Month: May 2010

May 20, 2010

What Abs Should I do When I’m Pregnant? Can I do Any? Maternal Fitness..

So this area of fitness has always been shrouded in uncertainty.  Some people have been told “not to do ANY abs” and some people do abs regardless and keep their workouts very similar to before they were pregnant.

So what is the answer?

Lets talk about what is NOT the answer first.  DO. NOT. DO. CRUNCHES. OR. SIT. UPS!!

As the uterus protrudes, it creates a forward forceful pressure that splits the recti in UP TO 98% of women creating a diastasis recti.  If there are any movements which THEN create a forward forceful motion – like crunches, it is TOO MUCH for the muscles and they most likely will split.

So what else not to do while pregnant?  Pilates 100, Teaser, V sit, Rolling like a ball, Jacknifing up or down, side to side obliques, twisting motions (they SHEAR the diastasis).

AND  I think its VERY helpful to get Maternal Fitness: Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy, an Easier Labor, and a Quick Recovery

because it will go over ALL the exercises you SHOULD do.  Among them
SEATED TUPLERS and HEADIFTS.

in terms of abdominals.

These help immensely with BACK PAIN during pregnancy.  Because the RECTI’S (outermost abdominal muscles) function is back support, when they are split, the back support is compromised.  When I am pregnant – I always have to do a set before bed so I can sleep without back pain.  There are also other abdominals – CORRECT OBLIQUES and ELEVATORS that the book talks about that are fantastic.

There are also scores of other exercises there that are fantastic.

Also a newer video which is great is Maternal Fitness Prenatal Pilates.

This one actually tells you the safe pilates to do while pregnant, but especially to keep those recti together.  There are so many pitfalls with pilates for pregnant women because quite a few of the exercises have forceful forward movement of the abdominals  – so BE CAREFUL!!

On a personal note, when I am teaching classes and training women, they get ANGRY that no one told them what to do and what NOT to do while pregnant.  They are mad that they had to needlessly deal with a diastasis, that can be closed even in the NINTH month of pregnancy.  OH YES!!!!  One of my clients was a three fingerwidth diastasis at 7 1/2 months pregnant – took my class, and totally closed it by her 9th Month.

SO WHAT GOOD DOES THAT DO?  Well, perfect recti for PUSHING!  Closed Recti are very importnant for effective pushing , as well as a strong transverse.

NO HERNIA!!!  The connectie tissue between the recti won’t get a hole or tear with closed recti, which is a hernia (the organs pushing through the connective tissue).

PREPREGNANCY MIDSECTION BACK QUICKER!  Those women with a diastasis usually feel like they look 3 to 5 months pregnant, EVEN IF they are very in shape, and skinny.  It is literally the LAST PUZZLE PIECE for a restored pre pregnancy midsection.

PLUS NO BACK PAIN, as mentioned.

So, I realize I have left pregnant women out of the equation of this blog – and so I wanted to address that.  You have SO MUCH MORE advantage in doing the TUPLER TECHNIQUE while pregnant !!!!

May 12, 2010

PICTURES! FINALLY – SOME BEFORE AND AFTER – diastasis/TUPLER TECHNIQUE PICS!!

Many of you have asked me to post pictures of people – before and after – with diastasis rehab and the tupler technique.  I have been slow to acquiesce because I don’t feel comfortable meeting a client and asking them if I can take pictures of an area they are very sensative about.  So I generally post stats – and several stats I have posted are very impressive, if I do say so myself.  The women I work with have had OUTSTANDING results.

However, those of you that are thinking about surgery to correct your abdominals LIKE the fact that a surgeon can show you some warm fuzzy pictures of pre and post surgery – tens of thousands of dollars between pictures, not to mention hours and hours of pain, and potential infection in between the warm fuzzy – pre and post surgery pictures.

One of my clients mentioned to me after her 3rd visit – that she had taken pictures of herself, as well as some video footage.  I asked permission to post these, and she has kindly agreed.

Here is a brief history – which I will replace with her own words once she emails me with her story.  In a nutshell.  D.P. (we will call her)  comes from a dancing background.  She danced with various dance companies in her past.  After pregnancy, she was left with severely split recti.  She was told immediatly by her OB GYN after the birth that she would need surgery to correct it, but that it would be very painful.  She was also told that because of the nature of her split – the netting needed to basically  paste and sew to the muscles would have a high risk of getting infected.  She saw two SURGEONS who gave her the same scenarios.  The first pictures you can see the organs are protruding out the abdominal walls – there are no muscles holding them in, so client felt like her belly looked several months pregnant, when she was not.

