10 Facts about Diastasis Recti - part 2
Over the last few years that I been researching and studying diastasis recti - first for my own benefit and then later to help others. I have come across a number of facts AND myths!
In this post I thought I would share a few of them with you!
Here are the second 5 ... Plus a bonus tip at the end!
1) Stick your bum out, and hinge at the hips
Not all the time ....
But when you bend down to pick something up, or unload the dishwasher, or get something out of the cupboard.
Make your mantra "squat, squat, squat"
And when you squat hinge at the hips so that you can keep a neutral back the whole time.
So:
hinge at the hips, stick your bum out to lengthen your glutes and then if you need to bend further bend your knees keeping your back neutral
Here are some tips for picking up your children (CLICK HERE)
2) Don't let your ribs flare
Why?
Well if your ribs go up and out, that brings your tranverse abdominis up and out, which in turn pulls your diastasis apart - something we definitely DON'T want to happen.
Rib flaring typically happens when:
- you suck in your tummy
- your breathing causes your ribs to go forwards instead of sideways
- when you reach above your head if you don't have full shoulder mobility
- back bending with incorrect technique
3) It takes time to regain a functional core
I am often asked - how long will it take to get a functional core again ....
Unfortunately the answer isn't black or white, it depends on a number of factors including:
-
Your age
-
How many kids you have had
-
Genetics
-
Your posture
-
How consistent you are with your exercises
-
How consistent you are with NOT doing exercises or movements which are detrimental to your diastasis
-
Time since you gave birth
What is known, is that if your diastaisis has not returned to "normal" by around 8 weeks postpartum you will need to do specific exercises to help.
From my experience people take between 6 weeks and up to over a year to regain a functional core.
NOTE, a functional core does not mean a flat tummy - that can come but just like for people without diastasis takes time and dedication.
4) You need to reduce abdominal pressure
Excess abdominal pressure on your diastasis will stop or slow down the healing process.
Pressure against your abdominal wall, will be pressing on your diastasis pushing it open instead of helping it reduce in size.
Common causes of abdominal pressure are:
-
Excess weight
-
Bad posture (including hunching and an anterior pelvic tilt)
-
Bloating (see here)
-
Certain exercises (such as crunches, or frontal loading before you are ready)
5) Whole body approach
Regaining a functional core, isn't just about doing 15 minutes of breathing exercises everyday.
Especially if for the other 23 hours and 45 mins of the day you are doing things that are detrimental to your diastasis.
You need a whole body approach to regaining a functional core.
This means:
-
Doing your diastaisis core work
-
Improving your posture (to reduce abdominal pressure)
-
Adjusting workouts so they are diastasis safe (note this changes depending on your stage of recovery - check out this article to see how to know is you can do a workout or not HERE )
-
Correcting your breathing
-
Having correct alignment of your pelvis and rib cage
-
Reducing your weight to a healthy weight range
-
Removing food that causes bloating
This full body approach is why I developed the programs - Diastasis Recti Foundational Program and the Total Core Solution - belly blast
Together they addresses all of the above, and even though the meal plan is just for 3 weeks the workouts progress with you so you can do them again and again, check out more information about it here:
Bonus Tip
Fat versus Skin ....
A member in my Facebook group (which you can join HERE) gave me this tip and I LOVE it.
After giving birth it can be sometimes hard to tell between excess skin and belly fat.
So here is the tip she was taught:
Pinch the back of your hand and feel the skin there, that is what skin with no fat feels like.
I know for me the skin right around my belly button felt exactly like that but further out where I could grab a big handful .... not so much ;)
At first you may find this upsetting, but think about it .... with hard work you can reduce fat, and replace with muscle, but over stretched and excess skin doesn't ever completely go away (I don't care what the "wraps" or "creams" say), time can reduce and strengthen the skin to regain a little elasticity but ladies we had a baby (or 2 or more) inside us, that excess skin and stretch marks should be a celebration of life not something to be ashamed of.
As always please comment below if you have any questions.
And if you found this article useful - please SHARE with others.
Katrina