Train with Newborn Fitness...........Online!!!

Hi Everyone,

This really is exciting news both for us and for anyone wanting to start exercising who is unsure of what they should and shouldn't be doing. You'll soon be able to use Newborn Fitness as your very own online Personal Fitness Coach. This will give you the chance to train safely and get results, for a small fraction of the cost of a personal trainer. And because of the flexibility of the internet we can do it worldwide!

You'll be able to set up your own account, enter your details, fill out a full assessment form that includes your goals, diet, lifestyle etc, and then watch or print off unique workouts set personally for you by our top postnatal exercise specialists. You'll see online exercise demo's of your program so you'll know exactly what to do, and you can send us your feedback so we can change your program accordingly as you progress. You'll also be able to choose from a series of timescale options, and pay conveniently online with paypal or your credit/debit card.

We get lots of questions from mums in all areas, and one thing we often hear is 'how much does it cost to hire a personal trainer?' Well this is a tough question to answer because rates vary so much from one part of the country to the next, but at Newborn Fitness we'll always try to help you if we can. All our specialists will be as flexible as possible when dealing with your needs, and one thing we often do is put on group sessions where you can get a few friends together and split the cost. We also have exercise classes in many areas where you can take your baby and save on childcare costs. Our new online training is just one more thing we can do to make safe, effective exercise affordable for all of you.

I just know this is going to be very popular, so if you have a 'healthy' interest in our online training, please get in touch with us soon.

Healthy Regards

Firing your Transverse Abdominus Muscles

Hi Everyone,

Todays blog is really important for all of you wanting to tone up your waistline. I'm going to show you how to find, contract, and sustain your transverse abdominus muscles (TVA). These are deep muscles (highlighted in red in our image) that comprise part of your 'core', and learning to control and strengthen them is necessary not only to flatten your tummy, but also to help maintain good posture, alleviate back pain, and prevent injury.

To find your TVA, lay on your back and put your fingertips inside your hip bones, (or ASIS for those of you with knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology). Cough, and you should feel the muscles beneath your fingers twitch. That is your TVA. To contract the TVA take a deep breath in, and then breathe out and at the same time pull your belly button in towards your spine. Those of you who've done any pilates will have done this before, and will have heard of the term 'navel to spine' many times. To see this movement in all its glory, click here.

When you've got the hang of this, try holding it for 10 seconds while continuing to breathe. It will be tricky at first but once you've learned to 'fire and sustain' the TVA you will be able to switch it on any time you exercise, lift baby, or do anything else that requires effort.

If you have any questions on this or any other exercise issue please get in touch. I'd also welcome your comments as to whether you find this info useful, and what I can do to improve the blog. What would you like to hear? Let me know.

Healthy Regards

Childhood Obesity.......A Growing Problem

Hi Everyone,

This isn't really a postnatal exercise issue, but for those of you with babies and young children it's a very important one. So let me have a quick rant and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your comments.

You may know by now that the childhood obesity problem really bothers me. What some of us are doing to our children borders on child abuse, and if we aren't careful we will see a lot of young (30ish) people going blind with diabetes in 20 years time. Today there were two related articles in the press and you can see them both below. An attitude shift along with a lifestyle change is needed by many, along with lots of Government investment in educating people about the importance of good nutrition coupled with activity/exercise. The Government always talk a good game regarding these issues, especially when elections are looming, but I know from first hand experience how difficult it can be to get funding. No money seemed to be available for our postnatal exercise classes and they were for the families who really needed them, so this is a major challenge. Then again, as a very clever newspaper advertising campaign recently stated, "If our children die at 50 that's the pension crisis solved"

How to get your kids fit - Sun

The Sun offers advice to parents following a recent study from the British Heart Foundation which found most children are not doing enough physical activity. The article gives exercise suggestions for children of different ages and offers tips on how to keep children active. It is pointed out that parents should also get involved in order to motivate the children.

Quarter of toddlers overweight or obese – Mirror & Mail

An Institute for Child Health study of 14,000 children born 2000 - 2002 found 18 per cent were overweight and five per cent obese at the age of three. Tim Cole, one of the researchers, said: “It’s extremely important and indeed distinctly worrying that children as young as this are as fat as they are and getting fatter. Being fat now, these children are more likely to be fat later. There are now young adults and, increasingly adolescents and even children with type II diabetes. These people are going to require medical input for the rest of their lives.” The research also found that those from poorer areas were more likely to be overweight or obese than those from better off backgrounds. Among ethnic groups, Indian toddlers were the fittest, with only nine per cent being overweight or obese. Carol Dexateux, professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the Institute of Child Health, said: “The concerns were already there, but this confirms that messages to parents of very young children about diet and exercise need to be re-enforced.”

What do you think? Am I overreacting?

Healthy Regards

Checking your abdominals for separation. (Diastasis Recti)

As promised here is some information about abdominal separation and how to check for it. It's something I often get asked about.

Your abdominal muscles will have stretched during your pregnancy, and in some cases a diastasis recti can occur. This is a stretching of the linea alba causing a separation of the rectus abdominus muscles. Some light core stability exercises will have a positive effect on the closing of this separation and should be encouraged, but please don't start pounding away at sit-ups and crunches before you've checked for separation. It only takes a minute or two.

To check for diastasis recti lay on your back and raise your knees. Place your little finger in your navel and your other 3 fingers in a line toward your breastbone. Keeping your feet on the floor, lower your chin to your chest and slowly curl your head and shoulders off the floor as if you were performing a crunch. You may feel a gap appear so turn your fingers at a 90 degree angle to see how much separation you have. If the gap is more than a couple of fingers you should definitely avoid regular abdominal exercises. Instead try this one.

Lay flat on your back with your knees bent as above but fold/cross your hands over your stomach so they support your abdominals. Breathe in, and then as you slowly breathe out raise your head to your chest. Gently 'pull' your stomach muscles together and hold for a count of 2 then slowly lower your head to the floor. Repeat 10 times.

I hope this has been helpful to you. If you have any specific questions please ask through the 'ask the expert' section of lifestylexperts.

Healthy Regards

That was the month that was.

Hi Everybody, I'm finally back online after a house move, a baby exhibition, a 2 week holiday with the kids (and I thought I was going to relax), and a frustrating week in our new house with no internet! What a month. I try hard not to get stressed but it's been difficult at times.

Upwards and onwards though, and over the next few weeks I'll be regularly updating this blog with lots of useful and useable info on exercise during and after pregnancy. My next post will be on how to check your abdominal muscles to see if they are healing correctly and are ready for exercise......so come back soon.

Healthy Regards