Understanding Postpartum Recovery

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.

Wendy Obstler, CYT, E-RYT,  is a certified yoga therapist, experienced registered yoga teacher and certified prenatal yoga teacher. Wendy is also the certified Lead Teacher and Ambassador of Strong Yoga™ 4Women. Since 2005, she has worked with countless women struggling with fertility challenges and has witnessed over and again the powerful benefits of yoga on fertility. Having used the practice of yoga therapy to heal her own severe back injury, Wendy enjoys sharing the transformational qualities of yoga with other individuals in chronic pain, healing from injury, post-operative rehab and as awareness for injury prevention.  Wendy is a therapist/instructor at Beverly Hills Posture, a proud member of both the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Yoga Alliance. Wendy Obstler, CYT/E-RYT ©2014 All Rights Reserved

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.

A good sleep for optimal health and wellness

Research suggests that the amount and quality of sleep we achieve has profound effects on wellness. Nightly sleep is critical for the restoration of health.

Sleep expert and President of the American Sleep Research Institute Lynn Larson explains that the link between sleep and decreased longevity is due to the immediate effect lack of sleep has on human performance. Missing sleep leads to poor decision-making and affects everything we do: rushing when we should be methodical, forgetting important procedures, loss of attention (such as when driving), not having the energy to exercise, poorer reaction time, higher stress levels, elevated blood pressure, and inability to adapt to change. These things lead to accidents in the short-term, and poor health in the long-term.

Research at ASRI suggests that the amount and quality of sleep we achieve has profound effects on wellness. Nightly sleep is critical for proper function of: the brain, immune system, endocrine system, digestion, as well as for energy, recovery from injury, and restoration of health. The lifestyle changes explained throughout this website are all intertwined with sleep. Sleep gives us the energy, the will, and the foundation to accomplish these changes.

Approximately 100 million Americans struggle with difficulty sleeping. If you have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep, there are some “tricks” to improve the situation. To some extent, insomnia can be like the old expression about fear: there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Sometimes, just the fear of not being able to sleep causes enough stress to keep us awake. Don’t worry, these guidelines should help.

• Sleep is like a good meal. It must be at the correct time and well anticipated; it helps to be hungry, the food should look, taste and smell good; your surroundings should be pleasing; and you should have plenty of stress free time to enjoy it. Make your bedroom as inviting as that meal and you will sleep better.
•  Don’t look at the clock. Studies have shown that looking at the clock during the night increases insomnia. You will sleep more if you ignore the clock when you wake up during the night.
• Leave work at the office and don’t take it to bed with you.
• If you wake during the night – do not think! Mental distraction is the name of the game. Try counting backwards from 100. The first times that you try this technique you might count from 100 two or more times. It’s OK. Eventually you will fall to sleep at about 95. You are training yourself to stop thinking about problems and to fall to sleep instead. It will take time to learn this good habit.
• No caffeine after dinner. The half-life of caffeine is about four hours.
• Alcohol makes you doze off quickly, but after it metabolizes it will interrupt sleep later in the night.

Get ready to revamp your sleep habit this weekend… have a restful Labor Day Weekend!

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.

Quick and easy to remember fitness tips

Here are a few tips we’ve gleaned from across the Web to help you get and stay on the right path toward lifelong wellness.

Admit your weaknesses.  If you have an exercise or set of exercises that you don’t like to do, do them.  If you are avoiding them, you are probably weak in that area.  Forcing yourself to do them not only increases your discipline, it also will help balance your workouts.

Save time and muscle.  Keep weight workouts under an hour.  After an hour, research shows that your body will start to produce more Cortisol which tends to have a muscle wasting effect.

We still like sit-ups!  Sit-ups have gotten a bad rap from time to time.  Done correctly however, the standard sit-up is still one of the most effective abdominal exercises.  There are dozens of variations of sit-ups and crunches and we won’t go into them all here.  Avoid doing sit-ups with anchored feet as this tends to expose the lower back to undue stress.  Otherwise, find a method that works for you.  Also, avoid working your abdominals every day.  Abdominals are like any other muscle, they need to time to recoup.

Focus on Flexibility as you age.  If you’re under 40 years old, hold your stretches for 30 seconds.  If you are over 40, hold your stretches for 60 seconds.  As we age, our muscles become less pliable and need more attention to maintain flexibility.  Maintaining or increasing one’s flexibility is a key factor in avoiding injuries as we age.

Photo Credit: Parade.com

Huff and Puff your way to stronger Abs.  If you exhale forcefully at the top of the move while doing crunches, it forces your abs to work harder.  Harder work equals stronger abs!

Flatten your Gut. The Transversus Abdominus is the muscle that lies under your Rectus Abdominus (commonly referred to as the “six-pack”).  This is the muscle that you use when you suck your gut in.  Strengthen the Transversus Abdominus by pulling your belly button in towards your spine and hold for 10 seconds while breathing normally.  Repeat 6-8 times.  While you can’t see this muscle, it will help flatten your gut!

