There is no doubt that the plank has steadily been a staple for a variety of workouts- Pilates, yoga, fitness classes, personal trainers and one can often see it being displayed on the mats at the local gym. It’s fantastic for strengthening your body’s core as well as the muscles in your torso, keeping you stable and balanced. Specifically, it’s an isometric core strength exercise that strengthens the abdominals, back, and shoulders. The muscles involved in our example include: erector spinae, rectus abdominis (abs), transverse abdomens, (synergists/segmental stabilizers): trapezius (traps), rhomboids, rotator cuff, the anterior, medial, and posterior deltoid muscles (delts), pectorals (pecs), serratus anterior, gluteus maximus (glutes), quadriceps (quads), and gastrocnemius.
We love the plank, however, to maximize the plank’s payoff, we believe it’s also good to keep things moving. We move in everyday life; our bodies are never stationary so why not infuse the plank with a little movement. It keeps the mind challenged as well as the entire body. Below is a simple example of this, demonstrated by one of our certified Instructors. By adding small leg movements to this standard plank, it now becomes an overall workout, targeting the core but also incorporating the entire body. Try a few reps of these, at your own pace of course, and let us know how you feel!
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Going into your plank position- make sure your shoulders aren’t reaching forward but are open. Lengthen the spine. Elbows should not be locked, there is a slight bend so you activate your triceps. Make sure your pelvis is tucked under just slightly so you lengthen your low back. This is where the movement comes into play- lower one knee as you inhale, exhale and raise it. Repeat. Watch that your hips don’t fall as you go. Keep them level and strong. After a few reps, lower the knees and sit back into child’s pose.
Another variation- Go back into plank (see instructions above), point your left toe out and down, then raise, drop, and repeat. Next side- point your right toe out and down, then raise, drop, and repeat. Be sure to lengthen the spine and to keep your hips stationary.
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If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
The Labor Day Weekend is upon us and sometimes it can be difficult to find the healthy balance. So this Summer we thought we’d share a few Healthy eats from some of our favorite bloggers. If you happen to be throwing a backyard bash this year, it doesn’t have to be filled with junk and it doesn’t have to be bland either. You have options! The following recipes were chosen not just for their healthy reputation but because they’re different, delicious and will leave your guests smiling ear to ear.
Happy Labor Day Everyone!
recipe & photo: WholesomeMommy.com
:: Watermelon, Strawberry, and Mint Salsa (served as an appetizer or even a dessert option)
2 cups finely chopped watermelon
1 cup, finely chopped strawberries
3 Tbsp honey or 1/4 cup of sugar {optional – but makes it sweeter if you pick up a watermelon that isn’t as sweet as you’d like or if your strawberries aren’t as sweet as you’d like}
a sprig of fresh mint {leaves only}, chopped {optional, but lovely}
Place all ingredients in a bowl with a lid. Stir and cover! Viola! Simple and delicious. This is wonderful immmediately, but even better once it has been chilled. So, you’ll be in business if you make it the night before. Serve with cinnamon pita chips.
recipe & photo: SheKnows.com
:: Grilled Summer Vegetable Tart Recipe
1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed
1/2 cup goat cheese, softened
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Assorted leftover grilled vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, onions, corn — you can substitute oven-roasted vegetables if you don’t have grilled)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, for garnish
Balsamic reduction, for drizzling
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the thawed puff pastry out on the parchment paper, and spread the softened goat cheese on top of it. Sprinkle the garlic powder and dried herbs on top of the goat cheese.
Top the tart with a single layer of your leftover grilled vegetables.
Bake the tart for 25 to 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is a nice golden-brown color.
Remove the tart from the oven, and allow it to cool slightly.
Sprinkle the warm tart with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Cut into squares, and garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of balsamic reduction, if desired.
Best served immediately.
recipe & photo: TheChew.com
:: Grilled Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich
2 zucchinis (sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 eggplant (sliced into 1/2 inch rounds)
2 red bell peppers (cut into quarters, stems and seeds removed)
1 red onion (peeled, sliced into 1/2 inch rings)
1 loaf focaccia (cut into 6 inch rectangles, sliced in half horizontally)
1 jar red pepper sauce (such as the Serbian sauce called Ajvar)
1 cup baby arugula
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
red chili flakes (optional)
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
Season all the cut vegetables with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to coat. If desired, sprinkle with a few red pepper flakes.
