My Evolved Life | Episode #13 - Tara Abel | You Can't Out Train Postpartum

On this week's episode, I have a conversation with Tara Abel, a Postnatal Fitness Specialist, about what mothers experience during and after birth. We talked about how diastasis recti affects all mothers, the "Four Ps" of postpartum, and exercises to consider after birth.

7:04 - What is Diastasis Recti?
10:44 - Is there a range in severity?
16:34 - How do men best support their partners through postpartum?
19:04 - What are the symptoms of Diastasis Recti and pelvic floor issues?
23:10 - What happens if the symptoms aren't addressed?
25:52 - What do all moms need to hear about diastasis recti?
27:09 - How do you find a professional to help you?
32:34 - What are the types of specialists that can help?
35:04 - What exercises are generally safe?
40:28 - Are bodyweight exercises automatically safe?
42:21 - How do you know when you're ready for exercise?
45:55 - How to shift your mindset to valuing exercise?
50:10 - What are some tricks to getting exercise into your schedule?

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Tara was an athlete growing up but struggled to maintain her athleticism after becoming a mom. What started as the pursuit of weight loss turned into a life-changing shift in mindset, strength, confidence, falling in love with lifting weights, and wanting to make it attainable for other women to do the same.

She became a Certified Personal Trainer with a passion for taking the overwhelm out of fitness for women and supporting them in every stage. She coaches busy women to make realistic, moderate, sustainable changes that meet them wherever they’re at. After overcoming severe diastasis recti postpartum, she became especially passionate about empowering women with education on core and pelvic floor health and was certified as a Postnatal Fitness Specialist and a Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Coach.

A mom to four wild and lovely young children, Tara understands the importance and difficulty of finding a balance and of looking at fitness from a holistic lens. She wants every woman to be able to chase after their kids, say yes to every activity, and to feel free and empowered in their body. When Tara’s not at the gym, you can be sure she’s spending time with her family, doing home renos, or getting overly competitive while playing board games.

Website: https://www.taraabel.com/ | Instagram: @taraabelfitness

Transcript

spk_0:   0:04
no matter how badly we want to and for some women, and I was one of them. So I completely empathize and understand. You can't out train postpartum. You could lie on the floor and do 100 crunches every day. And if those countries aren't appropriate for your body and where you're at and you didn't build up to that crunch, it's not doing you any favors. So taking the time to just allow yourself to embrace postpartum and lay that foundation first in those early stages or whenever it is you're taking the time to address these things is always going to be. The key to success is to lay the foundation and then progress. From there,

spk_1:   0:42
you're listening to my evolved life. Ah, pi Casta simplifies health and fitness and helps you maximize your life. My name is gonna win, and I'm the creator of the evolution trading system. We're so lucky to be living in the information age meeting. It's easier than ever to access information and find answers to any questions you may have. But is that a confusing when you read information that's conflicting or worse yet, just sounds wrong. I'll be sitting down with industry professionals to give you clarity and leave you with tangible actions you can take immediately to improve your physical, mental and psychological health. Okay, today's guest is Tara Able. Tara is a certified personal trainer with a passion to remove. Overwhelmed from fitness for women, she does not by coaching them on how to create realistic as sustainable goals After suffering severe die, Stacy's wrecked I herself. She's become especially passionate about empowering women on core and pelvic floor health. She does that as a prenatal fitness specialist and a pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach and above all, that she is also a mother of four. This is such an important topic to talk about. So with that, Tara, welcome to the show.

spk_0:   1:59
Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be here.

spk_1:   2:02
This is something that our customers, our listeners ask about all the time. So I'm super excited to have you here often. So the way that I understand it was is what actually started as a pursuit for weight loss eventually became a life changing, shifted mindset, strength and confidence, and along that journey, it instill, or it creates a drive to create the same kind of change or success for other women. Yeah. So let's start here. Can you tell the audience a little bit about yourself and where that passion really really comes from?

spk_0:   2:40
Yeah, for sure. So I was pretty athletic growing up, and I've always loved sports and wanted to continue that into motherhood. But circumstances did not really permit that. And I kind of was thrown into motherhood and really kind of lost myself. And I was, you know, really tired all the time. I felt terrible. Um, I didn't I felt like I didn't, you know, really know who I was anymore. And there was nothing I was doing in my life that really made me feel like me. And so, over the course of my pregnancies, my 1st 2 kids were 13 months apart. So I ended up, um, getting quite a lot of weight, which isn't something that I focused on now. But at the time, um was it was really hindering my life, to be honest. And so I started to decide to feel more like me, get moving again because it was really at the point where, you know, carrying laundry up the stairs would put me out of breath. And as a former athlete, that was not okay. So when you have really limited time, you kind of have to do the best you can with what you have. And so in the beginning I found that even though I had been athletic, I didn't have any idea where to start. And so through a lot of trial and error, I sort of, you know, it became pretty clear very quickly that all of the sort of really intense exercise that you see out there a lot of that is not really suited for people who haven't exercise since high school. Um, and it's not really super helpful for women who have kids that don't have a lot of time that can't worry about every bite they're putting into their mouths or whatever it is. Or, you know, having all this access to equipment or even a gym. And so, um, so I really found a way to make these changes into habits, and in over the course of that I did address my weight loss. But more importantly, I really just found this newfound, um, confidence and ability with my in my body and in my own skin and friends and family started to notice. And I started Thio, you know, want to help other women to realize the same thing because I realized so many of us are going about it in this very all or nothing matter. And it seems so unachievable and so daunting. And it was really, really small things that you know that I did. And then I believe you can do over time that add up to be this you know, the life that you're wanting to have and that it's so much more than just weight loss or, um, just aesthetics. It's It's really this feeling of freedom in your body and supporting your mental health, your emotional health, and doing something for you in motherhood. And that's what I became really, really passionate about.

