diastasis recti

On this week's episode I am joined by Laura Reardon

Laura Reardon is a certified Child Behavior Specialist, she is trained as an Emotion Coach, Childhood Anxiety Coach, and Parent Coach, and she’s the founder of Laura Reardon Coaching.

Laura helps parents who feel frustrated, worried, and unsure how to respond when their kid reacts to their big emotions like anger and anxiety and their big behaviors like lashing out and shutting down.

We talk about a wide-range of things.

What is Emotional Intelligence?
Can it be taught?
Why do children respond differently to big events happening in their life than adults do?
Why is it completely normal for kids to "over-react"?
How can you help your kids process the big emotions better?
Why it makes sense to treat every child differently and take a personalised approach to raising kids.

You can find Laura in all the usual places.

Her lovely website where you can find a tonne more information.
Facebook
Instagram
 
Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "garden song" by Shimmer

On this week's episode I am joined by Elizabeth Andreyevskiy

Elizabeth is a stress coach for moms. She is the host of Emotionally Healthy Legacy podcast and a mom of 4.

Elizabeth is super passionate about mental health and emotional wellness in motherhood. She helps overwhelmed moms reduce the mental stress so they can respond with patience and calm towards their kids. She teaches proactive ways to be less stressed, prioritizing moms needs without guilt and ways to regulate emotions when feeling triggered.

We talk many things to do with stress and stressful situations.

The importance of setting boundaries.
Why it doesn't always pay to be a people pleaser
How "If you want the energy in your home to shift, it starts with you", how to create a calmer home by changing how you deal with stressful situations.

And much, much more.

You can download LOADS of Freebies that Elizabeth so kindly made available here.

You can find Elizabeth in all the usual places;

Instagram
Her website
Email her hello@emotionallyhealthylegacy.com
 
Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "A brand new life" by Matteo Galesi

On this week's episode I answer a question about "doming" of the stomach during exercise.

 Should you "STOP IMMEDIATELY!", as so many physios tell you to? Or could there maybe be more than 1 type of doming/reason for doming and can you "push through"?

Is it really as black and white as some "post-natal professionals" tell you it is?

Also this week, from the tremendous source of news that is the Daily Mail (yucky);
A study that shows Intermittent Fasting comes with a 30%(!!!) increased chance of death??

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "Rubber Band" by VAULTZ

 On this week's episode I talk about 3 studies that came out recently;

"Intermittent Fasting decreases the chances of Alzheimers". I get on this before Michael Mossley decides to quote it in his next Daily Mail article.

"Keto diet increases pancreatic cancer survival" One for all the "keto-fans" out there.
 
and "High salt intake increases stress-response". We all know too much salt is bad for us but could it really make you more stressed?


But I begin by talking "magic bullets"!

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "lifeline" by Shells by the sea

 On this week's episode I answer the, seemingly age-old, question;

Should you stretch post-partum or should you strengthen?

And is it good news if your muscle hurt after exercise or does it mean you're not very fit?

And, a slight rant about the "best personal trainer in THE WORLD (or just your town)" nonsense that is always popular on websites and in the press.

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "A holiday with me" by Hollie Hammel

On this week's episode I explain the main reason why you're not getting the results you're hoping for from your fitness routine or diet.

Over the years I've had many conversations with clients about this. Whether it's a middle-aged executive wanting to lose weight, a recently post-partum woman wanting to fix her back-pain and diastasis recti or a tennis player wanting to improve her rotational balance, the main reason for them not getting the results they are after, in the time-frame they want to achieve them in, is the same.

The importance of managing your expectations and being honest about the sacrifices you're willing to make.

Get the above right and you will get the results you want.

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "heartbreak Sunday" by  élise 

 On this week's, admittedly rather dry, episode I talk about an email someone sent me with a link to this study.
The conclusion of the study "A weekly, postpartum, supervised exercise program, including strength training of the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles, in addition to daily home training of the pelvic floor muscles, did not reduce the prevalence of diastasis."

The conclusion the person who sent me the study drew from this was that exercise does not work to heal diastasis recti. Now though that might seem a similar conclusion to what the study came to, I'll explain why it really isn't.

