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https://madamenoire.com/1058222/diastasis-recti-mutu-system-post-partum-workout/
Source: kate_sept2004 / Getty
I wish I had known about diastasis recti before I got pregnant. Knowing about it beforehand probably wouldn’t have prevented me from being affected, but I would’ve been more careful about doing certain ab workouts before and during pregnancy while beasting out on the fitness tip. In case you didn’t know, diastasis recti is an ab separation that can happen to anyone, but it’s especially common in women who have given birth, for obvious reasons. I’ve been active my entire life and even taught pole dancing until I was seven months pregnant. My doctor told me that I could continue to work out the way I always had, depending on what my body allowed, but I never got information about diastasis recti, not even from the athletic community.
Diastasis recti can result from abdominal weakness compounded by poor posture, poor workout technique and, again, pregnancy, especially in women who are over the age of 35, have had multiple pregnancies, or have had babies with a high birth weight. The condition can make you appear as if you are still pregnant, even months or years later, and as we’ve seen with women like Ciara and Kelly Rowland, even the fittest of women can be susceptible.
Throughout my pregnancy, I tried my best to keep my posture in check and make sure I had good form during all activities, but I still did certain ab movements that weren’t ideal in terms of diastasis recti prevention (or minimization) in pregnant women. I discovered that I had a minor separation after partaking in the greatest baby shower gift I never knew I needed. It was the Mummy Tummy System (MuTu System), a workout series created by certified postpartum exercise specialist Wendy Powell that’s geared toward the needs of postpartum women. It’s all about pelvic floor and abdominal rehab and is taught by a fit mom. It’s literally like having a personal trainer bestie who totally gets you because she went through the same thing you did.
I was so focused on snapping back after giving birth that my first attempts to work out after getting clearance from the doctor at six weeks involved me trying terribly to do everything that I used to do. I was humbled swiftly by hormones, exhaustion, and relaxed joints. I finally realized that after pregnancy, there is a new normal. Even if you get back to your pre-pregnancy size, there are going to be things that look and feel different, and I realized I had to take it slow, which made the MuTu System perfect. After starting, I was able to identify a two-finger-width gap in my lower abdomen and learn techniques for better posture, what types of abs workouts I shouldn’t do, and how to start my journey toward closing the gap. Laying off the planks, which was suggested, was a hard one, but I did and survived. I decided to resume when I was sure I felt stable enough to do them again, and with proper form. Once I completed the 12-week program, I still didn’t feel stable enough to plank, but I applied the new posture principles that I learned, along with other methods of core work (like squats and knee lifts, for example) to my repertoire, along with a healthy dose of patience.
It took me about a year to close that two-finger gap to one finger. I am almost two-and-a-half years postpartum and still have a finger-width gap. I’m just starting to feel comfortable doing planks again and I’m finally getting my core back to a place that I’m comfortable with. Working out as much and as consistently as I would like to has been hard with a busy toddler, but what I learned from the MuTu System and my fit mom tribe is that patience and being kind to myself trumps everything else. Plus, I’ve met moms who have managed to close their gaps so that means there’s hope.
Source: kate_sept2004 / Getty
I wish I had known about diastasis recti before I got pregnant. Knowing about it beforehand probably wouldn’t have prevented me from being affected, but I would’ve been more careful about doing certain ab workouts before and during pregnancy while beasting out on the fitness tip. In case you didn’t know, diastasis recti is an ab separation that can happen to anyone, but it’s especially common in women who have given birth, for obvious reasons. I’ve been active my entire life and even taught pole dancing until I was seven months pregnant. My doctor told me that I could continue to work out the way I always had, depending on what my body allowed, but I never got information about diastasis recti, not even from the athletic community.
Diastasis recti can result from abdominal weakness compounded by poor posture, poor workout technique and, again, pregnancy, especially in women who are over the age of 35, have had multiple pregnancies, or have had babies with a high birth weight. The condition can make you appear as if you are still pregnant, even months or years later, and as we’ve seen with women like Ciara and Kelly Rowland, even the fittest of women can be susceptible.
Throughout my pregnancy, I tried my best to keep my posture in check and make sure I had good form during all activities, but I still did certain ab movements that weren’t ideal in terms of diastasis recti prevention (or minimization) in pregnant women. I discovered that I had a minor separation after partaking in the greatest baby shower gift I never knew I needed. It was the Mummy Tummy System (MuTu System), a workout series created by certified postpartum exercise specialist Wendy Powell that’s geared toward the needs of postpartum women. It’s all about pelvic floor and abdominal rehab and is taught by a fit mom. It’s literally like having a personal trainer bestie who totally gets you because she went through the same thing you did.
I was so focused on snapping back after giving birth that my first attempts to work out after getting clearance from the doctor at six weeks involved me trying terribly to do everything that I used to do. I was humbled swiftly by hormones, exhaustion, and relaxed joints. I finally realized that after pregnancy, there is a new normal. Even if you get back to your pre-pregnancy size, there are going to be things that look and feel different, and I realized I had to take it slow, which made the MuTu System perfect. After starting, I was able to identify a two-finger-width gap in my lower abdomen and learn techniques for better posture, what types of abs workouts I shouldn’t do, and how to start my journey toward closing the gap. Laying off the planks, which was suggested, was a hard one, but I did and survived. I decided to resume when I was sure I felt stable enough to do them again, and with proper form. Once I completed the 12-week program, I still didn’t feel stable enough to plank, but I applied the new posture principles that I learned, along with other methods of core work (like squats and knee lifts, for example) to my repertoire, along with a healthy dose of patience.