spk_1:   5:37
I'd really like that, because the way that you approach it, it just sounds so practical, right? We have these false expectations put on us by social media and all the information out there nowadays, and the other thing I really like is, and it's also gonna address one of one of my concerns is you are teaching not only from a place of knowledge, but from a place of experience, I think that is very, very important. Especially when it comes to things like die Stasis I've seen, you know, it is my business too kind of look through and observe what other people are doing or saying. And I've seen people or women specifically talking about di Stasis, never having had Children, right. That would be no different than be talking about it. I would never because I can't share. I can't relate. Right. And that's so, so important. So jumping right into that. Let's talk about the dia Stasis. Is it okay if I call a dia Stacy?

spk_0:   6:37
Yeah, yeah.

spk_1:   6:38
Perfect. So let's get into the high level science. What is die? Stasis? What does that look like?

spk_0:   6:47
Okay, so dioceses, Rex I is the thinning of the fashion between director subdue. Ominous. So when so, the records of Dominus are what most people think of as their six pack muscles. And in between those muscles, there is fascia and fascia. Fascia is a tissue. And when you're pregnant, it's completely completely normal for your rectus of dominance to expand and accommodate your growing baby. But what and for that fashion to thin out. And, um, 100% of women have it in pregnancy. It's a It's really a buzzword now, and there's a lot of fear behind it, but we don't need to be afraid because it's super normal, and it's what our bodies are supposed to do. But what can happen after is what, um, so what can happen after is that for some women, naturally, it will resolve on its own and by resolve. It's important to know that I don't like to think of dioceses in terms of being healed or a kn healed. Um, and we can get into that Why, that is, but basically in terms of function, what you can do with your dioceses. And so for women. Um, so for some women, they're able to resume the regular activities without any symptoms with a very functional dice. Aces and their body will handle that on its own. For some women. For various reasons, um, and a lot of things that are beyond their control. They will have a dia Stasis wrecked. I that separation that does not become functional, and it can cause them symptoms and be something that can be very difficult to deal with. And, um, I think part of the reason why it is so scary for women when they hear that and was for me personally, was because there isn't a lot of information surrounding it. And we went from people being so clueless about it and having no idea that this could happen. Um and so there was this whole Do what you've always done, jump right back into it, Get your body back. All of these messages that were very much that was what women were being sold after birth and no one had any knowledge of it. So then when If you did find out you had I Stasis it was very scary because you're going well, no one told me what's happening. And or maybe you're experiencing symptoms and you know, it's it's very it's hard to find answers. And so we went from that to everyone, having these answers and giving these very black and white, um, you know, don't do this in your pregnancy if you don't want to get dia Stasis, which is impossible because everyone has it. Don't do this after, if you don't want to make it worse. Here are the exercises A, B and C If you want to heal your di Stasis wrecked I and it became very much this obsession with closing the gap between the Dominus and um, not really a lot about what having dioceses can look like and that we don't need to be afraid and how we can help these women thio do everything that they've loved to dio with it with a di Stasis that may or may not ever. It's never your body is not going to go back. We can't go back, but we can go forward. And so it's giving those women who have diet stay says and are experiencing that separation, the tools to move forward with that and for them to understand what function looks like for them.

spk_1:   10:11
So it sounds like it's not a matter of if it's a matter of when. So because you have that abdominal splitting, I'm gonna ask a maybe an ignorant question. I simply don't know very much about it, but is there a range in severity?

spk_0:   10:26
Yes, yeah, for sure. And, um, so I'll talk a little bit about what function could look like, cause that's important to understand. So a lot of times people will think that dioceses has a lot to do with the gap between the rectus of dominance, and you'll see a lot of people measuring it with their fingers. There's a lot of I have a two finger separation, a forefinger separation right, and the higher the amount of fingers go, the more and more people are freaking out. Um, but that's actually not what would make. So in terms of severity, there are different things that you would we'll look for. So okay, so that would depend on how much is it impacting your life? And so, for some women, um, and it can often be confused as well with the aesthetics of having die Stasis, which for some women would think that the more your belly protrudes, air hangs out or whatever you know, you'll see it called Mommy Tummy, which is the term I hate. But you'll see a call that and so people will think a while. She's got a very severe dioceses, but it actually doesn't necessarily have to dio with each other. So, um, so you can have more of a protruding belly with a nice day says, because those tissues are lax. It is possible I'm and so at a very you know, without playing into fear. At a very severe level, it can be that your belly is quite does protrude quite a lot. You can look, you know, five or six months pregnant. And, um, there's not a lot of support there for your, um, internal organs, necessarily potentially. But that's where we get into function. It can also be, as you know, as present as having one. You know, it's considered die Stasis if you can fit two fingers in between. But the thing is that there's so much more to it, because then when we talk about the function, you could potentially have ofour finger diced aces and be functional, because what function means is, you know, is that the ability to do the things that you're wanting to do. So can you engage your core in an exercise? Are you able to live your life without symptoms? Um, and when you and so retrain you can retrain the core and it might look a little bit different. You might never fully have those you know, the rectus of Dominus back together. But it doesn't mean that you don't have a functional or healed. You know if you will die a Stasis. And so that's why it's kind of hard to speak to severity, because it's not necessarily. You're also looking for the the density of the fashion as well and how much it will respond. Um, respond under load. Respond when you need it, too. And so you know. So even if your rectus Dominus are quite a ways apart, you might still have quite a quite a bit of tension in that fashion. The core is responding and doing what it wants to do, and you might not have that in someone who has a two finger separation. So that's why if that makes sense, it's not. It's not just about the fingers, and it's not just about, but so it really is. Um, it's it's really how does it present in each individual? It's hard to categorize.