STRONGER AND FASTER.  Doing the same amount or exercises during your workout in a shorter period of time helps build muscle.  It forces your muscles to work harder and has the added benefit of building muscular endurance.  If you do your workout routine in 40 minutes, try to get it done in 35 minutes.

Isolate your Abs. When doing reverse crunches, round your back by rolling your hips and pelvis towards your chest as opposed to just raising your legs.  Otherwise you will engage your hip flexors for the majority of the work.  In order to get the maximum benefit when working your abs, you must isolate them as much as possible.

Photo Credit: Clean Water Action [Clean Water Action is working to protect California from the dangers of hydraulic fracturing aka fracking] http://cleanwater.org

Drink your way to fitness.  We’re talking water here!  Most people don’t drink enough water.  You have heard the standard recommended amount of water; eight 8 ounce glasses a day.  In reality, how much water you need depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is how big you are.

Water supports a host functions needed to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and to assist your body’s operating systems.  It helps flush toxins from your system; lubricates joints and muscles; maintains muscle tone; aids in the fat burning process (being dehydrated slows the process!); helps deliver oxygen to your muscles.  Dehydration lowers blood volume, which decreases blood flow to your muscles leading to feeling tired.

Drinking an adequate supply of water every day is a key component of your fitness level. If you only drink water when you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Drinking more water will also not make you look bloated, in fact it will have the opposite effect.

Go shorter, Go faster, AND GO safer.  Consider mixing up your running routine by going shorter distances faster.  This tends to improve your running form making you less susceptible to injury.  Also, running shorter distances creates less wear and tear on your body.

It’s easier to buy new shoes than new knees. Shoes have a shelf life, even if they don’t look like they need to be replaced.  On average, shoes will have a useful life of 500-600 miles.  To figure out when you should replace them, simply divide your weekly average running distance into 500.  You then know when you are in the replacement time frame.

Photo: WebMD.com

Warm up BEFORE your work out.  Warming up for your weight workout by walking on the treadmill isn’t really warming up effectively.  Since you are warming up a different set of muscles on the treadmill than you will be working while lifting, the benefit is almost non-existent.  Instead, use an un-weighted bar and mimic the exercises you will be doing.  This provides a more effective targeted warm up.

Your Abs are hurting your lower back.  We have a tendency to focus on doing tons of abdominal work and not so much on working the opposing muscles in the lower back.  This creates an imbalance and can pull your posture out of alignment.  This leads to tension in the lower back and further erodes good posture. To avoid this problem, always match each set of abdominal exercises with a corresponding lower back exercise.  You will look better, feel better and save yourself a pain in the back!

WebMD.com – Thermos Smoothie (click photo for recipe)

Feed your muscles post work out.  Include at least 20 grams of sugar with your post work out meal.  Sugar helps carry protein to the muscles you just worked.  So, a little sugar with your chicken sandwich will help build stronger muscles quicker.  Just be sure to limit sugar intake the rest of the day.

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.

FITNESS FOR WEIGHT LOSS [Cardio vs. Weightlifting]

If you have finally worked up enough motivation to start a fitness program, 
congratulations!

Now for the myriad of questions about how to best go about getting the results you are looking for.  One of the key elements that Walker Ozar has built his practice upon is helping his patients achieve balance in the body so that it can operate as it was designed to.

The fitter and stronger his patients, the better able they are to achieve positive results from the treatment they receive at Beverly Hills Posture.  As always, before embarking on a new fitness regimen, it is important to get advice from the proper professionals.

One of the first questions people usually ask themselves when attempting to lose weight with a new exercise program is; cardio work or weight work?

Before we answer that question, it is important to point out the importance of diet in your fitness goals. So no matter what path you choose with regard to your fitness regimen, remember the saying: “You cannot out train your diet”.

Back to the issue of cardio versus weights. As is often the case when discussing fitness options, the answer is both. But there are a few things to keep in mind when thinking about how to allocate your time between cardio workout and weightlifting workout.

Cardiovascular conditioning is certainly an effective way to burn calories and subsequently improve one’s fitness level. It has a host of other benefits as well, not the least of which is a stronger heart and a more efficient respiratory system. Training in an elevated target heart rate range for at least 30 minutes 3-4 times a week is a great place to start (assuming again that you have consulted with the appropriate health professional).

Weight training is also a very effective way to expend more energy and thus burn more calories.  There is an added benefit from weight training however that is not necessarily a component of cardio work.  Weight training has the effect of increasing muscle mass.  Increased muscle mass means that your body will burn more calories throughout the day, even when you are not exercising.  Why?

Muscle requires energy to maintain itself.  Fat does not.  So while cardio work will most certainly help you burn fat, lifting weights will help you maintain your desired body weight 24 hours a day.  

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.