Place the vegetables on a hot grill in an even layer. Let char on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip all vegetables and char on the other side. Remove from grill and set aside.
Meanwhile, on the cut side of the focaccia slices, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill until charred, then remove.
To assemble, slather a few tablespoons of the basil pesto on one slice of the grilled focaccia. On another slice, slather a few tablespoons of the red pepper sauce. Top with a few grilled vegetables and some arugula leaves. Close sandwich with the other piece of focaccia. Repeat with remaining ingredients to build more sandwiches.
To serve, cut in half and enjoy!
Tip: Change up the vegetables with whatever is available at your local farmers market!
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And you can wash it all down with these festive low-calorie cocktail options:
recipe & photo: Glamour.com
photo: JenCastlePhotography.com
:: Sea Breeze
If you usually order a vodka-cranberry, try a sea breeze. The 4 oz. of grapefruit juice, 1½ oz. of cranberry juice, and 1 oz. of vodka will set you back about 180 calories.
:: Champagne
or you could stick to a good ol’ fashion glass of champagne. There is roughly 95 calories per 4 ounces of Champagne, making it one of the lowest calorie spirits on the market. Happy sipping!
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If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
Let’s face it, many of us have back issues and often in the upper to middle back range. The Upper and Middle Back, or Thoracic Spine, is made up of discs, muscles, ligaments and twelve vertebrae, making it the longest part of your back. Upper back pain can occur anywhere from the base of your neck to the bottom of your rib cage. The pain associated with the upper back is often related to posture, muscle strain or injury. For many of us, the time we spend seated at our computers, takes a huge toll. In fact some may have to sit at a computer for up to 9 hours each day, which not only can lead to bad posture but can also eventually cause neck and shoulder irritation.
So, what is our message to you?… Make sure to incorporate a few back exercises into your everyday routine! It’s so important. When the exercises are performed daily, they will aid in improving posture and strengthening the muscles. The exercises can even be thrown into your regular workout routine. If you don’t have back pain at the moment, it’s still a good idea to incorporate a few exercises anyway so that you’re that much more prepared for the future. Building a stronger back is never a bad idea and these exercises are quick, easy and you guessed it… painless.
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Below, our Instructor Monica beautifully demonstrates three of our favorite upper back exercises. Thanks Monica!
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If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
Remember the old saying “you are what you eat,” this comes to mind when discussing what exactly is being done to our food today. Many may not know what a “GMO” is or how to keep an eye out for them so we thought we’d share a few of the facts in order to better inform our readers, clients and community, making their grocery shopping that much healthier and less stressful…
So here it is:
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms, they are “plants or animals that have undergone a process wherein scientists alter their genes with DNA from different species of living organisms, bacteria, or viruses to get desired traits such as resistance to disease or tolerance of pesticides….” In other words, they are not natural.
“The Big 6” chemical companies such as Monsanto, Dow, Dupoint, Syngenta, BASF, and Bayer have all led the charge in this, Monsanto being the main. Monsanto was originally a drug company. They have manufactured some of the world’s most destructive chemicals, such as: Agent Orange, PCBs and DDT. Their very first product was saccharin for Coca-Cola, which was a derivative of coal tar that was later linked to bladder cancer. Today they are the head of the Genetically Modified Organisms that are being put on our family tables.
GMO’s have actually been banned in thirty countries and labeling is required in many others including Australia, Europe & Japan (to name a few). Why not in America? What are they not telling us & why wouldn’t they want us to know what is in our food? It’s a question that haunts many of us daily & while we unfortunately cannot repeal the decisions that have been made thus far on our food & it’s labeling, we can still become more aware of our choices while shopping in general.
pic by lifeisawesome.com
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So how does one avoid GMOs?
The basics:
Look for the labels. USDA Organic & The Non GMO Project are just a few examples. If you see “USDA organic” or “Non GMO” then your GMO safe for sure. It’s always good to go organic but USDA organic is a sure thing. They prohibited the use of GMOs in the production and handling of organic products in October of 2002.
Eat more nuts, fruits & veggies. It’s much easier to find produce that is GMO free, just check the most recent GMO crop list and buy accordingly. If you need something on that list, just make sure it’s USDA organic. An excellent website and ap for confirming which foods are truly organic is: The non GMO Project and the Non GMO Project Shopping Guide ap. Wikipedia also keeps an updated list within their pages. We printed a few out and left them on our board for people to take. It’s always good to have a copy on hand for reference.