spk_1:   13:40
It is very, very case. The case. Yes, there's there's no generalized that.

spk_0:   13:43
Yeah, yeah, exactly.

spk_1:   13:45
That's very, very fair. So I want I want to break this down. His sounds like die. Stasis wrecked. I is. It may seem like it's a single event, your AB split Bye. The way that I'm interpreting it, based on what you're saying is there are still phases in opponents to it. So there is the face pre birth, and then what happens after birth? Is that fair to say

spk_0:   14:08
Yeah, and I would say that it's actually not commonly known, But men can have dice aces as well. So can they'll often see some of these, uh, court and pelvic floor symptoms in young gymnasts. Even you know it is possible it's possible to just genetically have a slight abdominal separation. But for sure, in pregnancy it's aggravated because of that pressure. So again, another factor most women can control is when you are pregnant and your belly is expanding the position of your baby. Um, there's, you know, so there's a lot of factors in that you're not able to control that are going to put pressure on the abdominal wall, and that's why die Stasis wrecked. I is really a core issue that relates to our court because it is. It is very much affected by that pressure in the core system, and so it definitely is aggravated by um, pregnancy or you're more susceptible to it. Like I mean, it's gonna happen in pregnancy, but it can happen whether you've ever had a baby or not. And, um, and again, like I said, two men as well, and then afterwards, um, it's kind of Ah, while every woman has to sort of re visit her core and pelvic floor strength and function, there are definitely some women that are going to have to take a more deliberate approach. Yeah,

spk_1:   15:30
I want to take a moment to see that, even though this episode seems so geared to women and expecting mothers is vital for men to understand as well what their wives or girlfriends or their spouse, Whatever she may, Whoever she may be to understand that she is going through this. Yeah. And like he said, the only sound like the only absolute in this is you're going to get it right. Nothing else is black or white. Except for this. You're going to get day six. Yeah. Morris.

spk_0:   16:01
Yeah. And and And then you will have it in pregnancy. It's not guarantee that you will still have be symptomatic. Rafter. Yes. Yeah.

spk_1:   16:09
So my question for you and this is a little bit of a deviation. Um, but as the man in the relationship as a mentor, as men in the relationships, what can they do to best support their spouse through this process?

spk_0:   16:23
That such an awesome question, I'm I mean, it's going to be very individuals. But I would say the biggest thing is to be open to having those conversations and to ask her, you know, what does she need But also to take the pressure off? Because I think that there is this sort of, um, misunderstanding among, you know, everyone that women have been having babies all the time. You know, it's not a big deal. We're just gonna bounce back, get right back into the gym. And, you know, for some women, that is how they, you know, feel most like themselves, and they're going about it with some really smart strategies and coaching, and that could be a good choice for them. But for some women, they're going through a lot. They're not, you know, aside from things like dia Stasis or public floor symptoms, they're also not sleeping there, which, you know, does not help anybody to make to feel good about anything that's going on in their lives. They're often not getting adequate or frequent nutrition. Their body is completely tied into this little human being that they brought into the world, and the amount of pressure that they are under is something that I think a lot of partners don't always understand. And so to be very patient and to not add to any of the pressure in terms of, you know, pushing them to do things that they're not ready for to get back to the gym or two, you know, whatever that is and just let them wrestle with these feelings and and vocally works through them about their changing bodies. Because it is, it is something that all women, no matter what happens in pregnancy, that, you know, body image is something they're very much wrestling with. Yeah, and it's all very, very raw in

spk_1:   18:10
postpartum. There are there is already so much a self pressure, but be external pressure from from social media. I beat up on social media

spk_0:   18:20
lie,

spk_1:   18:21
but there is it creates a lot of the external pressure, right, that pressure of getting back to what you used to do like immediately. Right? But that just isn't realistic. But in hearing that, I have to say that you know, I'm not a father yet, but that makes me really appreciate my mother. She had three kids, right? It sounds like it's quite an arduous journey, right? And she says she's had three kids. So you've talked a lot of boats, symptoms. Let's really, really dive into That. Said, not only are you facing physical symptoms, but it's affecting your sleep. Now, I'm sure your mental health of some point let's really break it down. What are the, uh, main symptoms, if you will auf die Stasis

spk_0:   19:02
OK? Do you want the symptoms for dioceses and the symptoms for public floor as well? Because they kind of go hand in hand. Okay.

spk_1:   19:10
Make sure make sure to differentiate, Which I know. I know you will.

