Did you know a well functioning pelvic floor is associated with the following benefits?

🔆 Improved posture.

🔆 Reduced back pain.

🔆 Say goodbye to pee-sneezing and coughing.

🔆 Run, jump, and lift weights with out a worry of leaking.

🔆 Flatten tummy.

🔆 Enjoy orgasm during sex.

🔆 Feel like yourself again.

I have certifications as a Pre and Postnatal Corrective Exercise Specialist, Diastasis and Core Consultant. I studied for these because I struggle myself after my first baby was born. I had lingering abdominal separation, and pelvic floor weakness — but I was DYING to get back to the intense exercise I loved. I now have a signature Mamma Core Method I teach inside my Strong Sexy Mammas fitness membership. If you’re looking for a place to get started. DOWNLOAD this free Pelvic Floor Guide for Busy Moms.

If you ask someone where their pelvic floor is and what it does -- I imagine 9 out of 10 people only know part of the answer.

Maybe you're one of them. That's okay!!

I was even confused before doing my own research and becoming a Pre and Post Natal Corrective Exercise Specialist.

That’s why I created my FREE Pelvic Floor Guide for Busy Moms.

You can visualize the pelvic floor as a hammock or sling that holds up your uterus, bladder, and bowel. Their openings, the vagina, urethra, and anus pass through the pelvic floor.

A well functioning pelvic floor is associated with less bladder leakage. Yay for not pee-sneezing every time you get sick or pee-laughing every time you find something crazy funny!

A well functioning pelvic floor is also associated

What Causes Pelvic Floor Weakness?

What causes pelvic floor muscle weakness?

Here are a few...

🤰 pregnancy

🤱 childbirth – particularly following delivery of a large baby, instrument delivery like vacuum or forceps, or prolonged pushing during delivery

🏃‍♀️ running and #jumping too soon after having babies or late in pregnancy when the core is weak

🍭 being overweight

💩 constipation (excessive straining to empty your bowel)

🏋 persistent heavy lifting without proper core engagement

😷 excessive coughing – causing repetitive straining

❤️ changes in hormonal levels at menopause

👵 growing older

What is lifestyle medicine? Have you heard of it? If you have, do you know what it is? In short, doctors who practice LIFESTYLE MEDICINE encourage patients to have a healthy and balanced lifestyle which can decrease our need for medical interventions. Our society seems to look for drugs to improve or solve problems. The thing is, we could often prevent these same problems simply by staying active, eating a clean diet, reducing stress, sleeping more, laughing more, and loving more! I sat down with Dr. Jill Gamberg of Double Bay Doctors here in Sydney, Australia to chat about what lifestyle medicine is all about.

>> Download your FREE GUIDE & TRAINING by Strong Sexy Mammas, CORE AFTER KIDS> <<

Postnatal crunches can make 'mummy tummy' worse? Eeeeek! What? Can that be correct? I thought sit-ups were part of the recipe for a washboard stomach. Well, that is definitely not the case if you have just given birth to a sweet little bundle of joy that has unfortunately left you with abs separation. I've learned that curling movements and those that load the core too much can exacerbate the problem and leave us with a pot belly. Perhaps not the look you are going for long term? Me neither!

It was actually happening to me. I was getting fitter but my belly was pooching and I was experiencing some bladder leakage after tough workouts. I’ve started studying for certifications in this area because I want to serve you better than 99.9% of the fitness industry that neglects diastasis recti and pelvic floor function.

NOTE: First let me say, as new moms I think we should give ourselves a break and love our bodies. We should thank ourselves for growing these adorable little humans! I also hope that if we want a flat tummy again, and are wiling to work for it, we can have it.

I am in the process of healing my abs separation. You'll see my baby boy in the video above. I was fortunate to only have about two fingers of abs separation following his birth. The downside was that the separation was quite long and deep and my pelvic floor was a bit weak from a tough birth.

Some women have a lot more to heal so I feel fortunate. I have spent a lot of time and energy researching this condition. Diastasis recti is the official name. To get down to basics, according to WebMD,“Diastasis recti” means your belly sticks out because the space between your left and right belly muscles has widened. You might call it a “pooch.” It's very common among pregnant women. About two-thirds of pregnant women have it.

I've had a several physical therapy appointments and have been educating myself on diastasis recti and pelvic floor function.. In the video above, Tori from Peaches Pilates and I show you how to tell if you have abs separation and also demonstrate a few exercises she recommends to clients. As always, be sure to consult with your physician. Below you will also find a Q and A to dive a little deeper.

>> Download your FREE GUIDE & TRAINING by Strong Sexy Mammas, CORE AFTER KIDS> <<

I just had a great chat with one of the New Zealand based founders of a new fitness app that bills itself as the Uber meets Tinder for personal training! Did I spike your interest? Nader Luthera tells me the TRAINERR app is currently available in NZ and AUS and his company plans to take this app to the USA soon. It sounds like a great concept. The above YouTube video does a nice job explaining how it works.