Research your sources on meat. Meat can be tricky as the animals are often fed GMO products. Research must be done to find out which of your local farms raise GMO free meat and which stores support them. Make sure to cover all bases- milk, cheese, eggs, chicken, pork and beef.
Know your additives. Corn, Canola, soy, cotton and sugar beets can all end up as additives within packaged food. Be aware of things like corn syrup, various oils, dyes, flavoring, etc. 70% of packaged foods contain GMOs. There are many companies who refuse to use GMOs. A few of them can be found at GMO Awareness.com.
Keep updated on the GMO list (it grows longer & longer each year). Again, wikipedia is pretty good with the updates (see link above). Today the full list consists of: Alfalfa, Canola/Rapeseed, Corn, Cotton (cottonseed oil), Papaya (Hawaiian), Potato (food & starch), Peas, Rice, Soybeans, Squash (zucchini/courgette), Sugar Beet, Sugarcane, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes, Wheat and the newest addition- Arctic Apples.
Grow your own food do the research,plant your own vegetables, and do it yourself.
Start these basics and create a plan that works for you and your family. At the very least, lets start the conversation. You can also sign the petition, if you’d like your voice to be heard on this matter. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 1599, otherwise known as the Deny Americans the Right to Know or DARK Act. Not only would it block all states from labeling genetically engineered foods, but it would also make it much harder for the FDA to ever mandate national labeling. If we’re going to stop this bill from becoming law, we need to show the Senate and President Obama how serious we are about GMO labeling. The more signatures against the DARK Act, the better.
If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
As you may know, yoga has long been recognized as an effective tool in reducing stress, anxiety and is a fantastic way in which to build up your core strength. What you may not have known is that yoga is strongly effective for fertility as well. Yoga for fertility focuses on improving blood flow and circulation to the low back (sacral plexus), hips, groin, and pelvis, which can ultimately aid in healthier gynecological functioning. There are numerous studies on pre-natal yoga, showcasing benefits such as- decreasing the risk of gestational diabetes and pre-term labor as well as ‘yoga babies’ having a higher APGAR. The APGAR is a quick test performed on a baby at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. The 1-minute score determines how well the baby tolerated the birthing process. The 5-minute score tells the doctor how well the baby is doing outside the mother’s womb. Beyond these reasons, yoga just feels good. It feels good and can often make Mama’s body feel a little lighter, from increasing her circulation, stability and strength to aiding her while she sleeps and deterring sciatica. Yoga also helps both mama and baby prepare for labor and delivery, all while keeping stress at bay. Post-natal yoga assists in regaining strength, elicits healing and a sense of grounding. The practice can also be beneficial in helping with some postpartum complications such as diastasis recti and baby blues, not to mention movement towards a pre-baby body.
At Beverly Hills Posture, we often offer a variety of methods to ensure a pain-free and healthier lifestyle for each one of our clients. It’s important to us to be able to work with each client in a variety of ways; to have options. Amongst our methodology is: Pilates, Yoga, GYROTONIC, Massage Therapy, Accupuncture, Accupressure and of course Chiropractic Care. With each one of these methods comes a variety of teachers and approaches. We pair each client with the best expert for what is most needed. Due to our strong beliefs in the Pre/Post Natal and Fertility Yoga, we brought in Wendy Obstler to our studio in 2012 and with her, came a unique comprehensive approach that includes yoga postures, breath work, meditation and acupressure- all geared towards optimizing fertility naturally. Her approach addresses the emotional and stressful components that often accompany the fertility journey. It is a safe and complementary practice to any Assisted Reproductive Technology. Wendy also specializes in teaching Pre and Post Natal yoga, and is just over a year postpartum herself. She has been teaching the “Strong Yoga for Women” method for fertility, for almost a decade now and has been helping our Beverly Hills clients for three-
“I strongly believe that my practice with Wendy had a huge impact on the success of my pregnancy and the birth of my amazing daughter. I cannot say enough about how lucky I am to have found Wendy and her program. I am thankful every day for my amazing baby and believe that the techniques that I learned in class were an integral part in bringing her to me.” -Ginsberg (Los Angeles, CA)
There’s no doubt that a strong fertility yoga practice can help women and couples feel more empowered on their journey toward conception. We’re happy to have Wendy as our aid in this specific method.