spk_0:   19:14
Yeah. Okay. Good. So, um, for di Stasis, they're the symptoms are so like I had mentioned one of the symptoms can be a protruding belly. Um, you know, looking five or six months pregnant and that we're not talking to a newly postpartum we're talking. It's been a few months, and you're not noticing any change. That can be a symptom. Um, back pain, hip pain. Just feeling like something's not right. A lot of women will feel like their core is splitting. Ah, lot of women. This is probably the most common symptom. And I get this from women that have had babies years and years and years ago where they will say they don't feel a core exercise, so they'll be doing, you know, whatever it is, they're core, you know, they're at their boot camp, and they're trying to do this core workout, and it feels like nothing. And it might not even be, um, a core exercise. It could be a bicep curl. I get that all the time where women aren't feeling their core isn't supporting them. So they're unable to perform these other exercises and be able to hold their torso still. So then they're not able to feel the bicep curl in the bicep because it takes everything to try to hold their body in a certain position. So any kind of a sign where you're going, these exercises aren't feeling effective or like what they what they used to feel. All of those are signs of diced aces, but especially, you know, lingering back pain. Things like that. All of those can be a sign I'm and then in terms of the court and pelvic health symptoms. So, um, and the reason why I will buy I'm referring to both is because so I like to refer to them as the four p's, um, as named by Gail, whom from Lakeview physiotherapy, who's a wonderful physiotherapist. And it's because it's easy for women to remember. And so, um, Peking is one of those. So Peking is die Stasis, and it's the dome ing of the abdomen. So that's another one. Where you'll see, um, if you're going to dio, um, even sitting up out of bed and you notice that your your core is almost going into this peak, it's almost buckling. If that makes sense, that could be a symptom of diseases as well. So, Peking, any sign you know that you're not able to have good core control when you need it can be a sign, Um, then we're getting into more of the pelvic health public floor dysfunction symptoms. So then we have prolapse. So any feelings of heaviness in the pelvis, like something's not right. Like something falling out. All of those are a sign of ah, public flor dysfunction. Um, peeking prolapse. Um, pain. Yes, that's it. That's the 3rd 1 So then pain pain. So any kind of pelvic pain, but any kind of pain that something's not right, so that could apply to die. Stay successful. Um, any kind of pain that something something is off pain is always a sign that we need to listen. Our body is telling us something, and we're going to address that last one is peeing so any kind of leaking of urine or feces is another one. Um, at any time, a lot of women will think I'm a mom. It's okay. I'm I'm you know, I'm laughing. This is what happens. I'm running. I'm jumping on a trampoline. Any time that you are leaking urine is a sign that something is up and you don't have to ignore it. You shouldn't ignore it. And you can get help and strategies for that.

spk_1:   22:42
So these symptoms of E said earlier that for some women they may naturally go away. Are there cases that you know, if not address, they linger for years.

spk_0:   22:56
Oh, Yeah, for sure. I've had Ah, you know, women that are, you know, almost a the point or are at the point of being grandmothers that are still experiencing these symptoms because nobody talks about them. And we have made it into this kind of a joke, You know, about crossing your legs when you laugh after you have a baby and things like that, and so they don't know that there's help. Um, and they just live with it. And so and I will say just to clarify, They're so it's really on Lee die Stasis for the most part, I mean, you will see maybe some in very early postpartum. You know, those first few weeks, you might see that you will have symptoms like leaking or whatever that will, um, fade as your body heals. Your body has undergone a major, major event, and you do need to heal from that. So as there is healing, there will tend. Sometimes the symptoms will go away. But if your if your symptoms, you know, if you're a couple of months out, Even if you're six weeks out and you're still experiencing these symptoms, they are more than likely not going to resolve on their own and more than likely, going to regress further,

spk_1:   24:05
that is very important for them to know. So again, nothing is ever gonna be black and white. But it sounds like six months is a pretty good cut off to know that. Hey, look, I probably have to get its address sooner than later.

spk_0:   24:17
Yeah, I would, I would honestly recommend, even six weeks after you've had, um, you know, you know, and I realized, too, that that's not always realistic for new months. They're really overwhelmed. They've got a lot on their plate. But if you can book a visit to a pelvic floor physiotherapist when you are, you know, past the six week mark, I highly recommend it. Um, and by that point they can establish a really solid baseline. Even though you know, as long as breastfeeding that play, there's a good you know, those hormones. There's a lot of it, but getting that baseline and just sort of looking at those symptoms, it's going to do more good than harm. For

spk_1:   24:53
sure. This is why it's so important for me to speak to somebody like you about this. It just wouldn't hit the same if it came from a guy from a male, right? So I understand. Um, just we've talked a lot about this is based on the just based on the fact that a lot of ah lot of our customers are women. This topic comes up all the time. There's a lot of embarrassment around it because, well, Thievery said, there's a lot of the time they can't do things that they used to do. But, yes, some of the symptoms, like peeing and stuff like that, it's It might not be the most comfortable, especially if it happens in public. Let's give them a very, very positive, reinforcing kind of message. What would you like to tell them?

spk_0:   25:38
Yeah, I'm first of all, I would say you were absolutely not alone. It's really important to know that it can feel very, very lonely and isolating if you're dealing with these things. But you're not alone, and it's very, very common, much more than you would think. Um, but it is definitely it's not. It doesn't mean you have to live like this. You can get help. There is help. There's so much that can be done If you're just discovering this and this is new for you, it is worth it. It's worth making that phone call and getting someone to watch your baby. Bring your baby with you if you need to and get the help that you need, because you can get back to those activities that you love and be able to live a life that you know where you're not living in fear of trying to hide your leaking or trying to avoid having to lift your baby or whatever it might be, Um, where you can just feel free in your body again.

spk_1:   26:30
So I really like that you have stated that there is actually a lot of help available out there. How you know, if you're looking for help, you realize that you're symptomatic. You have that awareness to know that it's time for me to seek a professional. How do you differentiate between somebody who is gonna be best suited to help you as somebody who may not be as good?

