100% FACT. As wisely said by Bellies Inc.: “We need to retrain before we train” Ain’t that the truth! We do this all the time with ankle sprains, shoulder and knee injuries … so why not our postnatal deep cores? There’s no getting around it, pregnancy and the process of birth affects our cores. Our entire abdomen and deep core system becomes affected by the slow sustained loading and stretch of pregnancy. The great news is that we know how to retrain it! This first steps are to develop an awareness of: Alignment Breathing Muscular Activation Coordination Alignment: we are moving, breathing, fluctuating creatures … by developing an awareness of how we hold our bodies in space sets us up for function. Neutral spine and pelvis supports the function of our deep core systems. Being able to find and use neutral when we’re engaging in conscious exercise based movement, lays the structural foundation for the synergistic relationship of our deep cores. Breathing: spending time with our breath is HUGELY important! Developing an awareness of: am I breathing properly…effectively…am I chest breathing…reverse breathing? Learning how to engage in diaphragmatic breathing further supports function and synergy. It helps us develop and maintain full range of motion of our pelvic floors. I like to think of diaphragmatic breathing as providing an internal mini massage for our soft tissues and organs. Muscular Activity: We can develop an awareness of the muscles involved by learning and feeling how they work, knowing when to and how to engage them. Coordination: And then we put it all together with timing and coordination to further develop the synergistic relationship of our deep cores. Nothing works in isolation!!! We can have incredibly “strong” cores, but without timing and coordination we will still experience pelvic floor dysfunctions like leaking.
If you'd like to dive deeper into this subject, download my free step by step guide: How to Develop Timing and Coordination of your Deep Core.