Wendy teaches a saturday yoga for fertility class and conducts one-on-one sessions throughout the week. If you are just beginning your journey into fertility or have already had your baby and are currently feeling the “out-of-body blues,” we highly recommend you give this a try. Any questions about Pre/Post Natal and Fertility Yoga, please click HERE to contact us directly…. Namaste Everybody!
We thought we’d share a quote today, by Joseph H. Pilates:
For those who don’t know, Pilates was actually named after its inventor- Joseph Pilates. He believed that the modern lifestyle, bad posture, and inefficient breathing lay at the roots of poor health. Due to that belief, he devised a series of exercises, training-techniques and methods for the purpose of rehabilitation. Many of his moves were inspired by yoga or created after the observance of animals. He then engineered all of the equipment that would be required to teach his methods properly. Once he had his tools he began working with injured soldiers and fatigued dancers. With all of his patients, he made sure to put a special focus on the core postural muscles, which helps to keep the body balanced and provide support for the spine. Joseph H. Pilates was a genius (in our humble opinion) and has been an incredible method of rehabilitation and fitness for nearly a hundred years. In fact, his methods are widely used within our own chiropractic practice.
If you are new to Pilates, have a few questions or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
Hamstrings are one of the most important grouping of muscles within the body. They help to prolong the body’s stability, balance, and long term mobility. When the hamstrings are tight, they can pull the lower back out of alignment, which can then lead to back pain. Located just above the Hamstrings is the Piriformis muscle, positioned immediately adjacent to the sciatic nerve (a thick nerve running from the base of the spine, along the glute muscles and down the back of the legs). The Piriformis’s job is to laterally rotate the femur with hip extension and abduct the femur with hip flexion. For example, In the action of walking, the abduction of the flexed thigh is important because it shifts the body’s weight to the opposite side of the foot being lifted, which keeps us from falling.
As you can see… these are an important set of muscles! They help to guide, balance and protect the body. Long story short… we owe it to our bodies to stretch these muscles out for at least 15 minutes per day.
How does one do that? Well luckily our Beverly Hills Posture, certified yoga therapist- Wendy Obstler, has taken a time-out from her busy schedule to demonstrate a few gentle hip and hamstring stretches. Each of these stretches aids in opening up the piriformis muscle and the top of the hamstrings, to help relieve pain that might be associated with sciatica or Piriformis Syndrome.
Throughout these stretches, we ask you to: be sure to breath, listen to your body and perform the stretches at your own comfortable pace. Here’s to a happy Piriformis and a happy and healthy spine!
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Stretch 1:
Stretch 2: (utilizes a band, yoga strap, or towel that you can hook around your leg or foot)
Stretch 3:
If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
To most people, “good posture” simply means sitting and standing up straight. According to Beverly Hills Chiropractor and founder of Beverly Hills Posture, Walker Ozar, D.C., most people just do not realize the importance of posture to our health and performance.
The human body craves alignment. When we’re properly aligned, our bones, not our muscles, support our weight, reducing effort and strain. The big payoff with proper posture is that we feel healthier, have more energy, and move gracefully. So while the word “posture” may conjure up images of book-balancing charm-school girls, it is not just about standing up straight. It’s about being aware of and connected to every part of your being.
Posture ranks right up at the top of the list when you are talking about good health. It is as important as eating right, exercising, getting proper rest and avoiding potentially harmful substances like alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Good posture is a way of doing things with more energy, less stress and fatigue. Without good posture, you cannot really be physically fit. Without good posture, you can actually damage your spine every time you exercise.
Ideally, our bones stack up one upon the other: the head rests directly on top of the spine, which sits directly over the pelvis, which sits directly over the knees and ankles. But if you spend hours every day sitting in a chair, if you hunch forward or balance your weight primarily on one leg, the muscles of your neck and back have to carry the weight of the body rather than it being supported by the spine. The resulting tension and joint pressure can affect you not only physically, but emotionally, too — from the predictable shoulder and back pain to headaches, short attention span, and depression.
Poor posture distorts the alignment of bones, chronically tenses muscles, and contributes to stressful conditions such as loss of vital lung capacity, increased fatigue, reduced blood and oxygen to the brain, limited range of motion, stiffness of joints, pain syndromes, reduced mental alertness, and decreased productivity at work. According to Nobel Laureate Dr. Roger Sperry, “the more mechanically distorted a person is the less energy is available for thinking, metabolism and healing.”