I also touch on what kind of study it is and why I'm not particularly keen on studies of this kind (the term waste of time and money springs to mind ;).

Having said that, the study is sound, it's just "the wrong kind of study" (in my opinion)..but it's important that people who read a study such as this understand what they are actually looking at.

Here is another study that I mentioned in this episode that has a similar issue.

I also briefly touch on another email that I recieved asking about the effects of Relaxin on post-partum recovery, especially diastasis recti, and why I don't agree with people who say that it plays such a big part that you can't recover from diastasis recti until a few months after the Relaxin has left your body.
And here is another study that I mentioned about the Linea Alba and what "the gap" usually is

All in all the subject matter might be a bit dry but I promise you it's a good one to listen to, especially if you're a fitness professional, physio or just hang out on "mommy-forums" a lot, because this will hopefully clear a lot up :)

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "One Call" by Nom Fabrique

 On this week's episode

Can you do Yoga and pilates when doing the HPNB program/when you have diastasis?

Probiotics, why I take them and why you probably should as well.

Can dieting lead to it becoming impossible for you to lose weight?


Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "Low lit blues" by Renderings

On this week's episode

"The depth of the gap is more important than the width!" is a common phrase you hear these days from "diastasis recti professionals" but is it actually true?

Can diastasis recti cause digestive issues? One "diastasis specialist" claims it could "because muscles aren't working properly and you need muscles to move food through the digestive tract". Let's talk about this a bit because a LOT of women have digestive issues post-partum and, obviously, a lot have diastasis as well. But are they linked??

The importance of picking your goal and focusing ONLY on that. I talk about a client with a shoulder injury whom I started working with this week.

"In the news this week"; This from the Daily Mail (one of the go-to websites for people about health related news, which is a bit of a shame to be honest). A soup and shake diet to beat Type 2 Diabetes. A good idea? And, does it work because the diet is magic or is there something else going on?

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "with somebody else" by EILOH

On this week's episode I talk about the corporate day that I attended which was a bit of an eye-opener with regards to some things.

But first;  A lovely statement I heard from a  wellness/healthcare provider when asked why they charge soo much and their "pay in installment" option is soo much more expensive since that means women with less money can't afford their rehab package; "Poor people won't do the exercises anyways"....and their explanation was actually worse than that sounds!

I talk ergonomic chairs and keyboards Vs exercise.
Why your insurance company would be better off including post-partum rehab exercise in their offering, and why they don't.

Then I talk about an email which I received which asked which shakes I recommended for post-partum women, and generic weightloss advice for PP women.

And finally; should you plan your exercise around your period?

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "What my heart is looking for" by Bonner Black

 On this week's episode I repond to more questions that came in on the back of last week's episode.

I mentioned diet and how to do it. I go into a bit of depth about how my approach to weightloss is different depending on the clients and their starting point. Personalising your approach to diet is the key to success, whether you want to lose weight or get healthier.

I also talk a bit about the many variations of diastasis recti and why no two cases are generally the same.

Are F45 classes safe to do post-partum? I had to figure out what F45 was first tbh.

And "Is belly dancing a good way to train your core"?

I briefly mention the MASIC foundation, who do amazing work for women who have suffered from severe perineal  injuries during birth, (OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury)) .

And "In the news this week" a study I wanted to mention last week about the rise in early onset cancers in people. (Cancer in the under 50s). A fascinating look into the rise in cancer numbers but not just because of the increase in numbers but the link between the foods we eat and the increase in cancer risk the study claims there is.

Not the happiest of subjects, I'll grant you, but an important thing to understand so I'll have a look and see if the study is one to take seriously, or if it's "one of those studies".

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; Brooklyn Brunch by Afternoonz. 

On this week's episode I answer some of your questions.

Can you cycle with diastasis recti?

Is diastasis recti really permanent? Answer, as you are likely to know; it is not! And if an expert tells you this then they are lying to you. So let's talk about lying experts a bit as well.

Will your stomach "rip open" if you exercise with diastasis recti?

High Intensity Interval Training with diastasis recti, is it safe?

Decaffeinated coffee yay or nay?

And what weightloss is sustainable and how to go about being successful?

