Every woman wants perfect abs. Women get to create a child inside the womb and carry them for 40 weeks. We struggle post baby to get back to pre-baby weight and figure. We are bombarded with the idea that getting the weight off should be easy. Look at Hollywood. They all have perfect bodies and perfect personal trainers to go with them. It takes 10 months to “grow” a baby and gain weight. So why should we be back to “normal” in 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 6 months post-baby?

Reality is, once you have had a baby, your body has changed and there will be a new normal. Most women will get a condition called Diastasis Recti. (It is said about 98% of us get it.) This fancy term is just the separation of the abdominal muscles which can lead to pelvic issues and abdominal pain. Along with a “pooch” after losing all of that baby weight.

To access how much separation you have lie on your back. Bring your head off the floor to contract your abdominals. With your fingers you can press above and below your belly button to see how wide of a gap you have. If you have a gap then there is a diastasis.

Now to help correct that gap.

Planks:

Lie on your belly. There are two variations you can do. The easier of the two the Standard Plank has you lift your body off of the floor and balance on your hands and toes. Make sure you tuck your glutes in and keep your abs tight. Forming a straight line.

The other ( a little harder ) option is to balance on your forearms and toes. Again tucking your glutes and tightening your abs. Work your way up to holding your plank for a minute. Then increase the number of reps you do.

Side Planks:

Again there are two variations of side planks. The first one you can balance on one hand. So lie on your side. You will hold your body up with one hand and the side of your foot.

To get fancy you can add leg lifts to either of these planks.

Cat Camels:

This exercise is a yoga move. It helps stabilize your core and strengthen both your abdominals and lower back. First you start off on all fours. Take a deep breath through your abdominals relax your back and look up to the sky.

While breathing in you tuck your chin to your chest, arch your back up and tuck your glutes in. Think of string being attached to your head and tailbone and contracting together.

Pelvic Tilts:

Start lying on your back. Bend your knees to about 45 degrees. Keeping both feet on the    floor you will tilt your pelvis up toward the sky. Your goal is to make a straight line from your knees to your clavicles.

Dead Bug:

While laying on your back. Reach your arms up palms facing inward. Bend your knees to 90 degrees. You will alternate legs and arms. Taking your right arm and left leg you will get as close to the floor as possible without touching, then returning to starting position. Then again with your left arm and right leg. Make sure your keeping your abdominals tightened through the motions.

These 5 simple workouts help strengthen your core muscles, which will help with diastisis recti and low back issues. If these exercises are “easy” for you, then you are not doing them correct. You should start out small. Try 10 seconds per exercise, 3-5 times. Then continue to add time and reps to each exercise. (I will note however, no matter how long you can hold a plank or how many dead bugs you can do, fitness starts in the kitchen and what you put into your mouth. So don’t expect abs overnight!) They say it takes 21 days to make something a habit. So I challenge you to try these 5 exercises for 21 days. Core strength is important for body function. Good luck!

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, Inc.
El Reno, OK 73036