I began to work with D.P. 8 weeks ago.  Her total background was unbeknownst to me until our 3rd session.  We went through the normal session – measuring her diastasis (5 fingerwidths on top, 6 in the middle, and 4 on the bottom), going over the exercises – seated tuplers, elevators, pelvic tilts, kegels, headlifts (our version of the crunch which does NOT bulge out the recti) and showed which exercises not to do (CRUNCHES, JACKNIVES, etc).  WAIST MEASURES 32 3/4 INCHES.

We met a 2nd time – 2 weeks later, going over the advanced variations and isolating different parts of the diastasis, along with obliques, and postural correction stretches and exercises.  Her diastasis was a 2 deep on top, 4 deep in the middle, and a 3 deep on the bottom.

We met a 3rd time – 4 weeks later (during the past 6 weeks, client does 5 sets of 100 seated tuplers daily, and other exercises as directed).  Client measured shallow 2 on top, 3 in the middle, and shallow 3 on the bottom.  It was at this time D.P. took these photos.  A couple days before our 3rd session, her OB looked at her and told her her abdominals “looked pretty good – maybe she DIDN’T need any surgery.”  She then told him she was seeing me – and that she was doing exercises to correct the diastasis.  Waist measured 30 INCHES.

HIS RESPONSE?  “I’VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT!”  (classic!)  

You will notice the belly button was an “outie”- and is now and “innie” and you will notice the organs protrude FAR LESS, and her belly looks supported.  The muscle tone is MUCH better, and the waist is noticably smaller.  This is all without any dietary changes – its JUST the exercises.

There is still room to go – approx 3 fingerwidths all the way down – but a MARKED improvement.  And her status has gone from IMMINENT SURGERY to NOT NEEDING SURGERY – in 6 weeks.

May 10, 2010

Sea salt vs. Table salt – what is the difference? Is one better than the other?

 I had always heard its much harder to “oversalt” your foods with sea salt, and that it “melts in your mouth” and is not refined.

THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE!

Take heart those of you worried about high blood pressure and heart disease – you do not have to suffer tastlessly through life!!  This is just one more example of how the refinement of food has left us with not only a sour taste in our mouth (no pun intended) but it has left of with risk of blood pressure and disease, and water retention.  Just as refined flour has left us with an insulin resistance and overweight people, just as refined sugar has left us with the same thing.  ALL NUTRIENTS stripped away – left only with the bad, with nothing inherent to counteract because its all been stripped away.

(from buzzle.com) Though mainly sodium chloride, sea salt and table salt are different from each other, both with respect to the way they are obtained from nature and their nutritive value. Sea salt is considered to be more beneficial for health as compared to table slat, due to over 80 nutritive substances present in it.

Sea Salt Sea salt is the unrefined salt that is obtained by simply evaporating the water from the seas or oceans. Sea water is channeled into man-made pools along protected shores, and is then left under the Sun till all the water gets evaporated. What is left behind in the pools is sea salt. Sea salt is 98% sodium chloride, while the remaining 2% is made of other important minerals like iron, sulfur, magnesium and other trace elements. Due to higher mineral content, sea salts are more flavored than table salt. Sea salts are used as crust for baked potatoes. Chefs also use it in French or Thai cuisines. Table Salt The common table salt is 99.9% sodium chloride. It is obtained from the terrestrial salt deposits which are mined, heat-blasted and chemically treated. Due to these processes, table salt is stripped of all minerals other than sodium and chloride. Some anti-caking agents are added to table salt to make it free flowing. Although, initially table salt which had just sodium and chlorine as the only minerals was consumed by people, later on, salt manufacturers started adding iodine to it to prevent people from suffering from iodine deficiency diseases. Table Salt Vs. Sea Salt


Besides the difference in the manufacturing process, sea salt and table salt differ in the following ways:

  • While sodium and chlorine are the only minerals contained in table salt, sea salt has other minerals like iron, sulfur and magnesium naturally present in them. This increases the nutritive value of sea salt as compared to table salt. The various minerals present in sea salt helps us to maintain a healthy balance of the various electrolytes in the body.
  • The refining process of table salt strips it of all of its minerals, other than sodium and chloride. This makes it an unnatural substance as compared to sea salt, and contributes to high blood pressure, heart and kidney diseases. On the other hand, health benefits of sea salt include, inducing proper sleep, promoting efficient working of the liver, kidneys and the adrenal glands. Sea salts also boost the immune system of the body and don’t cause high blood pressure like refined table salt.
  • Although, due to the higher mineral content, sea salt may be considered to be a healthier choice than table salt, it has its own drawbacks. One major disadvantage of sea salt is that it is a poor source of iodine. The iodine that is added during the refining process of table salt makes it a better source of iodine than sea salt.
  • Another health concern that sea salt raises, is the fact that it is obtained from sea water that contains a number of impurities. The sea water is neither boiled nor treated, as that would make it lose the minerals that gives it all its nutritive value.
  • Table salt is fine, white crystals. Sea salt on the other hand may have a slight grayish color if they are from the coastal areas of France, or may pinkish hue if it came from some other exotic locale. It may be coarse or fine grained.
  • Due to the presence of many minerals, sea salt is not as ‘salty’ as table salt. It may be slightly flavored.

Some retailers may sell sea salts that are fine-grained and white in
color. If you want to enjoy the
advantages of sea salt, be sure that it is the unrefined one and
contains the minerals that gives it an edge over table salt.
AS FOR US IN OUR FAMILY – WE GET OUR AT (WHERE ELSE?)
Trader Joes and Aldi’s.
  It would be worth making sure that what you get is NOT REFINED!                                                                                                                                                                       So where to get iodine?  MAYO (yep!) EGGS, Sea foods.
  I also figure I eat enough of food other places
that I know is salted with table salt which has iodine added to it.
We also eat enough eggs that it is no worry.
Have you tried sea salt?  Where do you get your sea salt?

May 5, 2010

Mummy Tummy friendly GYROTONICS

 click HERE to view Naomi Campbells gyrotonics workout  

This was featured on Oprah a few days ago.  I was VERY impressed that most of these – at least the ones I saw her doing were for the most part mummy tummy friendly.  The one where her legs are in a 90 degree angle, I would raise the feet closer to the head for that one, small of the back on the ground, but otherwise great.

I love workouts that lengthen the body AND and are “mummy tummy” friendly.  SO many workouts I see are NOT mummy tummy friendly, meaning they make the diastasis larger or CREATE one by the forward forceful movement of the abdominals.

WHAT IS GYROTONICS: 
Derived from words for “circle” and “stretch,” Gyrotonic works your body in a decidedly nonlinear way through a fusion of expressive-looking circular movements. Combining elements of dance, yoga, swimming, t’ai chi and gymnastics, it’s a liberating experience — a way to exercise outside the lines.

“There’s something about the 360-degree orientation that wakes up the spirit,” says Janet Rupp, a four-year Gyrotonic student at White Cloud studio in Boulder, Colo., who shifted to Gyrotonic from Pilates and hiking at age 58.

“It’s playful and fluid,” Rupp adds. “We tend to take ourselves so seriously. This adds lightness to life.”
“Gyrotonic brings that circular motion,” he says. “It’s unique in that you’re using your muscles throughout their range.”

“Gyrotonic increases the functional capacity of the entire organism,” says Matt Aversa, vice president and COO of the Gyrotonic International Headquarters. “Even if you’re just playing ping-pong, it helps.”

HOW IS GYROTONICS DIFFERENT THAN PILATES OR YOGA?
Gyrotonic is “more expansive” than yoga, says Gyrotonic Master Trainer Alice Diamond, who opened her Boulder, Colo., studio after studying personally with Horvath. “There’s more balance between strength and openness,” she says, “and more emphasis on rotation and spiraling movements.”
Aversa says Gyrotonic also differs from yoga and Pilates because there’s “no end point in the movements.” Pilates is more linear; yoga is more static; and Gyrotonic is both circular and fluid. In fact, Gyrotonic can actually accelerate advancement in your yoga practice, says Aversa, allowing you to get into difficult positions more easily.

Aversa also points out one way that Gyrotonic is different from toning or weight-training work: “In Gyrotonic we use resistance to open the body — to leverage rather than to build mass.”
More info on GYROTONICS HERE

Has anyone out there tried Gyrontonics?  Did you love it?  Did you do machines or non-machine gyrotonics?

Also, if you watch the link above to the video –  I thought the jumproping was a great tip to thin that part of the face!