Tag Archives: #beautifulpelvis

You are not alone

Those first few days after having a baby are both magical and scary. I remember them clearly. I remember the highs and the lows.

I often get asked what a postpartum hospital visit is all about, so I have been trying to summarize exactly what they are. Yes, it is helping with sore nipples, yes it’s possibly a shoulder massage from some referring pain, yes it’s c/section education and all those things but it’s so much more.

It’s a message that you are not alone. That there is support for YOU and YOUR body.

The postpartum period is still very much geared to your newborn. But in a time and space where your body is going through so much change and transition, I want moms to know that there is support for them. The changing breasts, the tummy that we don’t recognize, the body that just feels different. We can help with that!

We can help you understand the change so that you can work towards strength and function. We can help you understand your new body and how best to take care of it in the next season. Breastfeeding positions, posture, core rehab and return to exercise are just some of the few things we can help you with to get you where you want to go.

I like to think that I can help you reconnect to yourself by helping you reconnect to your body.

But sometimes it’s just about listening to the story of a birth that didn’t go as planned. Sometimes it’s giving a new mom a shoulder to cry on because her baby is in the NICU and she is all alone. Sometimes it is just about holding space for feelings that we don’t even have words for yet.

In a season where everyone wants to see and meet the baby, I want you to know that I see you mama! I am here for you! You still matter! You are not alone.

And when the newborn mist finally settles, and you feel on top of things, when you finally have a thought towards yourself and your body, please reach out! I would love you help you on your postpartum journey.

Understanding your menstrual cycle – Week 4

This is our “pre-bleed” week and is often associated with cravings and “PMS”.

Our body has been spending a lot of energy and fuel on building up the lining of our uterus and getting it ready for implantation. But by now the body has realised that there is no fertilized egg so it goes through a massive change again. Our hormones (both estrogen and progesterone) are slowly declining through the week causing the growth of the endometrium to stop in preparation for the bleed. 

Our body now goes from preparing to house a fertilized egg and grow a human to getting ready to lose our lining and then build another one up again.

This is our hungry week!

It is often the week where we feel we just can’t eat enough. Now, hear me out… this week we need to up our calorie intake. The cravings that we experience this week are the body sending us a message. It is telling us that it needs more healthy carbs and healthy fat to fuel all the internal process’s going on behind the scenes. When we feed our body what it needs (in the correct amounts) we will reduce our cravings and late-night snacking.

Feed those hormones

Lara Briden refers to this as “feeding your hormones dinner” and I think it’s brilliant. This week needs mindful meal prep to keep our body’s needs to be satisfied; if the body is satisfied so is the mind. Keep some healthy snacks close by and eat a proper dinner. A dinner that satiates you will keep you on track.

Hormonal decline

This week we will also start to experience a slow decline in our hormonal levels which will add to the stress our body is facing and cause us to be more irritable and for lack of a better word- grumpy.  We don’t want to be hungry and grumpy; that’s a terrible combination.

So how can we work with our menstrual cycle during this week?

  1. Continue drinking fluid, I feel like water is something we take so for granted in our lives and it is something so vital for healthy functioning our all our bodies systems.
  2. Nutritionally we should increase our overall calorie intake and maintain a good level of carbs and fat in our diet Foods such as sweet potato, potato, brown rice and butternut will help give our body the fuel it needs allowing us to feel happy.
  3. Exercise wise it’s an anything goes week. HIIT is great for the end of this week just before we enter the bleed week. Heavy resistance training might be too taxing on your body because the body has a high energy demand this week so preferably stick to moderate resistance training. Listen to your body and see what it feels like doing.
  4. Mentally and emotionally its the week where things start to irritate you. Things and relationships that were fine before are now NOT. If possible, try to notice what you notice but without judgement. Make a note of what bothered you and return to that thought when you are in a better hormonal and energetic space. If possible avoid any big decisions and lashing out emotionally.  
  5. Have some grace for yourself. A lot of what you feel is because of what is going on in your body.