The most immediate problem with poor posture is that it creates a lot of chronic muscle tension as the weight of the head and upper body must be supported by the muscles instead of the bones. This effect becomes more pronounced the further your posture deviates from your body’s center of balance.
To illustrate this idea further, think about carrying a briefcase. If you had to carry a briefcase with your arms outstretched in front of you, it would not take long before the muscles of your shoulders would be completely exhausted. This is because carrying the briefcase far away from your center of balance places undue stress on your shoulder muscles. If you held the same briefcase down at your side, your muscles would not fatigue as quickly, because the briefcase is closer to your center of balance and therefore the weight is supported by the bones of the skeleton, rather than the muscles.
In some parts of the world, women can carry big pots full of water from distant water sources back to their homes. They are able to carry these heavy pots a long distance without significant effort because they balance them on the top of their heads, thereby carrying them at their center of balance and allowing the strength of their skeleton to bear the weight, rather than their muscles.
Correcting bad posture and the physical problems that result can be accomplished in two ways. The first is by eliminating as much “bad” stress from your body as possible. Bad stress includes all the factors, habits, or stressors that cause your body to deviate from your structural center. Bad stress can result from a poorly adjusted workstation at work, from not having your seat adjusted correctly in your car, or even from carrying too much weight around in a heavy purse or backpack.
The second is by applying “good” stress on the body in an effort to move your posture back toward your center of balance. This is accomplished through a series of exercises, stretches, adjustments, and changes to your physical environment, all designed to help correct your posture. Getting your body back to its center of balance by improving your posture is critically important to improving how you feel.
If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
Whether you are a first time Mama or a seasoned baby-maker, one of the most overlooked areas of pregnancy is the time after giving birth – the postpartum recovery period. Even if you are one of the lucky ones who experiences an uncomplicated labor and delivery and feels “fine” to go home and begin a new life with baby, it still behooves you to be mindful of the myriad of changes happening in your body and life once baby has already arrived. Um, not to mention an instantaneous major lack of sleep!
Most of us are aware that there are ‘hormonal changes,’ during this time, but it is not just that alone to which we are adjusting. Even if we feel we have “prepared” ourselves in advance, no one knows exactly what life will be like until it is actually happening. A complete overhaul in lifestyle occurs, including a reorientation of our relationships, a shift in our personal identity, extreme exhaustion, possible career changes (which may also impact finances), digestive changes, and the demands of nursing, just to name a few. In the weeks, months, and in some cases years, following birth the body-mind-spirit is undergoing a healing process.
It is imperative that we honor ourselves and give our body the space and time it needs to heal. In fact, Ayurveda (the holistic medicine of India and the sister science to yoga) purports that the 42 days following birth are a sacred time. It maintains that this timeframe is possibly even more important to the health of the infant and mother than the pregnancy itself. Ayurveda implicates that the 42 days postpartum sets the stage for a woman’s health for the next 42 years! This is because during the postpartum period Ayurveda sees the mother as being just as delicate as her newborn. The combination of fatigue, rapid hormonal changes, meeting all of baby’s needs and just navigating new motherhood means that the care-giver also needs much attentive and tender care. So who is assigned to the job of caring for the care-giver? It isn’t just up to the supportive figures surrounding mother (partner, family members, close friends etc.) giving her the help needs, although these people are certainly vital to her recovery. Ultimately, the mother herself is tasked with mustering up the gentleness and patience she needs to be present in her experience as a new mother. This is an important foundation for learning and implementing self-care. It is the practice of self-care in this very early stage —in what can feel like the hardest time of your life —that will infuse the mother with the foundation needed to be a better and healthier Mom for the next 42 years. Clearly, in our society today the postpartum period is a time in a woman’s life that is gravely undervalued. However, if we open our eyes to the reality of the challenges inherent in this period, we can be better prepared to ask for what we need and give ourselves the compassion that is so well deserved.