And why, OH MY GOD WHY??, would someone advocate trying to be in a calorie deficit at all times?

I'm also talking about healthypostnatalbody.com videos soon being available in many languages; Hindi, Spanish and Dutch are some of the languages I am working on.

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments  

Playing us out; "Someone that's like you" by Hollie Hammell 

 In this week's episode I have the pleasure of talking with personal trainer, author, podcast host and all-round-good-guy-and-happy-chappy  Brian Keane.

You might, or should I say "should", know Brian from the Brian Keane podcast ( which is one of THE top nutrition podcasts in the UK) and his social media presence. He is one of my favourite people in the health and fitness world at the moment as he never tries to sell you a shortcut, is always truthful and is very generous with his knowledge and expertise.

We are talking "the PERFECT diet".

How do you go about finding the perfect diet?
What is the most important thing when it comes to diet?
Why the diet your friend recommended does not work for you.
Should the health and fitness industry stop dealing in black and white?
Are cookbooks/recipe books beneficial?

And much more. Anyone who is familiar with Brian's work will know he is one of THE guys to talk to about this sort of thing and I have no doubt at all that you'll be inpired and get a tonne of useful information from this episode.

Brian can be found in all corners of the internet, he is everywhere!

His website
Make sure to catch The Brian Keane podcast
Instagram
Facebook
You can find his books on Amazon, and I'm sure other places as well.


In the news this week; This "good news for millions of women" article from WBUR about vaginal fluid transplants. Yes the science is new but it does hold a lot of potential.

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week; "Feel better now" by  élise (This has some sweary words)

 In this week's episode we are talking Pelvic Floor with the amazing MaryEllen Reider.

MaryEllen is the co-director of Yarlap, the wellness device to treat urinary incontinence and improve sexual performance and experience through muscle control. MaryEllen spends a lot of time researching and finding out what’s new in the pelvic floor world and the social media realm. 
She strives to empower women through their pelvic floor muscles. She enjoys getting to know her customers through social media and speaking events, and inspiring people about why the Kegel exercises and Yarlap are so important. 

 MaryEllen and her dad have emerged as a leading voice in the pelvic floor and sex tech wellness space and she's a delight to talk to so definitely check this episode out. 

As I say in the outro, I reckon the Yarlap could be a gamechanger for the pelvic floor.

We are talking about  many things including;
What is the pelvic floor and why is it so important?
Why, oh why, are pelvic floor exercises so difficult to do for most women?


You can find MaryEllen, and Yarlap in all the usual places.

Her website
Instagram
And Facebook

In the news this week; LOADS of HPNB related news

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week; "COOL!" by James Cole

In this week's, nice and brief,  episode I answer the question whether you can heal diastasis recti whilst you're breastfeeding.

For some reason some healthcare professionals don't understand how breastfeeding impacts the body, but it DEFINITELY doesn't make your muscles stop working like muscles!!

Also, again, diastasis recti is not "for life and you will always have to maintain it".

And finally; "21 day challenges to heal diastasis recti"? Oh, just please don't!

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week;  "Side step" by Cast of Characters..because, why not something jazzy?

In this week's episode I talk about running as post-partum exercise and why it's not the best idea in the world.
Here's the previous episode I refer to when talking about the interview I did with Jessica Marie Rose Leggio

I also talk about my pet peeve with the NHS website and diastasis recti. In short, they are full of s**t when they say that " The separation between your stomach muscles will usually go back to normal by the time your baby is 8 weeks old. "

Their overall exercise advice is also pretty terrible and the "stomach exercise" they refer to is just the core-breath..but slightly worse and terribly explained
Overall the NHS website is terrible, much like the NHS itself, when it comes to giving post-partum women advice.

No "in the news this week" so it's a nice short one.

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week; "Through it all" by the Dandelions

 In this week's, nice and brief, episode I talk about some of the basics of post-partum exercise such as "how diastasis recti can cause knee-pain."

I also touch on the idea that diastasis recti can not be healed, or is more difficult to heal, when you're still breastfeeding "because of Relaxin".

The role of Relaxin on post-partum recovery has not been established AT ALL but this "wisdom" is now doing the rounds on all the support forums.