I hope that was helpful to you. And if it was, I hope that you share the love and share this with a friend. Because ladies, we have got to help each other out. 

If you have any questions please send them through and I would be happy to answer what I can.

Understanding your menstrual cycle – Week 3

This is the week following ovulation. Ovulation is the moment the egg is released from the follicle and the remaining follicle now becomes known as the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum is responsible for producing the wonder hormone progesterone.

Week 3 feels

This week we may feel a bit all over the show. Often a massive dip in mood and energy just after ovulation and then as the hormones start building up in our body again we start feeling better. Post ovulation feels giving us that “let’s go into hibernation for a while” feeling.

Estrogen and progesterone function together like “yin and yang” hormones. Where estrogen is responsible for growth and stimulation, progesterone is responsible for calming.

Progesterone is as important for female health as estrogen!

Progesterone has many superpowers; protective against cancers, aids in sleep and soothing moods, nourishes hair and clears skin, is anti-inflammatory, and helps build bone and muscle. Every month that we ovulate we make a progesterone deposit into our bones that needs to last us all through aging; the more progesterone we can add to our body through our ovulating years will help see us through our post-menopause years.

Do you ovulate with every menstrual cycle?

It is important to note that just because you have a regular bleed it does not mean you have ovulated. It is possible to have an anovulatory menstrual cycle. The way to tell if we have ovulated or not is to track and record our basal body temperature. The progesterone produced from ovulation causes a slight rise of approximately 0,3 degrees celsius in our basal body temperature. This can be tested with a digital thermometer first thing in the morning. Some ladies even experience a twinge of pain when they ovulate and this is known as “mittelschmerz.” This can be a sharp or dull pain and last from a few seconds to a few hours, but it should not need any medication to treat. 

So how can we work with our menstrual cycle during this week?

  1. Continue drinking fluid. Water water water.
  2. Nutritionally we should increase our healthy fat intake (avocado, coconut, olive oil, salmon, nuts and olives). Ovulation is an energy sapping event in the body and we want to start pre-empting the craving week. Moderate protein, a small portion of carbs and don’t forget your leafy green veg.
  3. Exercise wise it’s a good week to return to moderate intensity exercise, doing some HIIT as well as steady state cardio as you like.
  4. Mentally and emotionally its a time to start slowing down again. You are definitely going to feel like staying in is a better option; this is the body’s way to start slowing you down as it goes into protection mode in the hope that there is a fertilised egg being implanted. 
  5. Follow your bodies lead to slow down a bit and maybe spend some time investing in yourself- reading book, learning a new skill or something else along those lines.

I hope that was helpful to you. And if it was, I hope that you share the love and share this with a friend. Because ladies, we have got to help each other out. 

Week 4 loading…

Understanding your menstrual cycle- Week 2

Ladies, welcome to the “fun” week. Last week we may have been feeling a bit low but as our hormones start to rise again so does our mood!

Week 2 in our cycle is where we find the highest amount of estrogen and testosterone in our system. 

Hello estrogen

Estrogen our “Beyonce” hormone as @maisiehill likes to call it, is our female sex hormone. It is responsible for our secondary sex characteristics, such as breast development and fatty deposits to give us our shape. It is our happy hormone, involved in boosting neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine (respectively responsible for feelings of well-being and happiness, and pleasure and motivation). One of its primary functions is to stimulate the uterine lining to grow and thicken in preparation for implantation. Estrogen also has many other functions involving the health of our bones, muscles, brain, metabolism, sleep, skin, and heart.

Hello testosterone

Women’s bodies have and need testosterone as well. Testosterone plays a role in bone health, muscle growth and strength, and sex drive! Most ladies will notice a significant increase in libido this week as the body prepares to ovulate.

So how can we work with our menstrual cycle during this week?

