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Our top 6 tips to help breastfeedling mums who exercise

If you are a breastfeeding mum and wanting to get stuck into exercise, here are the Pram Fitness top 6 exercise tips to help get you started with confidence that your milk supply will be a-ok!

Having a baby is a pretty incredible feat! Let’s think about that for a second, you have grown a human being…

Amazing!!

So now that your baby is here it’s important for you to know there are so many amazing benefits to keeping active post birth.

The thing is that so many mums worry about the effects of exercise while breastfeeding but the good news is that with a little bit of knowledge under your belt you can continue (or even start) to work out and safely feed your baby with no issues. Yay!

 

#1 Moderate exercise does not cause any harm to your breast milk or supply

There are so many benefits to exercising after having a baby, including:

  • Improved health and fitness
  • Improved mental health and energy levels
  • Reduction of stress levels
  • Improved bone strength
  • Can help with weight control and
  • Can help with mums that are experiencing post-natal depression

So for your own peace of mind…

According to the Australian Breastfeeding Association, moderate exercise will not affect breast milk supply or the levels of immune factors and major minerals and nutrients in breast milk.

Some research has shown lactic acid levels increased after maximal exercise, I don’t believe this is a problem for many exercising mums.

The first reason is most women only want to perform moderate exercise rather than high-intensity sessions (working at 100% for the whole session).

The second and main reason is that there is no evidence that these short increases of lactic acid has any effect on the milk nutrition.

So even if you are one of the mothers who want to go all out, you don’t need to worry that exercise will have an impact your breastfeeding journey.

#2 Start slowly and gradually build up your intensity

The way most mums describe breastfeeing and exercising is that they are moving around with 2 rockmelons where their boobs used to be.

If you are just getting back to exercise keep the intensity low to minimise bouncing and ease yourself into more impact when it feels right.

 

HOT TIP: If it doesn’t feel good when you’re exercising, stop or reduce the impact. Listen to your body and be kind to yourself as you transition back to exercise with some new life challenges.

 

#3 Breastfeed before you start exercising

It’s true that large, full and heavy breasts will be super uncomfortable (especially as you start to add in movement).

Giving your baby a feed before you exercise can have a double benefit…

A: Empting your breasts might give you a bit of comfort while you exercise and

B: It might help your baby to stay settled for a bit longer while you work out and before they need another feed – win win!

 

#4 Invest in a good breastfeeding maternity sports bra

It seems these days that a good breastfeeding sports bra is not that easy to find in a shop but if you are happy to take a chance and buy one online, you won’t be disappointed.

Some of the things to look out for when buying a breastfeeding sports bra are:

  • Look for an option that has no wire as this can help with reducing the chance of blocked ducts which can lead to mastitis – eeeeek painful!
  • Feeding clips at the front that are easily accessible. This way if you need to take a quick break from your workout to feed your baby you can do so with minimising any stress you might have about feeding your baby in public and it makes sure that your baby doesn’t get too upset waiting for a feed.

It’s true that some of our mums that come to Pram Fitness even feed and exercise at the same time. I know this might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m all about encouraging mums to do exactly what they want, when they want. In my eyes these mums are pretty much breastfeeding superheros.

 

TIP: Pram Fitness mum Sophia Thompson recommends Cadenshape Nursing Bras. Cadenshape is a New Zealand brand of activewear that has been developed specifically for breastfeeding mums. You can check them out here: https://www.cadenshae.co.nz/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#5 Drink lots and lots of water

Always, always, always keep a drink bottle handy and make sure you drink throughout your workout.

Also keep in mind if it’s particularly hot or if you sweat a lot it’s important to replace lost fluids so you might need even more water than you think you need.

My favourite water tip is to purchase a 1 Litre bottle, drink till you are finished and then fill it up and go again. You want to be getting through at least 3 litres (or more) of water every day and this is a great way to know where you are up to.

 

#6 Wipe your breasts before you feed your baby

When you sweat your body leaves behind a salty flavour and some babies just don’t like the taste.

If this is the case keep some wet wipes on hand to give yourself a bit of a once over before you feed.