I also  highlight a very important thing that last week's guest (Court Garfoot) pointed out. Kefir, and other pro-biotics, do very little when your overall diet is horrible. So I spend some time talking about that.

In the news this week; I talk about an interesting study about "the carcinogenic effects of heating plastic bowls" as it highlights the importance of actually reading the study rather than the  headlines. Don't worry, using a plastic bowl won't kill you unless you eat it

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week; "Early Bird" by Brian Brown

 In this weeks episode I am joined by Court Garfoot and we're talking everything PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)

Court is a nutritionist and specialises in hormone imbalances including PCOS and Endometriosis.
She is also very eloquent and knowledgable so she is just the ticket when you want to talk to someone about this sort of thing.

We went over loads including some of the most important questions;

What is PCOS and what it is not?
The 4 different kinds of PCOS????
What REALLY causes PCOS?
Why does the NHS advice to PCOS say there is no cure?
How can you manage PCOS?
What are your starting points to sorting your PCOS?
How long does it take for lifestyle changes to take effect?

and much, MUCH, more.


You can find Court by going to her website
On Instagram here and here
On Facebook here
And LinkedIn

In the news this week; No "In the news" but I do briefly touch on Tatjana Maria reaching the Quarter Finals of Wimbledon today. It just shows you that, with the right team around you, and some hard work and dedication there is no reason why you can't be in better shape post-partum than you were pre-natal!

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week; "ever" by Mickey Geiger

 In this weeks episode I am talking about the importance of getting the basics right.

I had an email where someone asked how to tighten up the bit below her bellybutton and when I mentioned exercises that could help (such as the TVA leg raises that are part of the HPNB program) she said "Yes, I can easily do them and they don't help".
This reminded me of the importance of getting the basics right. In this case, it means exerting enough pressure on the legs to make sure the TVA kicks in properly.

If we ignore the basics everything else falls apart, so let's go over the basics of post-partum recovery.

Read the label this week; The sneaky way my choice of bread was making me gain weight!

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week;  "Another Lover" by élise

In this weeks episode I had the pleasure of talking to Anna Maria DiDio

Anna Maria DiDio, MSW is an adoptive mother and was inspired to write her memoir, Love at the Border, An Adoption Adventure after her own family journey to Mexico. 

Now her L.I.F.E.* ( *Love Inspires Families Everywhere ) Adventures children’s books feature stories about adoption, foster care, stepchildren, and all blended families from the point of view of the child. 

Anna Maria hopes that her books encourage open and honest exploration of what children are thinking and feeling within their own unique families.

Anna Maria holds a BA in Psychology from Villanova University and an MSW in Family Specialization from the University of Pennsylvania.
For over twenty years, Anna Maria DiDio has devoted her time and talents to many non-profit organizations focusing on women, girls, and families globally. She is currently President of Women International Leaders (WIL) of Greater Philadelphia, which provides micro loans and empowerment grants to women in under-resourced countries. Anna Maria is at her most creative when she is traveling and experiencing new people, places, and things to eat and then writing about it!

She can be found at home in Philadelphia walking everywhere, swimming laps, reading biographies, or baking chocolate chip cookies. Anna Maria's books can be found on Amazon, travel writing and other essays on The Bean's Talk – her Medium publication. More information can be found on her website AMDiDio.com.

Her book can be found on the Amazon website
You can connect with Anna Maria in all the usual places;

Her website
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn

In the news this week This article from the Guardian website which tells us something almost every woman already knows and that is that women's  gynaecological issues tend to be put on the backburner by our National Health System or seen as "not serious enough" to warrant treatment or even "benign". I also highlight this accompanying article which shows that, unremarkably, post-partum health is still completely ignored even when people in the health sector make up a list of "top 4 ways".

Remember to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the competitions, wisdom and cute videos. And, of course, you can always find us on our YouTube channel if you like your podcast in video form with little pictures :)

Visit healthypostnatalbody.com and get 3 months completely FREE access. No sales, no commitment, no BS.

Email peter@healthypostnatalbody.com if you have any questions or comments 

Playing us out this week;  "Change for Me" by EILOH