spk_0:   26:57
Right? That's an awesome question. Okay, so the first thing I would highly recommend to anyone who is experiencing symptoms or who has who is pre or post Natal is to go and see a pelvic floor physiotherapist. And one of the things I would look for is first of all, recommendations of positive positive stories from other women, for one. But the other thing, you want a physiotherapist, um, or a ah, fitness trainer Or, you know, whoever it is you're looking for to understand your goals, and that's really important. The reason is because there are still some misconceptions, um, to do with especially pelvic floor symptoms, but with ice eases as well, where you might get things. You know where people will tell you while you can't lift anything over £10 which we know if you've ever met a tall there, that's not a possibility. So you know things like that. And so if you're getting those kind of, you know But you're saying, Well, I'm an athlete and I want to be able Thio, um, you know, run this marathon or I want to get back to my weight lifting or whatever it is, and you have someone giving you those kind of answers. They're probably not the person for you because you want someone who will take where you want to go and they might need to scale you back right now. But to be able to say Okay, I see what you need. Let's get you there and this is how we're going to do that. So someone that's willing to work with you rather than just shut you down and tell you your life is over because it's not true. So if you're getting that from anyone, whether it's a doctor or whoever, um, keep looking is what I would say. I'm your You want someone who is willing to have done the research who understands is is not black and white. Um, generally the more old school way of thought tends to have that kind of, ah, red flag to it. So anything where they're saying you can never do this again or you can always do this. Um, that's when I would stay away from a swell. So you really want someone who's able to give you. And when it comes to fitness, this is very important. This is less about physio, more about fitness. But if you if you are dealing with someone who is, um that you're that you're trying to look for it for a planner for some answers. They should be giving you strategies. It shouldn't be again. Those black and white list. It should be OK. This is how you could do something. Um, looking at how we're doing it, looking at why we're doing it. Why it's important to you factoring that in looking at that risk versus reward and then figuring out how that all works together in a plant. Because there is no one size fits all. It's all very, very individual. So you have to find that that person that is up to date on the research on strategies on all the methods they have available to them and is willing to look at your goals and make a plan and have you run with it,

spk_1:   29:50
I am going to summarise that I really and I think this does apply. The knowledge, of course, is so, so vital, so, so important. But in a lot of cases, empathy trumps the knowledge being ableto work through it, with you understanding that there are no generalizations, it's going to be case the case. They're not just it'll give you a something that's by the book, right? The book is important, but everybody is different. And with that I do want to clarify something I said earlier, making the generalization that women who haven't had kids or men they wouldn't be able to help because, yes, they could be extremely empathetic. They can't have that knowledge. But I just want to throw it that caution into the wind that hey, look, you know, just like he said, Do your research, right that yeah, no black and whites. You don't have to be a a woman. You don't have to have kids, but do the research into them, make sure they know what they're talking about. Look into their success stories, Get some other really real solid testimonials.

spk_0:   30:54
Yes, and I would also say, in terms of certification as well. It's just important to know that there's a lot of people that will say that they are qualified to be doing, especially you'll find it a lot in these sort of the mommy and me classes, stuff like that. And it's not to, you know, like most of these fitness professionals, I'm sure, are very, very well intentioned and really want the best for these women. But the very you know the truth is as a trainer when you do your certification, the information that you're given on how to properly train someone who is, um either pre or post natal is next to nothing and very often known up to date. So the professionals that have that knowledge are people that have gone on to do further education on that. It is usually, you know, something that they really care to know, because that information doesn't always fall into your into your lap. So, yeah, definitely someone aside from the testimonials also someone who really has taken that extra step to become educated about what they're teaching and really wanting Thio help. And not just assuming that all women congest, you know, are that it's appropriate for all women to just jump back into whatever it was they were doing or how they were doing it before. Because that's very much not the case for pre and post natal populations. Generally,

spk_1:   32:13
right? So it sounds like there are two different types of specialised post partum. There's one immediately after where you're kind of rehabbing your way through. But then there are trainers specifically who are taking you back into exercise.

spk_0:   32:29
Yeah, I do like to think of, um, myself. Ah, and my my other post Natal colleagues is sort of bridging that gap. Okay, Um, it's there's, ah lot of benefits to working with a post in the, well, a prenatal trainer through your pregnancy to start building that repertoire of tools you have in your toolbox in terms of strengthening your whole body. But your corn pelvic floor, Um, you know, making sure you have a lot of strategies available to you. And then as you go into that, um, that post natal phase, it is really important to see that public for physio because they have. They have, ah whole other knowledge base that fitness professionals don't have, as well as the ability to do things like hands on assessment and all sorts of things that I'm not qualified to talk about. But they they're very much the people that you want on your team. You really, it's it's a matter of building that team, and so you'll also going to that public for physio, and then you could be working with a trainer during that time. But a trainer who knows how to work with the recommendations that your physio is giving you is very important. And then eventually you sort of graduate into you, build the foundation, and then you are able thio, um, grow from there So then moving into so there can be a professional that is able to sort of work with you through that whole process but definitely having building that team of care and having that physio having the trainer that understands both the early phases and, um, how to build on the intensity and to ah, what's the word? I'm looking for it, I guess sort of help you to grow and help you to progress. Progress? That's the word I'm looking for. Yes, t progress from there. So, um, yeah, so that's what you're looking for is really to build that team.

spk_1:   34:19
Let's go ahead and talk about that exercise. Then, of course, all these questions that I ask is with the understanding that there are no generalizations, Okay, It's a very, very important caveat to throw out there. But we can, you know, for for the most part or enlarge there are. I'm sure there are exercises that are more safe than others to do as you're recovering or when you're in recovery. Can we talk about that? What exercises would you recommend?

