Skipfit- Functional group exercise instructor for mothers

My journey to Functional fitness for mothers

Share

After 33 hours of labour with my first baby, 9 cm dilation and failure to progress, I was admitted to theatre with a high temperature for an emergency C-section.  This was just the start of my ordeal. 

Post birth, the hospital care was poor, sleep deprived, cut in 2, desperate to make the toilet, and no-one to mind my baby!   I endured a slow, painful recovery over the next few weeks.

Second time round I had it sorted, elective C-section.  What could go wrong?  Well, 8 weeks post baby I still couldn't walk to the shops (800 m) and back without pain.

I didn't want to accept that I also had a case of the baby blues after the birth of beautiful Ellie, my 1st child.  I kept waiting to bond.  Determined to breastfeed, even with agonizing pain for the first 7 weeks every time my baby latched on, I soon developed mastitis. 

 I was fit pre-pregnancy, playing sport, working as a PE teacher, keeping busy during pregnancy, until the last trimester.

At 10 weeks post birth I was desperate to do some form of exercise.  I went for a run, and I played a game of touch………..clearly it all didn't feel right!

I was left wondering, when and how will I enjoy exercise again?  I became consumed by motherhood.  If only I had known I could have been doing something for myself early postnatal to help repair my body.

 Ellie was almost 5 months when I stumbled across a postnatal fitness class, designed for new mothers and their baby and  just mothers.

I remember thinking this will be a doddle, but it ticked some boxes for me at the time.  Exercise, social interaction, and baby comes too!

 A doddle!  I was so wrong, and the class ticked more boxes than I first thought.  The instructor checked my diastasis recti (abdominal separation), she corrected my alignment, and told me to relax.

I found the classes educational, enjoyable, and body changing.  In time my abdominal separation started to close, my lower back pain decreased, my belly was taking nice shape, and I continued to be physically challenged.  I felt good about myself. 

If anything it made me aware which exercises are functional, effective and safe for postnatal Mums.  Basically what works and what doesn't!

 This motivated me to successfully complete a course in, Modern Post Natal Assessment and Exercise Prescription in the UK, alongside YMCA Group exercise to music, and Outdoors fitness courses, with the intention to share this newfound knowledge with the Mums of Tauranga.  I am REPS registered in NZ, and hold a current first aid certificate.

 I grew up in Otumoetai, and after living in London for 12 years, our little family settled in Te Puna.  I instruct an Indoors postnatal class at Te Puna Hall and an Outdoor Buggyfit class at Memorial Park.

 I am passionate about the importance of educating Mums and making them aware that boot camps, running and generic gym classes, can do more harm than good………unless the instructor is qualified to give functional postnatal advice.

And Mums, stop doing Sit ups, they are not functional and they wont flatten your tummy either.

 If you have tried everything, and your tummy still domes, you can't shift the weight, you have abdominal separation, you leak, or want to decrease your chances of incontinence, lower back pain and a weak pelvic floor now and in the future.  Then do something for yourself now!  If you are a Mum you are postnatal forever, and it's never too late to build foundations.

 Join a Skipfit (its my name, not about skipping) programme today!  Every Mum gets a free Diastasis Recti Test', an explanation of why your tummy domes, and shown how to exercise safely and effectively for a happier, healthier Mum and Baby.