WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND HOW TO SOLVE SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT NOT BE AWARE YOU EVEN HAVE! Have you given birth and noticed that you abs just haven't gone back to their original 'flatness', are you a man who is constantly at the gym and watching what he eats and still can't achieve the 6 pack of your dreams? Well, this one's for you! If you look at yourself standing sideways to a mirror and it looks as though you still may be pregnant or just a rounded belly with no idea why you can't achieve a flat stomach then you may just have 'Diastasis Recti'. This is most commonly found in women after birth but has been shown in men and children. Diastasis Reci (DR for short) is defined as having a widening of the gap between the 2 sections of the rectus abdominis abdominal muscle and distinguished as having a 2.7 centimeter (or more) gap in between the ab muscles, leaving the stomach to look bigger and round instead of pulled in and tight. If you have a suspicion that this just might be the thing that is holding you back from the desired flat tummy but not entirely sure, then test it out for yourself! 1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor 2. Put your fingers on your belly button (palm down towards you) 3. Lift your head and neck just slightly off the floor while pressing down with your fingers. If there's a gap, then there is the diatasis 4. Now do the same thing just above and below the belly button because the gap may measure differently in all 3 places! (If you can fit 2.5 fingers in between the gap it is recommended that you see a doctor for more help) So if you're feeling the gap take a quick moment and think about if you have any back or pelvic pain or if there are any digestive issues. If the answer is no, then congrats you aren't suffering from RD other than just having the round belly! But if you answered yes, then congrats because it may be stemming from your RD and it may be solved! Now that you've done the test, and whether you have it or not, continue to read so you know how to fix or prevent RD!
Now the bad news is that it is not a simple fix, but the good news is there is a way to help correct it! RD is mostly related to internal abdominal pressure (*ding ding ding* pregnancy increases the chance!); and for you ladies who worked out while pregnant to try and stay fit during and after the birth but still ended with a bigger belly you may have been doing the opposite with your exercises! There is a lot of different research articles on the internet but from what we found the main exercises that everyone can agree on avoiding are crunches, planks and other exercises that increase the pressure in the abs! I know what all our members are thinking 'We have a lot of core work is this increasing my chances for gaining RD?!" Relax! The number one step across all platforms on how to correct RD is breathing! They all recommend that you have to learn to engage the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor muscles effectively and correctly, NOT JUST WHILE YOU EXERCISE! While doing your every day tasks like lifting and twisting while staying in alignment you will begin to fix the RD by pulling in the ab muscles in! 'Well if I haven't been doing it this long how am I going to start doing it now, and how do I even find these muscles or make a conscious effort to begin with before it can turn into an unconscious movement?' Next time you're sitting in traffic give yourself a conscious moment to try and correct your breathing. Sit up nice and tall with a natural spine. Then without tensing the chest or shoulders gently pull the belly button towards the spine as you slowly exhale and right there you've found the correct muscles! Try and find a couple of moments during the day to begin with, to correct your breathing, get in tune with your deep core muscles and pull those abs back together! Now looking deeper into RD articles it says to avoid quite a few Pilates movements to decrease the chances of ever getting it, so why would a Pilates studio want to write about this while it's just going to draw attention to what is going to happen?! IM=X Pilates isn't your typical Pilates. In every single class we go through the '5 fundamentals' and the 2nd fundamental is called 'the forced exhalation' Now for the members who are actually doing the breathing correctly and throughout the entire class, don't have RD problems because the forced exhalation (FE) immediately engages the transverses abdominis and is encouraged to be used throughout the entire duration of the class! RD is said to be caused from constant pressure on the ab muscles. But IM=X is always adding additional muscles to all ab exercises that will take some of the pressure off the abs while still allowing to let them work and strengthen. All while keeping the transverses abominis engaged, you're going to be doing more good for your abs too and helping you prevent and correct RD symptoms If you feel that RD is holding you back from you goals and want to focus on correcting it a little more then take a look at the two articles we've listed below! Wellness Mama: How to Identify and Fix Diastasis Recti: This is a wonderful article that will give you even more than what we've provided and even has more articles at the bottom of sources and where to find additional exercises to help fix RD! MUTU System; What is it and How do You Know If You Have it?: This article gets a little deeper into what causes RD and how to fix it as well as what to avoid to prevent it. Love what you're reading? Like our page on Facebook, share this with a friend who needs to read this article and follow us on Instagram! If you're ready to start your Pilates journey and learn how to correct your RD through proper breathing and abdominal engagement then hit the contact button and give us a call to start your FREE week with us! #imxpilateshr#pilates#health#fitness#cycling#barre#TRX#yoga#abdominals#diastasisrecti#breathing
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