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The New-mum Friendly Workout To Fix ‘ab Separation’ – And Ease Back Pain, Incontinence And Poor Posture Fast

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BEING a mum changes everything. You get told it from the minute you fall pregnant: “Your life will never be the same again.”

And while this couldn’t be more true, one thing they don’t often tell you is how your body will never be the same again either. 

GettyMost mums don’t realise that they have a degree of ab separation after having kids[/caption]

Pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, carrying a baby, pushing a pram, lugging a toddler around – it all adds up.

And for the majority of women who have had children, it leaves them with physical weaknesses.

Many assume that the aches and pains they experience are just a by-product of all the physical work that comes with motherhood, when actually, there is one thing that is responsible. Core weakness.

As a personal trainer and postnatal specialist, I hear it all too often. 

Most mums don’t realise that they have a degree of ab separation after having kids.

Whether they are six weeks or 16 years postpartum, the physical changes that pregnancy has on the tummy are huge.

When you are pregnant, your core muscles literally separate in the midline, leaving a “gap” of tissue for your bump.

When your baby is born and your belly returns to “normal”, your abs begin to come back together.

But in most cases, they don’t return fully to their original closeness.

This gap in the middle of your core causes weakness and it’s what many women are living with without realising.

Called diastasis recti, this little (or in some cases, big) gap in your core is often what is responsible for a wide range of health complaints including:

While these symptoms could be caused by other health problems – such as sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, constipation, slipped disc and even cancer – ab separation is often to blame. 

The good news? While this gap is problematic, you can heal it yourself, at home, if you know the right approach.

It sounds quite dramatic doesn’t it? A gap in the middle of your tummy, but it’s the extremely common condition most women don’t realise is causing their health complaints.

It can be healed quite easily with specific, deep core exercises you can do at home. 

And the best bit is, these exercises aren’t long, challenging or sweaty.

Tell yourself: ‘It’s 10 minutes, I can do it in my PJs or work clothes, and I’m going to do this because it’s important for me and my body

Jenny Francis-TownsonPersonal trainer

The key is knowing that sit-ups are off the table; they are actually probably going to make things worse rather than better.

Ab healing exercises are about using diaphragmatic breathing techniques alongside controlled core movement that helps reconnect your abdominals in the centre of your tummy, while also working your pelvic floor.

My clients love it when I tell them it can be simple, quick, and done at home in their pyjamas! 

And while just one session won’t heal nine months of pregnancy ab separation, it can be done in as little as 21 days.

Becoming a mum myself and realising that I had very little time, but desperately needing to repair my core, is what inspired me to create a really simple, time effective and enjoyable workout series specifically for this core issue.

I wanted to solve this huge problem for women’s bodies – with something small that doesn’t take any thinking time or huge commitment.

@jennyfrancis23Personal trainer and mum Jenny Francis-Townson runs the Mamma Rebuild programme[/caption]

Mamma Rebuild is a 21-day core repair programme designed to be done alongside your favourite exercise, on its own as a workout programme or just as and when it fits in around parenting.

I know how much mums want to take care of their physical health but always let it fall to the bottom of their to-do list because they put everyone else first.

This is a chance for them to say: “It’s 10 minutes, I can do it in my PJs or my work clothes if I need to and I’m going to do this because it’s important for me, and my body.”

1. Kneeling with deep core breathing

Kneel down on a mat (put a cushion under your knees if you need to). 

Take a deep breath in and focus on filling your belly with air – letting it expand.

From here, breathe out with control and as you do, tuck your pelvis under, bring your pelvic floor up and think about squeezing your core muscles together. 

Do this until you have completed your inhale. 

Hold for a second to two, then as you control your exhale out, let your core muscles relax, relax your pelvic floor and expand your belly.

2. Bear hover

Start on all-fours with your toes tucked under and your hands underneath your shoulders.

Take a deep breath in, expand your stomach, then breathe out with control.

Tuck your pelvis under, push into your hands and feet and squeeze your core and pelvic floor as you lift your knees a few inches off the floor.

Hold for five to 10 seconds, then as you exhale, let your core muscles relax with control, relax your pelvic floor and allow your knees to return to the floor.

3. Tucked knee side plank 

Start lying on your side with your legs bent, knees stacked on top of each other and your upper body resting on your forearm.

Take a deep breath in then breathe out with control.

As you do this, tuck your pelvis under, and squeeze your core and pelvic floor. 

Push into your forearm and feet and lift your hips off the floor. 

Hold for five seconds as you continue to exhale, then let your hips return slowly to the floor as you exhale.

Relax your pelvic floor and allow your belly to expand.

4. Leg extensions

Start lying on your back.

Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground so they are in a “table top” position.

Tuck your pelvis under and lift your pelvic floor in to push your lower back into the floor and keep it here the whole time.

Take a deep inhale and extend one leg slowly out straight while keeping your lower back pushed into the floor.

As you exhale, slowly draw your leg back to tabletop and squeeze your core.

Repeat on the other side.

How to check for ab separation

After you have had your baby, you can check the size of the separation with this simple technique:

  • Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor.
  • Raise your shoulders off the floor slightly and look down at your tummy.
  • Using the tips of your fingers, feel between the edges of the muscles, above and below your belly button. See how many fingers you can fit into the gap between your muscles.
  • Do this regularly to check that the gap is gradually getting smaller.

If the gap is still obvious eight weeks after the birth, contact your GP as you may be at risk of back problems. 

Some women also have abdominal pain or discomfort.

OTHER AB SEPARATION TREATMENTS

The separation between your stomach muscles will usually go back to normal by the time your baby is eight weeks old.

If it doesn’t, your GP can refer you to a physiotherapist, who will give you some specific exercises to do, like the ones above.

Regular pelvic floor and deep stomach muscle exercises can help to reduce the size of the separation between your stomach muscles. 

It’s also important to stand up tall and be aware of your posture.

Try to avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby, and roll onto your side when getting out of bed or sitting up (using your arms to push yourself up).

And don’t do any activities that push your abdominals outward, like crunches or sit-ups.

Some women like to wear an elastic band around their stomachs to hold their bellies in and support their lower backs. 

This won’t repair diastasis recti, but it can be a useful tool to improve posture. 

Surgery is not usually needed or recommended, though may be considered in some cases.