Question regarding abdominal strength

Ginny. It sounds to me like these people would not be in favour of ww posture, but it also brings a question into my mind about stomach exercises/muscles & the ww posture.

Do the 'new kegels' and other exercises that Christine encourages strengthen stomach muscles even while the ww posture promotes 'relaxing the belly'??

Hopefully this question is in line with Ginny's and will help us all understand posture and exercises the ww way better.

:-)
w2k

Christine's 3rd yoga DVD is the best source of good prolapse-friendly exercises that target the abdominals. All of the WW work exercises and strengthens these muscles. Remember that the female "core" is different from a man's. Ginny, if you are still catching yourself with a tight belly, you aren't getting the benefits of posture and that's what you should be working on. - Surviving

Yes!! Surviving is (of course) correct. When I consciously relax my belly, I feel the kinks go out of my back. When I am consciously standing in ww posture with relaxed belly, my back can tolerate standing for a long time with no pain. Otherwise, I experience much back pain associated with standing for long periods of time.

:-)
w2k

The other aspect Ginny with uterine prolapse is that it is often accompanied by back pain. Many women complain of it in the small of the back. In my case I cop it below my left shoulder blade which some people incidentally report as a menopausal symptom, but I had it there straight after the birth of my first child and so I always associated it with uterine prolapse. Also, I have been told that I experienced somewhere in the dim, distant realm of childhood some injury there as my bottom rib juts out more on that side then on my right. The ache gets worse for me with a south/westerly wind which may not be meaningful to you as I live in the southern hemisphere, but on the east coast which means the wind comes up out of a high centred in the south and in its anti clockwise direction over the dry heart of the continent brings wattle pollen with it as well as winter grass seeds at this time of the year. All sounds a bit nuts but it seems once you have reached tipping point which in this instance I would call uterine prolapse, then your sensitivity is pronounced and injury plus allergy add their own particular symmetry to the mix. Somewhat akin to an asthmatic who at their most sensitive can move from a sunny sidewalk, to an air conditioned building and sneeze and snuffle to finally release themselves once again into the sunlight and instant relief. Unfortunately, unless you live the life of the drifter or the millionaire there is little to be done about the weather, but being aware of how it can work against you puts back some of the fun. The part of the middle anatomy that I find most advantageous to stretch and strengthen is the part north of the navel and below the ribs. You will notice when you are in WWposture that areas is held straight and taunt. When I go to bed at night I stretch my toes down below long stretched legs so that toes are pushing towards the mattress, then I pull them up to push towards my knees, then in turn to each of the sides and I find that nice area of what ‘Callanetics’ used to call the liver roll (that excess fat which is the beginning of a tummy in the menopausal) is tightening and strengthening without the benefit of push ups and other energetic abs things. In other words, gentle as…

Not familiar with Body Barre, but I'm wondering if this is part of the reason that you are still having trouble relaxing the belly due to your 14 years of doing ballet. Hmmmm....connection there? Could this routine maybe not really be as prolapse-friendly as you think it is? - Surviving

Christine's workout on the FAFP DVD is ballet-based and should be very much to your liking. - Surviving

There is also a full ballet workout in the second edition of the book, Saving the Whole Woman. This workout is not as easy to do as the DVD workouts because you are not watching a person demonstrating the speed and timing on the screen. The book has a DVD of music with it, which is perfectly timed to the exercises described with photos in the book, but I can't seem to get the pace of the exercises to match the music.

I have transcribed the exercises into a document, with how many repeats of each exercise I need to do. I find this more suitable to my brain. It also means that I can use slower music (most of the exercises are in 4/4) that I choose from my collection, and be more purposeful and accurate with my movements.

I really can't comment on Body Barre, but I think Fab has given you some things to think about, re relaxing your belly.

WW posture is not designed to strengthen your core, whatever that is. It is designed to move your pelvic organs forward, off the vagina, and onto your pubic bones. The WW workouts are all designed to strengthen the whole body, make it more flexible by stretching muscles, and stronger by working muscles with your own body weight; also to improve your balance so you can be more relaxed in all your movements. With a stronger body overall, WW posture becomes easier to maintain at all times.

If you are specifically wanting to strengthen your ab muscles, ensure that whatever you do, you strengthen the muscles that are their antagonists and their co-agonists, ie the muscles that work with the abs, and against the abs.

WW workouts don't aim to leave your abdominal muscles unused. They aim to use them in ways that are useful for everyday life. More importantly they also exercise the muscles around the hips and pelvis that are not used when we adopt our common western position, which seems to be seated up off the ground, and slouched over, often slouched back, with the upper body supported by a seat back, and our (female) knees together for modesty. These positions don't make our abdominal muscles work at all! They also keep our hip abductors, external rotators and extensors in one position, neither fully contracted nor fully extended.

If Body Barre is available to you, and you are motivated to do it, then do it, but do it mindfully, and stop and reevaluate if you feel any prolapse symptoms worsening during or after your sessions.

Damage or weakening to the levator ani (it forms the greater part of the wall (floor) of the pelvic cavity), ligaments and connective tissue are usually thought to be implicated in uterine prolapse. However, obesity is also cited as a possible cause. If obesity in turn implies weak 'core' muscles then I guess it is possible. I had a look at some photos of body barre and and I fully sympathise with having 3 littlies that it would be more possible if you can attend classes. If I were to do it, I would have to pick and choose which exercises were alright for prolapse and at the same time were core strengthening. I wonder too whether you have some pain relief?

Ginny, if you have someone to watch the kiddies while you go out to a class, could that person watch the kiddies while you do a WW workout at home? If space is an issue, can she take them out for an hour or two? I can totally identify with this issue, just looking for other possible solutions. - Surviving

I have had 5 children with no complications during the birth, but after I had my 3rd, 4th, and especially my 5th, I have noticed the back pressure and then the fact that you have to go slower with each birth towards the healing process. You cannot bounce back immediately.
Be patient with yourself, and stay off your feet whenever you are able. You were most likely very fit with 14 years of ballet. But go slowly building yourself back up. You are a mom now, kick back and enjoy your children. After my 3rd and 4th child I wore what is called a belly band, it helps hold the tummy muscles in and heal, it also supports the back. I do not think it conflicts with WW posture as you are not tensing your stomach muscles, just having some support. It also helps me (when my back hurts) to lay flat on the floor, just for 5 to 10 minutes.
Good Luck, and happy Mothering!!