  1. Continue drinking fluid. Water is the so important for full body health at all times.
  2. Nutritionally we should keep protein high but also increase our fat and carb intake. So this week breaking meals up to a 40% protein, 40% fat and 20% carb split.
  3. Maximise on your heavy weight/resistance training this week. Your hormones are in their peak shape to help you tone and build those muscles up. The extra testosterone and oestrogen give you all the building blocks you need for creating a beautifully shaped, beautifully strong muscle.
  4. Mentally and emotionally its a time to start taking action. Use all that wonderful hormonal energy to invest into people and things that add value and meaning to your life. Last week you were mulling over how to handle certain things and this week you are making your move.
  5. Put yourself out there! Your hormones are priming you for fun and interaction and confidence, so accept that invite to go out, plan a dinner with your besties, dress-up for date night; but don’t miss the opportunity to mingle.

I hope that was helpful to you. And if it was, I hope that you share the love and share this with a friend. Because ladies, we have got to help each other out. 

Week 3 loading…

Understanding your Menstrual Cycle- Week 1

Ladies when it comes to our menstrual cycle there really is so much we don’t know. We spend so much time pretending it doesn’t exist or pushing through it when we could be embracing it and even working with it.

Our body is always communicating with us

I believe that our body is always talking to us, keeping us updated on our general state of health, and our menstrual cycle is one of the things we can use to see how well we are. Researchers in medical health care are even suggesting that the menstrual cycle be considered a vital sign for ladies.

Being female gives us the unique privilege of being cyclical beings- we are the same every month but different every day. On any given day in our cycle, our hormones are doing different things.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Week 1- Your bleed week

The first day of your menstrual cycle is the first day of proper bleeding. There may be a few days of light spotting beforehand. Each menstrual cycle is calculated by counting from day 1 of your bleed until the start of your next bleed. A normal menstrual cycle can be anywhere from 21-35 days for an adult and 21-45 days for a teenager.

In general bleed week starts heavy-ish and then tapers off, usually lasting 3-6 days.

It’s normal to feel some gentle cramping in the first few days as the uterus contacts to expel the endometrial lining (which is the blood). But any pain or heavy flow that interrupts the activities of your day is a sign to you that you should dig a little deeper to see what is going on.

Understanding the look and flow of the bleed

In general, we lose 25-80ml of period blood during this week, with 50ml being the average. It is easy to track if you use a menstrual cup, but you could get a rough idea using pads and tampons as well. Each tampon size is designed to hold a certain amount of fluid. A regular tampon or a soaked pad holds roughly 5ml and a super tampon holds 10ml

The colour and texture of the blood may also differ. A faster, heavier flow has less exposure to oxygen which means it’s a brighter red; whereas a light, slow flow is a darker red because it had more exposure to oxygen. If you have a fast and heavy flow you might find that there are more big clots in your flow as the anticoagulants (thing responsible for keeping blood smooth), haven’t had enough time to work. Your flow also naturally slows during sleep.

Besides some mild cramping and bleeding it’s important to know that you have very little oestrogen and progesterone in your system (which is the cause of the bleeding), so it makes sense that you are feeling a little flat as your hormones are flat.

So how can we work with our menstrual cycle during this week?

  1. Drink more water. Your bleed is not just blood but also fluid so we need to be proactive in replacing that fluid.
  2. Eat more protein. Especially dark parts of meat (dark lamb, dark chicken meat, red meat). Eat protein at every meal so that your total protein is roughly 70% of your intake. Slow down on the carbs.
  3. Take the first few days of your cycle off of heavy exercise. Go for a long slow walk or do a gentle yoga flow to keep your body moving. As your flow decreases introduce some moderate intensity resistance training (body-weight, mini bands or dumbbells).
  4. Mentally and emotionally its a time to mull things over. You may have gotten irritated by some stuff or people last week but this is not the week to take action. Instead reassess your feelings, and think over next steps. We can take action another time.
  5. Be kind to yourself. Sleep a little longer at night or take a nap if the opportunity presents itself. Take care of yourself and if someone offers help, take it!

I hope that was helpful to you. And if it was, I hope that you share the love and share this with a friend. Because ladies, we have got to help each other out. 

Week 2 loading…