So there you have it, 6 tips to help you feel safe and confident that it’s ok to be a breastfeeding mum who works out.

Enjoy
Karen xxx

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5 Important Questions To Ask Your Doctor At Your 6 Week Post Natal Checkup

Before you even think about returning to exercise after having a baby, it’s important to get clearance from your doctor. This usually happens with you going along to your GP for your 6-Week Post Natal checkup where, if you are lucky, they will look at you, ask you a few generic questions and then say – “sure, go for it, you are now cleared to get back into exercise…”

 

This makes me so angry!!

 

The problem is that as soon as a medical professional tells us we are ok to do something, we take that as gospel right?

 

WRONG!

 

The 6 week checkup is no more than a routine “standard” appointment. It’s not specialised enough to offer women the advice they need about returning to exercise which is why you should go armed with questions to ask so that you can either give that information to your trainer or have some more knowledge about what exactly is going on with your body.


You should be asking for so much more to ensure you don’t have any major issues that are going to impact your return to fitness journey and that your transition back to exercise is as smooth as it can be.

So many mums I work with that come to the Pram Fitness Get Started Session are surprised at how thorough it is. Our main focus is your safety, we want to gain all the information we can to make sure we know exactly what is going on with your body to offer you the best advice we can about your exercise plan.


So why don’t doctors do this? So frustrating!


In my opinion I think it’s important to also have a check up with a Women’s Physio after having a baby. The best time to do this would be about a month after birth but this is also a crazy time and fitting in a physio appointment might just be impossible. If this is the case for you, that’s ok – just go when you can.


With this in mind, here are the top 5 questions that relate to returning to fitness that I think you should be asking your doctor at your 6 Week Check up…

#1: Can you please check me for abdominal separation

Just bear with me for a second while I explain this one… Your abdominals are joined on the left and right side by connective tissue that runs along the midline. This tissue is called your linea alba (shown in blue in the illustration). During pregnancy the linea alba softens and stretches, allowing the abdominal wall (shown in pink) to expand as your baby grows inside you.

The linea alba can take a huge amount of stress and stretching during pregnancy, especially towards the tail end when your body has been stretched to the max. Pretty incredible if you ask me!

When the linea alba is stretched so much that the two sides of the rectus abdominus separate, that my friends is what is known as Abdominal Separation (Diastasis Recti).

After you have your baby the two sides of your abdominal wall don’t always join back together straight away and it’s important to know if you do have a separation because it may mean modifying some exercises until the gap closes enough to not have an impact on your core.

Keep in mind, it’s very common to have a separation and there are plenty of exercise we can do to help rehab the muscles so don’t freak out if you do get told you do have one.

When you come to your Get Started Session we will do a full check for Abdominal Separation before we do anything else just to make sure we know exactly what we are working with to keep you safe.

#2: Can you please make sure I know how to activate my pelvic floor muscles correctly

After giving birth it’s extremely common for you to experience urinary incontinence. You might sneeze, laugh, cough or jump and a bit of wee will leak out which in turn could lead to a freak out.

First of all I want to let you know you don’t need to freak out and urinary incontinence is not something you have to live with.

The pelvic floor muscle is just like any other muscle in the body, if you work it, it will get stronger. So if you do experience a bit of incontinence it can be fixed. It just means you need to be even more dedicated to doing your pelvic floor exercises.

Every medical practitioner, physiotherapist or post-natal trainer will have their own way of explaining how to activate your pelvic floor muscle and it’s an important life skill to have so keep talking to people until it clicks for you.

If you’re not sure if you are activating your pelvic floor muscle correctly I highly recommend you visit a specialist women’s physiotherapist that has ultrasound facilities. That way you can know for sure if you are or aren’t doing it right and you can also check out a great blog article I wrote with a whole heap of helpful information about Pelvic Floor health.

#3: Why are my bones and joints sore? What can I do about this?

After giving birth, it’s very common for your body to still be producing the hormone relaxin. While relaxin was awesome in helping you deliver your baby, it’s not so great post birth.

At your six week check up, if you are experiencing joint aches ask your doctor about post natal exercises that will help to relieve any tension.