spk_0:   34:48
Okay, so again, I love that you said that it's there are no absolutes. And that's exactly that. That is very much how it is. So what? The way that I like to think of it is instead of what exercises can I d'oh. It's Why do I want to do this exercise and how and knowing what you're looking for? Those four piece that we talked about, um, will help you to decide whether or not a neck sir, size is appropriate for you. So that said, when you're in those early postpartum phases, it's very important to take that time to restore that core and pelvic floor connection really important to take that time to heal and strengthen. So, um, any, like those exercises where and this is again where the physio will come into play because it's very important to know that you're doing them properly, but you get you'll get a lot of questions, probably about key goals and whether they're appropriate. And so there is a layer of that in there, but really understanding how to properly do something like a key goal, which is much more than what the general public thinks that it is on how to control your. You know, restoring that function in control of your corn pelvic floor is sort of that first base. So it's it's, and those exercises are going to be very different for every woman, but a lot of them in that really early phase. And and a lot of people are waiting for sort of that six week. Go ahead and I do advert advocate for getting that. But there's a lot that you can do. That is, it sounds quite boring, but it's a lot of breathing. It's a lot of breathing on the floor and using your breath to reconnect. You're Korean public Floor and that sort of that foundation stage. So then when we talk about how to progress those exercises, so then it gets a little stick. You're so and I want to qualify. This was saying as well that even though someone could be, you know, sort of like we talked about with diced aces earlier. There's no black and whites because we could have someone at two months months postpartum who's, you know, able to do some of the above, you know, they have exercises I'm going to talk about. And we might have someone that's two years and not be able to do them. Because once your postpartum, you're always postpartum and there's always symptoms that can come and go. Um, and if you've never taken the time to address any of these symptoms, they might still be there. So So when we're talking about later postpartum, that's sort of what I mean by that. So some of the exercises that tend to cause people a bit of a sticking point are things that involve a plank position. Um, so even things like a push up where you're where you are in that plank that requires a lot, of course strength that generally most women have to build up to. We can't just start doing those things s Oh, that's one of them. Um, a lot of times that will be especially for a guy Stasis twisting rotational movements. Um, so learning how to do that in a way that feels supportive to you and is using your core, you know, and helping your court of function is really important, especially when you can imagine on a practical level, you know how many times the mom is rotating to pick up her kids? Um, so that's one of them. A lot of times jumping right back into very heavy lifting is not always appropriate again. Building up to it. Um, high impact exercises are another one where that's where a lot of women will feel very symptomatic. And so it needs to be addressed. Okay, let's not just bring out the skipping rope and a pad. Let's slow down and think about how we could do this in a way that's going to build up that strength so that you can skip all out and not be leaking. So things like box chums, um, you know anything that without high impact for if we're talking about more of the boot camp, um, for mom's staff for jumping jacks or another one, things like that. So anything that involves that high impact, which also is running as well running, jumping on a trampoline, which may be for some isn't necessarily thought of us exercise. But you know, as you know, exercise and our lives air very much intertwined. 100% Yeah, so those kind of things. Um so those are some of the Those are some of the ones to really watch for, And then a lot of the traditional core exercises are just not appropriate. And which is why I would like to say that no matter how badly we want to and for some women, and I was one of them. So I completely empathize and understand. You can't out train postpartum. You could lie on the floor and do 100 crunches every day. And if those countries aren't appropriate for your body and where you're at and you didn't build up to that crunch, it's not doing you any favors. So taking the time to just allow yourself to embrace postpartum and lay that foundation first in those early stages or whenever it is you're taking the time to address these things is always going to be The key to success is to lay the foundation and then progressed from there.

spk_1:   39:49
That was such a powerful message. You cannot out train postpartum. That is, that is gonna be the one liner of the show. I really like that. Um, I actually want to clarify something that you said earlier just to make sure that there's no ambiguity

spk_0:   40:04
is

spk_1:   40:05
very, very clear. So you said Don't jump right back into heavy lifting. But that should issue that statement shouldn't imply that something like a body weight squad is automatically safe by their

spk_0:   40:17
Exactly. Oh yes, that's a such a wonderful Yeah. Okay, so that's really important to note because so that's again, why it's so important to teach women how to do something. How to know if their body is handling an exercise, what that looks like for them how to recognize their symptoms. Because a lot of women will think exactly that. They'll think, Well, I was doing yoga, so I'm gonna go right back to it. And yoga is totally fine because I'm not lifting any heavyweights and I'm not jumping, and it's just it's gentle, right. They have this this misconception that its gentle But ultimately you know. And if it's causing you symptoms, it's still not appropriate on appropriate choice at the time or how you're doing. It is not the way to do it or, you know, does that make sense, so it's very much not. It's it's yeah, so it doesn't really matter if you you know if you're someone who loves the lift, heavy weights or if what you love is to run or what you love is to do yoga any and all of those things. And this is not to add to fear, but just on an actual level. Any of those things can cause anyone, no matter how they trained or what they were like in pregnancy or before symptoms. And it's not that we can never do those things again, because we can and we should. But we all still have to recognize the fact that birth is a huge, huge, monumental event on everything about us and then physically especially

spk_1:   41:38
very, very physically stressful in the body. Sure, I wanna ask you a question. I think this is gonna be a very, very important question because, let's face it, whether it's embarrassment, the cost or whatever the reason is, not every woman is going to seek a professional. But some of them may want to get back into exercise. How can they know inherently that they are ready or getting closer to be ready for exercise?

spk_0:   42:10
Okay, so what I always tell my clients is that we have to look at the whole picture. So when we're considering what kind of exercise we're ready for, or that we're ready to go back to exercise, we're not just talking about that. You're itching to get back into the gym. Let's look at your sleep. Let's look at whether you're able to eat properly or frequently throughout a day, not even like, you know, let's throw out the word properly. But just there's so many women that are feeding their babies. They're not feeding themselves, so they're not. They're lacking in nutrition. Let's talk about your mental health. How are you doing? Do you have support? Do you need to talk to someone? And when we're at that point where we think Okay, I could take on the gym, I could take all in a workout. Then what? I would say it's falling back on those four piece. So if it's causing you pain being prolapse Peking, any of those um then the exercise that you have chosen needs an adjustment. It either needs an adjustment in the how you're doing it, or your body is not ready to do that, and we're gonna modify it back to something that would be more appropriate for you and build that strength up to do the movement, the progression of that movement. So it really is a matter of knowing what your symptoms are, knowing what your tendencies are and and really, I think for a lot of women, once they know that the hardest thing is to listen and to respect that it's going to take time and to respect that, it's not. It's it's gonna take time to feel like you again and that's sort of part of the process, and it's really, really difficult. But being able to say Hey, today, it's more important that I nap because I got three hours of interrupted sleep last night that it is for me to push myself with the gym or I'm going to choose to do this breathing exercise even though it really, really would rather just be over there picking up a bar bell because I know that slow is fast and that the more that I spend building this foundation, the more um honestly, I think the quicker a lot of people are gonna get there, the more symptom free that they're going to get there and you know the easier. They're gonna get back into these activities that they love.

