Week 1
Postnatal Foundations Online Exercise
Hello There!
How is your pelvic floor feeling?
Your pelvic floor muscles have a really important job to do. They crisscross front-to-back and side-to-side from your pubic bone to tailbone, sitting like a hammock in your pelvis, supporting your bladder, bowels, and uterus. They assist with controlling the opening and closing of your urethra, vagina, and anus and contain a rich network of connective tissue and fascia.
In other words, they are a big deal. You engage your pelvic floor when you pee, poop, have sex, orgasm, stand up, sit down, exercise — just about everything. And these muscles are hugely affected by the weight of your baby during pregnancy and the trauma of vaginal birth (or pushing before an unplanned C-section).
But, as your postnatal recovery progresses we expect that your pelvic floor muscles will start to feel stronger. The length of time this takes will vary woman to woman and will differ depending on your pregnancy, the size of your baby, your genetics and the birth that you had.
If you feel that your pelvic floor is getting weaker , or that you now experience heaviness, fatigue, dragging or leaking, then we strongly recommend that you consult a women’s health physiotherapist to make sure you get your recovery back on track!
Standing Class
Equipment required: Resistance band, chair, towel, mat
Mat Class
Equipment required: Resistance band, towel/cushion, mat
This Week’s Spotlight
Get the lowdown.
Centering
This is a foundation exercise that allows you to ensure you body is in a good posture and should be done before commencing other exercises. Start from the head and neck, then move to the shoulders, ribs, pelvis and finish at the feet.
Crook Lying
Crook lying is a great way to strengthen and stabilise through the midline. As you perform this exercise you need to maintain a neutral position and good control through the midline. Less can be more with this exercise, and if you feel that you are losing that spinal stability and control around the pelvis, or if you get any discomfort in the lower back, then you should choose an easier option.
Move and Lengthen Stretch Class
Tight through the hips? Achey through the back? This quick class moves your upper body and stretches the lower body. It may be just what you need to stretch out after a long day (or night!).
Get to know the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor - the centre of the universe! In this video, Natalie discusses everything relating to the pelvic floor - what it is, where it is, why it is important, how to activate it and what pelvic floor exercises may look like. Don’t forget that this video is stored on our resources page so you can access it any time.
Download the PDF.
To make it easy, we have summarised everything into a downloadable PDF. Click the button below to download your copy of our Pelvic Floor handout.
We’ve got A’s for your Q’s
Have a question about this week’s class?
Not sure how to perform one of the exercises?
Or just want a good casserole recipe?
Message us!