After an enforced break due to poorly children and technology issues I am finally able to bring you my first post on rolling our sleeves up and getting on with getting into shape, part of reclaiming our Fit, Foxy and Fabulous former selves.
On a previous post I very broadly outlined how I plan to do it, but felt that before encouraging you to jump right in it was important to issue a word of caution.
I think for most mum's the tummy area is the one that is often the most stubborn and causes the most frustration and disappointment when trying to get our pre baby figures back. The obvious answer is to launch into endless crunches/situps in all their various guises but WAIT! Did you know that you could be making your mummy tummy worse rather than better? The reason is a condition called Diastasis Recti, or a separating of the tummy muscles which can effect up to 66% of mums.
So how do you know if you're suffering from this? Well the good news is that it's easy to diagnose yourself. Simply lie on your back with your knees bent & your feet flat on the floor and rest your finger tips (palm facing you) two inches above your belly button. Now raise your head and shoulders slightly off the floor & press your fingers down into your tummy. If your fingers sink in and you feel the muscles close in around them as you raise your head and shoulders notice how many fingers fit in the gap. Now do the same directly over your tummy button, and again two inches below.
The gap caused by the separated muscles, or the Diastasis Recti gap is measured in finger widths. A gap of up to 2 finger widths is completely normal, but anything more, and it can be ALOT more, and you are suffering from this condition. But fear not, however large the gap, and however long ago you had your babies, it can be fixed with dedication to some simple but effective exercises.
I'll leave you now to go prod your tummies, leave me a comment and let me know what you find...
On a previous post I very broadly outlined how I plan to do it, but felt that before encouraging you to jump right in it was important to issue a word of caution.
I think for most mum's the tummy area is the one that is often the most stubborn and causes the most frustration and disappointment when trying to get our pre baby figures back. The obvious answer is to launch into endless crunches/situps in all their various guises but WAIT! Did you know that you could be making your mummy tummy worse rather than better? The reason is a condition called Diastasis Recti, or a separating of the tummy muscles which can effect up to 66% of mums.
So how do you know if you're suffering from this? Well the good news is that it's easy to diagnose yourself. Simply lie on your back with your knees bent & your feet flat on the floor and rest your finger tips (palm facing you) two inches above your belly button. Now raise your head and shoulders slightly off the floor & press your fingers down into your tummy. If your fingers sink in and you feel the muscles close in around them as you raise your head and shoulders notice how many fingers fit in the gap. Now do the same directly over your tummy button, and again two inches below.
The gap caused by the separated muscles, or the Diastasis Recti gap is measured in finger widths. A gap of up to 2 finger widths is completely normal, but anything more, and it can be ALOT more, and you are suffering from this condition. But fear not, however large the gap, and however long ago you had your babies, it can be fixed with dedication to some simple but effective exercises.
I'll leave you now to go prod your tummies, leave me a comment and let me know what you find...