If you want an easy way to find and pay a personal trainer this may be the app of the future for you. It will work great if you're in a spontaneous mood and don't wanna leave your hood, you need a consistent trainer before or after work, you wanna find a trainer that will lead you through workouts in your desired setting (ex- specific gym, park, beach), etc.... Luthera says TRAINERR app is great for those scenarios and so many more!

Also... if you're a personal trainer looking to drum up some extra business and want a convenient way to do financial transactions... you oughtta check out the new TRAINERR too. It is very much a start-up... but the faster folks get onboard (personal trainers and clients)... the easier it will be to use the app.

 It's always tough to make and keep fitness goals and resolutions if we don't have a proper plan in place. If you're having a hard time... wait! Don't throw in the towel! Time may get away from us, our co-workers may bring in their leftover holiday goodies, our kids may need extra attention... That's life. Life happens! But don't waste the effort you've made so far. Don't feel like a failure just because you fell off the wagon. Get up!... Let's stand up together... dust our shoulders off... Let's get back on... and try it again. Hit. It. Don't. Quit. It. 

How can we keep our fitness resolutions? For the answers... I have interviewed several top instructors from organizations I have found some my own fitness success. Their advice is awesome. Take a look!

If you watch a barre class from afar... some of the movements seem so small... you wonder how the participants could consider these tiny wiggles and raises exercise. But if you are the one taking the class... you know that the small, intentional movements start to B-U-R-N quite quickly! Often your legs, arms, abs, or buns are screaming the next day! At least mine are! While living in New York City I spent a lot of time trying barre classes at different boutique fitness studios... on the hunt for the cream of the crop! One of my favorites is Exhale Spa.

"Ride your bike like you live your life!" It's just one of the many inspirational quotes you'll hear from instructors during Soul Cycle classes. The boutique fitness studio chain has a cult following. And I must admit... I have been bitten by the Soul Cycle bug too. Students ride to the beat of the music by candlelight. Among their fans... instructors have rockstar status... and if ya just take a look... rock hard bodies too! ;-) I'm happily an advocate for em... and have been telling anyone who will listen about the 'tap it back' syndrome I've been suffering from... for several years now! LOL 

Classes are typically 45 minutes long. Most of the time students are in perfect unison... dancing along to the pumping playlists... meticulously designed and choreographed by instructors. Each class also includes one song for a weighted toning section. Students use one to five pound weights and do overhead presses, bicep curls, tricep extensions, rows, etc... Again all choreographed to the beat of the music. It's so much F-U-N!

Barry's Bootcamp has an incredible reputation for drawing celebrities and fitness fanatics through its doors in major cities worldwide. They vow students will burn up to 1,000 calories per class! When living in the Big Apple I would workout quite frequently at Barry's Bootcamp. I started going regularly while getting ready for my Central Park wedding! My favorite time to go? Thursday afternoons at the Chelsea location. Each day trainers run students through workouts targeting a specific muscle group. Thursday is abs day. I found their formulas to be challenging but manageable. 'Barry's' - as its fans like me refer to it - now has more than 25 worldwide locations including Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, London, and Oslo. It was founded in 1998. Reps tell me today... more than 40,000 people visit their fitness studios every week. 

1. Play touch football with the extended family... or round up some neighbors. Wear old yucky clothes.... The more grass stains the better! Ladies... get involved too... and don't go easy on the guys... Go for the knees and take em down! LOL

2. Break out the video games or virtual reality goggles one of your family members had all packaged up nice and perrrrrty under the tree. Tennis, bowling, or my favorite... dancing!! Clap... clap... Criss cross... Hands in the air... Now stomp! LOL 

In a word... Yes! Tabata is for real. And yes you can lose weight 20 seconds at a time. It's become a real fitness buzzword. You've probably seen it on the cover of a lot of magazines lately. So what is it? And why are some folks trying it out... but not reaping the rewards?  

"Anna, you need to take a rest day." Can I get an AMEN!?! I love it when trainers say these words! But believe it or not... it's a phrase a lot of hard core athletes need to hear. It was certainly something I needed to be reminded of when I was training for the Boston and New York City marathons. I was burning myself out. 

You wanna be in the Mile High Club? How about the Mile High Run Club!?! Fortunately... or unfortunately... depending who you ask... the two have nothing to do with each other. But just like the Mile High Club... there's a lot of buzz around Mile High Run Club in New York City too!  It's a running boutique fitness studio. Founder & CEO Debora Warner says some folks come for fun or stress relief... others come to trim down. "Running offers the highest caloric burn of any type of cardio for those who are looking to lose weight. Calories will vary depending on the person and class type, but the minimum number of calories burned in class should be around 500."  

I am excited to share my passion for fitness with pretty much anyone who will listen! I love group exercise and at one point was teaching up to 10 classes a week under my AFAA (Athletics and Fitness Association of America) certification.