. She genuinely wants her clients to understand the what is happening inside our bodies.
Anna is also an experienced yoga instructor so her classes include lots of gentle stretching and are not too strenuous – which is great when you haven’t had much sleep and are your body is aching baby-wearing etc! “