The most common aches that I see at Pram Fitness are wrist, knee and back pain, so make sure you do get on top of this if it does become an issue for you.

Keep in mind that nutritional support is also very important at this time. Since the body is still recovering from birth your joints might need extra nutrients that can help strengthen and sustain them. Ask your doctor if they can recommend any joint supplements to help you with your recovery.

#4: Am I crying a bit too much?

Becoming a new mum is an intense and crazy time. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and post-natal depression affects so many more people than you actually think.

Changes to hormone levels, complete sleep deprivation and having a new baby that needs you for everything are all big life changes.

Often mums tell me that they will just start crying for no reason, they will be having a chat to me about something they did on the weekend and then all of a sudden there are tears everywhere. It’s so common because of everything that is going on with your life.

Being a new mum is going to be one of the hardest jobs you will ever do, one minute you will feel that you can conquer the world and the next you will be questioning every parenting decision you have ever made. Please know, this is very normal however if you do start to feel intense feelings of sadness, anxiety or complete despair that hold you back from doing your day to day tasks make sure you talk to your doctor about how you are feeling immediately.

It’s important to know that whatever you are feeling, you don’t have to go it alone. There are so many people out there that can help so make sure you reach out if you need to.

Beyond Blue also have some great resources available, if you would like more information you can click HERE.

#5: Were there any issues with my birth that I should know about?

It’s more than likely that you covered this off while you were in hospital with your doctor or midwife… The thing is, after the dust settles and you get home from hospital you might have a few questions that you would still like answered.

When returning to exercise we always talk to our clients about their birth as this helps us to know of any issues that we might need to take into account when getting back into fitness.

For example, if you had a c-section or a traumatic birth story with a lot of tearing, you might need a bit of extra rehab time before moving forward with certain exercises. The more information we have, the better we can prescribe the right level of fitness for you.

A great way to think about your return to fitness plan is like building a house from the ground up. First you need to make sure the foundations are strong to support the rest of the house. If you don’t get the foundations right you will always have problems with the structure – make sense?

Asking the right questions now and doing the right work to ease into fitness can only help you in the long run. Take your time, ask as many questions as you need to and remember it’s your body so if something doesn’t feel right bring it up and find out why.

Once you are ready to exercise if you would like to know more about the Pram Fitness return to fitness Get Started Pass check it out HERE.

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New Year Intentions, not resolutions!

With 2017 just starting and the silly season winding down it’s a time when we often look into our lives to see what we want to change for the upcoming year. Welcome to my rant about setting intentions instead of setting resolutions…

 

Setting Intentions instead of Resolutions

I encourage self-reflection. Change needs to occur for growth to happen.

But I don’t believe in setting a New Year’s Resolutions.

Why?

A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. By definition, it’s an action that solves a problem. Though we mean well when we make resolutions, the term has seriously negative connotations.

Instead of resolutions, I focus on setting a yearly intention because an intention is an aim or a plan. An intention isn’t something you can fail at like a resolution; it’s a process you continually undergo through the entire year.

Remember, our words determine our thought processes, so using a positive word promotes change as beneficial rather than an issue we must fix. You are a work in progress, not a mistake! Be positive with your words and choose to set your New Year’s intentions as a lifestyle to work towards rather than a strict deadline to adhere.

 

Working Towards Your Intentions

Once you have had a think about your intentions, how do you stick to them? Learn the ABC’s of goal setting:

A= Accountability

B = Balance, and

C = Consistency.

These three aspects will help propel you towards reaching your intentions every day in 2017.

 

Accountability

Set your intentions and get an accountability partner. I have a lovely friend that is my accountability buddy called Su-Ann.

Su-Ann runs her own business which is a graphic design studio so we are both solo business owners. Once a week (at the same time each week) we set a time to chat through what we have achieved in the previous week as well as discussing any problems or issues that we are struggling to solve on our own. We follow an agenda and while we keep it quite informal we still have a basic structure to follow.

It works really well for us and it helps me to keep on track of what I have said I wanted to achieve.