spk_1:   44:23
This must be such a or it can be such a frustrating thing for you as a professional setting the right expectation. You've talked a lot about how everything's so progressive, right? But when Jen, the trainer got back into exercises, she's lifting heavy. After three months, that becomes the expectation for you to do so, right? War. That's just not realistic. You've said it over and over. There it is. So So case dependent. There's no black or white. Yeah. So you really just have to listen to your body? Yeah. No, I've asked the question about somebody who is itching. Yep. To get back into exercise. Um, and you know, when do they inherently know? So I've asked that question. Now, this is gonna be a very tough question. I assume this woman, this said, said woman is itching to get back because she has that valley built in her. Before she had her baby. Her child, she was already physically active. She knew the importance of exercise. But now you also have a group who never had that called. I don't want to quality, but they never valued that exercise, but it sounds like now it's even more so important for them to get into it, to strengthen that core to build that strong foundation. How do you get somebody ship that mindset from going from somebody who doesn't terrible exercise to somebody who puts the top of mind?

spk_0:   45:51
Okay, so I would say that it's at the end of the day. It's the mindset. Shift has to come from the fact that it's not about exercise. You don't have to love exercise. You might never love it, and that's fine. That's okay. I'm not here to make anyone love exercise. But what I think is important is to want and choose the life that you want to live and the way that you want to feel in your body. And so it becomes something like brushing your teeth or making that appointment at the doctor that you really probably don't want to do. You don't have time to d'oh, but you're going to do it because it's going to give you the results that you want. And so for women who feel that way, what I would suggest is starting very, very small and really I do a lot of shifting with women from this all or nothing perspective, where they'll think that if they're not all in and they're not at the gym five days a week, seven days a week for an hour, lifting heavy weights, well, it's pointless. And if they're not sweating and they're not exhausted, it's pointless. And that's just not true. And there's so much that we can do with these really small things that are going to impact our health and looking at it from that holistic view point where, like I was saying, Maybe it isn't that the best thing for them to do is exercise that day. It is the nap or making sure they sit down to eat lunch that day. But looking at it from the perspective of self care, um, for being the best that they can be physically, mentally and emotionally, because it's going to make them a better mom. And it might not be something that it's really hard for women, especially moms, um, to put themselves first ever. It's really, really hard. If they're gonna, you know, choose to wash someone's pants or do their work out. They're probably gonna choose to wash those pants. But ultimately, if you're this rundown shell of your former self and everything hurts and you go through every day trying not to be your pants like you know with back pain because you, you know, have unresolved court issues and whatever. And you have to sit on the side of the soccer field because your kids are running and you can't go on the hike with all the families. Ultimately, that's those are the things you're choosing your choosing to participate in your own life. So when you make that shift away from, I want to become this gym rat who loves the gym. That's just not everybody, and that's fine. But we're not going to become the person that just doesn't floss their teeth or whatever right. We need to become these things to live the life that we want to do. So you start small. You make really small changes. It's not an overhaul. It's a simple, as if you're not working out at all. Let's get you started doing 10 minutes once a week and then let's build from there.

spk_1:   48:41
That's amazing. You're just preaching now. I love everything that you just said there, Um, and that is again Is that word is that expectation rate. This is what exercises it's always about. Going to the gym is about lifting. Weights is about 45 minutes. Is about five days a week, right? But it's not about the aesthetic is about the lifestyle that you and able right, and you made such a beautiful of distinction there. It is not selfish for you to take that time for yourself, and it maybe 10 minutes a week, 10 minutes a day, whatever it is, right. But it enables you to be just that much better of a mother because you are able to participate in into their activities, whether it's a hike, whether is just kicking a ball around, so that is fantastic. Now, I don't want to use you as an example, because that may create a false expectation. You do. You're amazing. You have you not only coach other women to live cliche, but their best lives, but you also have four kids of your own. But then you also find time to prioritize yourself and find that exercise. Are you? Can you share some of your tactics? What are the tricks that you have to be able to free up. That's a lot of time to be able to exercise, however you choose to do so.

spk_0:   50:01
Yeah, for sure. So I would say that different tactics will work in different seasons. So again, managing those expectations, knowing that when you have a newborn, you're probably not going to be exercising every day, and that's OK and being okay with that and choosing to dio what you can do. So finding ways at in those stages finding ways to add movement into today. So whether that's parking further in the grocery, you know, grocery store parking lot and walking, you know all the way across. You know, whether it's taking the stairs. It's adding that movement in. It might be doing squats beside the lunch table while you're tall there stuffing their face. So starting with that and having this mindset of self care and movement, um, taking that time to eat, taking that time to sleep and starting there and then when you're ready, Thio have more of a routine, um, less starting with less and building on that is always going to get you further and set you up for success rather than doing way too much, being overwhelmed and burned out and then just completely quitting. So, um, what I you know what has worked for me in the past is honestly, for and for a very, very long time. Probably much of how long I have been active now, which is coming up on, you know, 10 years. My son is 10. You know, since we started this, um, I would say it's really been three times a week making that making that a priority. So and it has not always been, you know, So it's not like, you know, Ah, we need to work out every day. It's what can you give, what time's work in your schedule, Look at that and then make it happen. So sometimes that'll be 20 minutes, and that's all you can commit to. And if you pick those days so you choose the days ahead of time so that you have made that commitment to yourself and you schedule it in like you would any other appointment. You know that on Monday after school, drop off or whatever, it may be your after breakfast time, you're going to go and do your work out in your living room, which is my other tip is don't get a gym membership. Do it from home because you don't. It's one war. Eliminate all the barriers. Don't change your clothes. Where your pajamas. You know you don't need fancy workout gear. Use soup cans if you don't have dumbbells, it doesn't matter. Just get moving and eliminate any of the excuses that you have. So blocking time, like I said, has been huge and telling your partner, If you have that support, what you need and and asking for that time. And it comes really first from a place of understanding that you are worthy of that and that you need Thio prioritize that self care like we talked about but speaking from that place and being able to say, Hey, I feel better when I move my body. I need to do this and these are the times that I'm going to do it. Can you help me make this happen and handing the baby over because they could look after the baby Justus well as you can

