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I am, as of yesterday, officially 8 months postpartum… say what?! Time moves SO DARN FAST, doesn’t it? I remember being just a month postpartum and wondering how I was ever going to get my core to work like it used to. I mean, someone literally cut through my abdominal wall and took a human out! I didn’t foresee strong abs anywhere in my near future.
After having my little lady, I was terrified of training my abs again. I had never rehabbed from a surgery, let alone an abdominal one, and I had no idea what was the “right way” to start working on my core again. I was unwilling to do much of anything for fear of doing more harm than good. In a future post, I will write a little about the core work I did allow myself to engage in, but I can promise you, it wasn’t much.
If you’ve read a little about my background, you probably already know that I have been a dancer my whole life. In college, I was on scholarship for dance and was in rehearsals or classes upwards of 20 hours a week. One of the ways I trained my body for all that was doing Pilates in the morning before I left for classes. (P.s. yes, that is as crazy as it sounds) Since then, Pilates exercises have been a mainstay of my fitness routine in one way or another.
Around 6 months post-baby, I decided it was time to get back in action. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how my abdominal muscles had healed. I still had a way to go before I could do what I used to, but I wasn’t as weak as I had thought I would be. I really believe that is because I worked so hard to keep a strong core prior to pregnancy and delivery. And I had always done that via Pilates, so back to it I went and I have never looked back.
This is me today, about 35 weeks postpartum, versus me at 36 weeks preggo:
So, what is Pilates you ask? Created by Joseph Pilates in the 1900’s, Pilates is a method of body conditioning that focuses on exercises that stretch and strengthen the entire body. Joseph Pilates believed in treating the body as an integrated whole, therefore the philosophy behind the system focuses on training the mind and body to work together to achieve overall fitness. But what most people notice about people who practice Pilates religiously, is their abs. In all the years of dancing, going to fitness classes, and being in and out of gyms, I have never found a better core workout.
Some other great things about Pilates:
- Low impact exercise
- Improves posture
- Improves flexibility
- Good for the beginner through advanced exerciser
- Elongates and strengthens at the same time giving you “long and lean” muscles
- Encourages whole body conditioning which prevents injuries and improves sports performance
- Teaches control in both your mind and body
- Reduces stress
Before I say anything else, let me emphasize two things:
First, these are NOT easy exercises. It takes continuous practice to improve your ability to get through these exercises without breaks and with good form. It’s a lot like yoga, your focus will need to be on the process rather than the outcome. I often take breaks between sets too. It’s OK. You will get stronger as you keep working at it.
Also, YOU SHOULD NEVER FEEL YOUR LOWER BACK COME OFF THE MAT/FLOOR. I had to write that in all caps, because it is legitimately the most important piece of information you need to read. In fact, do me a favor and go back to read it again. This is the biggest mistake I see people make when they work on their core. If you can’t do these exercises without feeling your lower back arch, then you need to back off and work with a modification until you increase your strength.
A handy way to check yourself: Lay on your mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slip one hand under your lower back. Alternate between pushing your back against your hand and then arching away from it. You want to get to know the feeling of engaging your core to push your lower back into the floor versus arching your back off the floor. Start every practice like this for a while so you can learn what it feels like when you have the correct position.
With that said, below are my go to Pilates moves that I practice as often as possible. When I have time, I do a full Pilates routine, but when family demands leave me low on time or I just want to add quick, additional core work to another exercise, like after a run, these are my favs:
- The Hundred
- The Roll-Up (6-8 reps)
- Single Leg Stretch (10 reps/side)
- Double Leg Stretch (8 reps)
- Single Straight Leg Stretch (10 reps/side)
- Double Straight Leg Stretch (8 reps)
- Crisscross (10 reps/side)
One of these days, I will figure out how to get pictures of all these to you… bear with me while I work on that. But until then, if you are interested in trying these for yourself; here is my favorite reference for all things Pilates:
I can’t even remember when I bought this book… sometime in college… which means I’ve had it for over a decade and I use it all the time. I HIGHLY recommend it. It has modifications for beginner through advanced exercises, so no matter where you are in your journey you have someplace to start (or return to if you’re like me). I currently use the beginner versions because I am rebuilding strength.
Here are some of my fav videos that I have been using for YEARS:
If you are a beginner exerciser, I highly recommend taking a few live classes so that somebody can help you with your form and answer any questions you have. However, the above references are great places to start! Send me a message and let me know if any of these references are helpful for you!