An accountability partner is someone who is positive and encouraging towards your intentions. They will gently speak when you need a bit of encouragement or they will firmly move you when you need a bigger push. This person will remind you of your intentions and persuade, encourage, and love you as your work towards them.

 

Balance

Nothing in life can happen without balance but it is a really hard thing to master. I don’t feel like I really have it under control most of the time but I do try…

You may fall off the wagon once (or a few times), but the biggest thing to remember is that doesn’t mean you failed. You’ll have great weeks and terrible weeks. The key to realising your intentions is understanding that balance is what makes everything equal.

Try your best to set intentions that allow some space for you to breathe and for you to achieve the mindset that you need for that lifestyle. I know this is a tough one when you are a mum but if you do need a bit of time out to breath and your partner or a family member will support you, make sure you take them up on that.

 

Consistency

Without a doubt, the aspect of consistency is the most important in goal-setting. For change to occur, it must have time and opportunity. The only way for your intentions to truly come to life is with consistency in giving yourself the time to change and the opportunity to change.

Don’t just set it and forget it! An intention is a process that you schedule into your life until it becomes a routine that you look forward to doing.

As an example one of my 2017 goals is to read more, I am going to be consistent with reading because I have set up a mini book club with one of my besties. Once a month we are going to buy a book for each other and then at the end of the month we are going to go out to dinner and discuss the book.

Sounds completely nerdy I know BUT the way I see it is that (A) I get to read more, which is working towards achieving a goal (B) My friend will keep me accountable because we are both working to the same timeframe and (C) I get to spend time with one of my best friends – WIN WIN WIN I say 🙂

I’d love to know what are your intentions for 2017? Let me know in the comments below and let’s work together on making them happen and feeling fantastic about the year ahead.

 

Love Karen

x

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The Christmas Survival Guide – For Mums

As Christmas Carols take over the airwaves, families travel all over the world to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year together. But for fitness mums, it can be a bit tricky to let go and enjoy the festivities…

We must attend (multiple!) parties and host dinners. We buy and wrap all the presents. And somehow, we still maintain a functional life, even if travelling to our Christmas destination. So how does a mum do it all? The keyword is balance.

Here is your guide to stay on track with your fit, healthy lifestyle during Christmas.

Attending a party: Just because you’re invited doesn’t mean your attendance is mandatory. Choose the parties you really want to go to; it’s your holiday after all. Fewer parties mean decreased stress of prepping outfits, finding babysitters and gifts, and over-indulging.

Hosting a party: Keep your stress levels down as much as possible. Remember, a party should be fun. Provide low-calorie beverages (the other fit mums will thank you too!) and healthy food options alongside the yummy, naughty snacks.

Buying presents: Gift cards. The recipient will be happy when it’s paired with a handwritten card and a decent amount to a favorite store. People will also thank you for not having to feel guilty for re-gifting a well-intentioned, but unnecessary present.

Wrapping presents: If you know the perfect something to buy but can’t wrap, get someone else to do it for you. Many stores have gift wrap options. Some even have charity wrappers so you can donate to a worthy cause while not struggling over an odd-shaped present. And if all else fails, just bag it.

Working out: You may not fit your regular workouts in and you may not even get to the gym some days. It’s okay! You’re probably still keeping active with last minute shopping and chasing around your children. If relatives offer to babysit, accept their offer! Unwind with a walk or run, even if you’ve missed a few days. Your body will thank you for having a break from the holiday chaos.

Travelling: Pack minimally. You will save on baggage fees and headaches as you haul smaller suitcases to your destination. It’s also an excuse to buy new clothes if you do end up short on items. Remember that not everything will happen on schedule, so have toys or games for your kids if your plans are delayed or derailed. Happy children mean less stress for parents.

Make This Christmas All About Balance

It’s okay to get out of your fitness and health routine a little during the holidays. Don’t beat yourself up! Not every day will be a perfect food day or a day where you exercised for an hour. It’s all about balance. Treat yourself kindly when you indulge in a sweet by going on a walk that evening. Take the kids to the park and have a bit of fun with them. If you have a cocktail, enjoy it.

My biggest advice is to stay active when you have the time and eat healthy when you can – simple.

Lots of love

Karen

xxx

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