FITVINE MAG - ISSUE 1 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

A New Approach to
Prenatal and Pos tnatal
Health and Wellbeing
Keri and the team from Fit and
Healthy Mums have created a
range of services that inspire and
celebrate women at the pre- and
postnatal stages, focusing on health,
fitness and wellbeing. It was inspired
by a lack of trained instructors and
professionals that offered exercise
and wellbeing support for mums.
While pregnant, Keri, founder of Fit
and Healthy Mums, couldn’t find any
instructors or professionals to offer
advice on exercise and wellbeing
during pregnancy and postnatal. She
explains, “I had enjoyed exercise
prior to having my children but found
lots of conflicting advice, so decided
to retrain and start Fit and Healthy
Mums.”
She continues, “We are always
attending specialist training courses,
ready to share our knowledge and
expertise with clients. Pre- and
postnatal specialist training and
professional development are at the
centre of the Fit and Healthy Mums
offering. You can be sure that the
exercises and movements are taught
FitVine - 42
to take your unique body and its
current stage into account. Any
pains and weaknesses are assessed
before you take part in an exercise
or fitness programme.
So can you really restore your core
after having kids? Keri’s response
highlighted her extensive knowledge
about the human body post-pregnancy.
“Yes, you can regain strength in
the abdominals. It’s just not a case of
one size fits all. Every client is
unique, her journey through conception,
pregnancy and labour will differ
to another client so what works for
one may not necessarily work for
another.” The tummy gap is called
Diastasis Recti and Keri is one of a
handful of specialists that can aid the
repair – this is really important as it
often leads to pain and weakness
elsewhere. “Start off with those
pelvic floor exercises and then
progress to low impact floor based
work. No sit-ups, planks, crunch
movements or impact exercise as
this will worsen the gap.”
Not sure where and when
to begin with your
exercises after your little
one is born?
“Once your baby has arrived and
you feel ready, you can start with
some pelvic floor exercises and
walking. As soon as you’ve had your
six-week postnatal check up, join a
postnatal specific class. Check that
it’s run by qualified, experienced
instructors who can adapt the
exercises to suit you. Make sure they
check your abdominal muscles, ask
you about pelvic floor weakness and
any pain sites you may be
experiencing. The Fit and Healthy
Mums Pilates classes are a really
good place to start.”
Ready to get to a class?
If you can find the time to go to a
class, there’s no need to worry about
childcare. You take your babies and
tots to class with you, so it's much
easier to find the time. To reap the
most benefits in a short amount of
time, the team teaches multi-joint
exercises. Think about combining a
squat with a bicep curl using a
resistance band or a side lunge with
a big shoulder movement. For mums
who struggle to get to a class, try the
online programme – snippets of 10
minutes that can be combined into a
longer workout. Visit www.fitandhealthymums.com
for more
information.
Fit and Healthy Mums team at FitFest
in June.