Now, let’s take a moment to just focus on what’s happening physically. The normal follow up with the OB doctor occurs around 6 weeks postpartum. Mama will be checked, either vaginally or at the location of her C-section incision, consulted about postpartum depression and asked how breastfeeding is going (if that is indeed part of her postpartum plan). If all seems well, the doctor usually gives the green light to resume all normal activities, including exercise and sex, somewhere around 6 – 8 weeks. However, what most doctors do not include in that visit is an assessment of the woman’s rectus abdominis for something called Diastasis Recti. Diastasis Recti is a very common condition caused by the stretching of the rectus abdominis muscle by the growing uterus. The result is a literal separation of the left and right halves of the muscle. This is a common occurrence for women during pregnancy and doesn’t matter whether they have had a C-section or vaginal delivery. The separation can be significant or slight — sometimes so slight a woman may not even know she has been affected.
Diastasis can contribute to low back pain, pelvic floor instability (including incontinence) and digestive concerns. Often times it will heal on its own, however in cases when the wrong kind exercise and activities are introduced too early in the healing process, it can actually become worse. In fact, it usually isn’t until months later when the postpartum woman is complaining about ‘the bulge in her belly’ even though she has been working out religiously. Her problem lies in the type of exercise she has been engaging in.
You may recognize this scenario: Mama is soooooo very ready to start exercising again and get her pre-baby body back. She decides to engage in lots of belly crunches and/or baby bootcamp type activities thinking she is doing her body good. However, unfortunately, if Mama has diastasis recti there is a good chance she may be making things worse. So, what’s a Mama to do? First, although there are ways to do a self-check of the condition, I recommend getting checked for diastasis by someone who is trained to test for it. It’s an easy, non-invasive test. Knowledge is power so once you know for sure this is happening in your body, you are poised to make educated decisions and prepare a game plan for the postpartum recovery process. Secondly, find instructors well trained in Pilates or yoga therapeutics who can safely lead you through exercises that help to strengthen and balance the body. Finally, because our bodies want to live in a state of homeostasis (i.e. balance), we must be patient and trust that our bodies will restore the integrity of our abdominal muscles.
I have offered yoga therapy to many women postpartum and I have recently moved through my own postpartum recovery as well. I must say, I am amazed again and again at the inner intelligence of our bodies. When we set up our bodies optimally and give them the time and attention they need, they will heal. Our body may not look exactly the same as it did pre-pregnancy, but we aren’t the same! We are now “Mama.” And perhaps we can be okay — dare I say even proud — that our body bares the experience of pregnancy and childbirth upon it. Having a child forever changes our lives so couldn’t it be considered normal for our external appearance to be, if nothing else, slightly different? As we move through the throws of motherhood and begin to patiently adjust to the changes in our lives, we can offer the same kindness to the adjustments in our bodies. Invoking a feeling of physical strength and balance in our body is a beautiful goal. If along the way to that aim we happen to get our ‘pre-baby body’ back, then well, we can consider that as just an added benefit!
TIP: To protect your mid line during pregnancy, always use the “log roll” maneuver when rising from the floor or out of bed. This practice should also be used in the first couple months postpartum until you have been checked and cleared for diastasis.
Log roll: with your torso and head aligned (in one piece), roll over onto your side. Then, use your arms to help push yourself up to a sitting position.
If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
This month, Washington state voters will vote on a ballot initiative – I-522 – to require products with genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled. NOTE: As soon as one state requires labeling, it’s only a matter of time until there’s a national requirement to label GE foods. That’s why food and chemical industries are spending millions of dollars to defeat this critical ballot initiative.
If you care about what’s in your food, then on-the-ground activists in Washington state need your support right away. You can do so by signing Environmental Working Group’s pledge to support I-522 in Washington State as well as the nationwide labeling of genetically engineered foods: Click this link (or on the graphic to the left) to sign and share.
Whether it’s sharing the pledge with friends and family in Washington state, making a donation or supporting national labeling laws, we can all help win the vote. Pesticide companies that genetically engineer our food and the big processed food companies that sell these products are spending millions to kill I-522. They’ll do whatever it takes to win.
The scientific debate about the effects on our health of genetically engineered foods is likely to continue for a long time. More research is needed to answer questions that should have been resolved before genetically engineered food was allowed to permeate the food supply. Meanwhile, we all have a right to know if food has been genetically engineered before we buy it!
If you have any questions regarding anything we’ve written or would like to book an appointment with us, please click HERE to be directed to our contact page. Beverly Hills Posture is proud to offer Chiropractic Care with an abundance of options including- Yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage Therapy. We dedicate ourselves to creating a healthier you.
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In Perfect Symmetry 