spk_1:   52:50
or in your case, four kids,

spk_0:   52:52
you have to go well. The older ones are pretty self division and then, you know, and then go somewhere where you can't hear them. If that's his distraction for you, some people will prefer to work out with their kids, which is definitely something that has worked for me at one point. Now, if I'm being honest, it drives me crazy. And I really like it for alone time. So you have to know yourself. And you know what? And for some people, it will be going to the gym that they like because it gives him the break. And that has also worked for me. So it really just depends. What is it that you need? Do you need Do you need someone to check in on you? Do you need a buddy? Do you want the quiet time? Do you want the Do you know do well the community help Whatever that is that you need, It doesn't have to be torture. It doesn't have to be terrible. But if you set it in your schedule like everything else and you make your self, you know, put yourself on your own calendar is something I say a lot. You're putting your kids on their putting you know your partner on there. So show up on your own calendar and just start and start really, really small Smaller than you think.

spk_1:   53:50
I find that I've said this a lot this episode, but I just love everything you just said. They're really just taking a practical approach, right? Remove the barriers scheduled time in for yourself, but it's always helpful to hear somebody else say it. It really, really is. So if you know if your friend Becky loves the gym and Marcia likes to run, Marsha, um, likes to run. That's all fine and well right. But does it work for you? Do you have the time or the patience that drive to the gym, wait for the equipment, get stared at by guys and then drive back home that it becomes a two hour ordeal for a lot of people? Right? Make it simple for yourself. I'd really, really like that. So with everything that you're doing today, it sounds like you're continuing to educate yourself. That is clearly one of your values. You are helping women at large. You're a post natal fitness specialist. You're a pregnancy and postpartum athleticism. Coach. What else are you doing? What is next on your docket?

spk_0:   55:00
Oh, gosh. What is the next on my docket? Um, well, right now, I'm really focused on growing my online business because I'm really hoping to reach women that way. Um, because, like you said, a lot of women just the gym isn't practical for them. And so I teach women how Thio get it at home. And that's something that's really important to me. So continuing to put out programs that are, um accessible for those women and thio grow that side of my business are what I'm really hoping to do. But eventually, I would really like to give back to the community and help women who don't have the access to this information. Um, possibly in a, you know, a teen pregnancy, Ah, teen pregnancy centers and things like that. And to put on more seminars and things like that for other women at mom's groups and things that just honestly, there's so many women that just say that they've never heard this before, and it just really breaks my heart. And I hope that I think the message is changing, and I think that support for them is changing, but I I love to be part of that message. So

spk_1:   56:10
I think you're doing a great job spreading that message. That's how we found you. Um, I think it's monumentally important that people like you who have a passion for helping others in this capacity to get your message out there because it's funny. Just last week we had, uh, Alex Alex Greville on the show, and we talked a little bit about Jim's and how they're not necessarily conducive to the average person success and going back to expectations and what society is doing, too. People, women as a population like for instance, I posted a snippet of that on Lincoln, and I had this young gentleman just comment, and it was quite profane. But in essence, he said, These people are bleeping, just lazy, and I mean, like, I'm sure that will be true in some of the cases. Yes, some people are lazy, but in large part people have so many barriers that stand in their way. So please continue doing what you're doing. If somebody is looking for you, somebody is looking for your help. Your advice. I'm sure you're willing to give it? Yeah. How did he find you?

spk_0:   57:21
Well, I, um on Instagram at Tara, Able Fitness. And, ah, my website is tara able dot com. And I'm on Facebook as well through my business name. And I would love to chat and send you in the right direction. Whatever you're needing help with

spk_1:   57:39
and that is able a b e l not Ellie. Thank you. Everybody is gonna be able to spell that. Okay, So, Tara, if somebody anybody men woman is living an evolved life, what does that look like?

spk_0:   58:02
Uh, I think to me, it feels to me it's freedom. It's the freedom to d'oh and be whatever it is that you're wanting to be. Whatever that looks like for you without having pain symptoms, um or, you know, your time, your energy, any of that holding you back and being able to take whatever it is that you have and turn it into whatever you want it to be.

spk_1:   58:28
That is excellent. Thank you so much for being on the show. I personally I learned so so much I That was incredible. So I'm sure they learned a lot of homos. Well, so thank you. Yeah.

spk_0:   58:38
Thank you so much for having me.

spk_1:   58:41
Thanks for joining us for this episode of my evolved life. Guys, if you found any value at all and I'm sure you did make sure to subscribe to the podcast. If you have any questions about this or any other episode or you want to be a guest or recommend a guest sent us a message on Instagram Facebook or Lincoln at evolution Bien Oh, if you think your friends would enjoy this podcast, please make sure to share it with them until next time. Live your evolved life.