It took me about a year to close that two-finger gap to one finger. I am almost two-and-a-half years postpartum and still have a finger-width gap. I’m just starting to feel comfortable doing planks again and I’m finally getting my core back to a place that I’m comfortable with. Working out as much and as consistently as I would like to has been hard with a busy toddler, but what I learned from the MuTu System and my fit mom tribe is that patience and being kind to myself trumps everything else. Plus, I’ve met moms who have managed to close their gaps so that means there’s hope.
The people of Bellbrook didn’t know much about Relics and Rarities when you asked around, but you’re positive that the mysterious letter you received pointed you to this address. You hear the soft jingle of a bell as you open the plain-looking door. You’re greeted by the smell of old books, dazzling piles of curiosities practically stacked to the ceiling, and… the immediate, eerie sensation that you’re being watched.
“Hello, adventurer!” chirps a warm voice.
You turn to the sound and see a plump gnome woman standing before you.
“I’m Professor Roundland,” she says. “Welcome to Relics and Rarities, where you’ll always find what you’re looking for, even if you didn’t know you were looking for it. Feel free to browse. Take your time, dear. But when you’re done, the R&R Brigade has a job for you, if you’re interested.”
You look at the stacks in front of you. A dusty leather coin purse, a glittering beaded mask, a well-loved doll in a lace dress, a golden locket… what will you pick up first?
Relics and Rarities is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with Dungeon Master Deborah Ann Woll at the helm. In each episode, Professor Roundland assigns a group of four adventurers a mission on behalf of the R&R Brigade. They’re accompanied by a special guest to retrieve a one-of-a-kind item that is causing more than a bit of trouble in the realm.
The journey begins among the piles of mysterious odds and ends Professor Roundland has accumulated. Relics and Rarities‘ players are encouraged to take a look among the curios to find something that might help them complete (and survive) their mission. Here’s an exclusive look at what the props and the incredibly detailed set looks like up close.
Want to keep browsing Professor Roundland’s collection? Catch new episodes of Relics and Rarities every Monday only on Alpha! New subscribers can watch for free for 30 days with the special code RELICS.
Which item would you pick up in this unique shop? Tell us which one—and what you imagine it does!—in the comments.
All Images: Geek & Sundry / Joshua Thomas
The post Get a Closer Look at RELICS AND RARITIES’ Magical Set and Props appeared first on Nerdist.
Last night’s most surprising note of conciliation among pundits had nothing to do with the State of the Union address. It came after Stacey Abrams’ SOTU rebuttal speech, the response to which was virtually unanimous: She did a great job.
It may have also been one of the best campaign launch speeches ever! The question remains: what is she campaigning for? Whatever it is — I’m in.
Abrams, the first black woman ever selected to give the Democratic response to the State of the Union, got extra points for excelling in one of politics’ most difficult and thankless jobs. No surprise there given women of color have changed the world inch-by-inch for generations by leveraging the hell out of exactly such unwelcome and underestimated roles.
While some pundits may have been enlightened by Abrams’s seamless performance, its unlikely that anyone who has ever seen her speak was the least bit surprised – whether they agree with her politics or not.
On her worst day – jet lagged, ill prepared, with both hands tied behind her back, and no teleprompter for 300 miles – Abrams is a far better orator than Donald Trump at his rehearsed best. Keep in mind that is pretty much what he offered last night.
As a lawyer, writer, and former Georgia House Minority Leader, Abrams, 45, is a gifted and experienced communicator, who has both drawn upon and honed these skills throughout her career – never more than in the last 18 months as she ran (from coast-to-coast) for Georgia governor.
While she didn’t prevail in that race, she managed to spin a technical loss into a moral and political victory that has her supporters eagerly anticipating her next run.
While Abrams’s specific ambitions yet to be articulated, her campaign may have just begun. Need evidence? How about her speech’s stated family values of “Faith, service, education, and responsibility.” Need more? Start with these most memorable quotes below. Campaign slogan, anyone?
The 6 Best Quotes From Stacey Abrams’s SOTU Rebuttal Speech
1.”Victory is not winning for our party; victory is winning for our country.”
2.”Our power and strength as Americans lives in our hard work and our belief in more.”
3.”Our most urgent work is to realize Americans’ dreams of today and tomorrow.”
4.”The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders, not where politicians pick their voters.”
5.”Our progress has always been found in the refuge, in the basic instinct of the American experiment, to do right by our people.”
6.”Together, we are coming for America. For a better America.”
Abrams will be a featured speaker at this year’s Women of Power Summit. There is still time to register for the event being held at the Mirage, Las Vegas, February 28-March 3.
The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s and not necessarily the opinion of Black Enterprise.
The post The 6 Best Quotes From Stacey Abrams’ SOTU Rebuttal Speech appeared first on Black Enterprise.