{"id":12230,"date":"2024-10-01T13:15:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T13:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=12230"},"modified":"2024-10-01T15:54:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T15:54:35","slug":"postnatal-return-to-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/postnatal-return-to-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"A framework for a postnatal return to exercise – the postpartum Tree of Fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Joanna Helck\u00e9 PhD <\/strong>discusses postnatal return to exercise and her framework you can use for postnatal clients if perinatal fitness isn\u2019t your specialism.<\/h2>\n

We get asked many questions by our clients and some of these are outside our remit \u2013 there\u2019s something about working in the world of wellbeing that elicits medical questions. I feel strongly about knowing one\u2019s skillset boundaries and understanding when it\u2019s time to signpost people on. Indeed, being a fit pro with a wide range of professional connections one can refer people on to is, in itself, very beneficial for our clients and, in turn, helps build our credibility. As a specialist in perinatal fitness, I speak with feeling about inadvertently stepping beyond our field of expertise because, for many years, I\u2019ve had to rectify fitness-related \u2018advice\u2019 offered by midwives, health visitors and GPs. I (we) get asked medical questions and they get asked fitness questions! I signpost on but they often provide inaccurate information.<\/p>\n

Within our areas of expertise, it\u2019s almost inevitable we\u2019ll find ourselves with a client who has recently given birth and is asking for advice on returning safely to physical activity. You might get asked anything from \u201cWhen can I rejoin my tug-of-war team?\u201d to \u201cWhen can I take up bungee fitness?\u201d The variety is fantastic but, to answer these myriad questions, we need a framework on which to hang them. My aim is to provide a basic framework you can use for your postnatal clients if perinatal fitness isn\u2019t your niche.<\/p>\n

Strong foundations: The postnatal Tree of Fitness<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Over years of giving talks on how to approach physical activity after childbirth, I have often used the analogy of a growing tree. You can have a tree with deep, strong roots that will grow tall and robust or a tree with shallow roots that may well soar upwards but without the vigour of the deep-rooted tree. At some point, the latter will have trouble withstanding the elements and may be uprooted or blown over. As everyday athletes, we need sturdy foundations, and this is even more relevant postpartum.<\/p>\n

These strong roots lie largely hidden from view: I\u2019m talking, of course, about our so-called core, which I visualise as a cylinder comprising the diaphragm at the top, the layers of abdominal and back muscles round our middle and the pelvic floor muscles at the base1<\/sup>. Unfortunately, out of sight often means out of mind until something starts to malfunction and, for women, certain bodily malfunctions have, until very recently, been dismissed as \u2018normal\u2019 \u2013 something you put up with. I am talking about pelvic floor dysfunction, for example, with symptoms such as urinary incontinence, urge incontinence or even pelvic organ prolapse (POP).<\/p>\n

Our first \u2013 and crucial \u2013 job with postnatal clients is to assess the state of those \u2018roots\u2019 \u2013 their core \u2013 offer accurate information and correct any misinformation within the boundaries of being fitness professionals. In the first video, I go through how to check the abdominals postpartum, explaining what we are looking for, as well as what not<\/em>\u00a0to get too hung up on, and why. Many women have heard frightening things about \u2018abdominal splits\u2019 and it\u2019s our role to allay worries by giving clients correct terminology and information that isn\u2019t alarmist. I always explain in layman\u2019s terms that there is no such thing as the abdominals \u2018splitting\u2019:\u00a0 the technical term for significant abdominal separation is diastasis recti (DR) and it\u2019s not a tear in the muscle but a distancing of the left and right sides of the rectus abdominis muscles from the linea alba; this could be due to a weakening of the connective tissue or a deformation of the actual linea alba2<\/sup>. Look at the first video, which takes place in a home setting with baby on board \u2013 a reality that many, if not most, postpartum clients face when trying to exercise and rehab their bodies postpartum (another consideration when planning postnatal workouts and setting realistic targets \u2026).<\/p>\n