WANT TO BE A CORE CONFIDENCE SPECIALIST? . Honored and excited to be part of the teaching team for this incredible certification February 27/28! . If you work with bodies, this information is crucial for you. Understanding how the pelvic floor impacts the rest of the body will change how you coach/teach/educate/serve your people. . This is the foundational course that helped me launch into what I’m doing now. Over the online component and the live sessions, you get to learn anatomy and biomechanics, and assessments that will help you screen for core and pelvic floor dysfunction (it’s more common than you might think!) in your own scope of practice. . You get to identify and practice strategies that will help your clients release non-optimal holding patterns, retrain their deep core system, and improve symptoms of common dysfunctions like incontinence prolapse, back pain, and diastasis recti. . If that alone doesn’t have you jumping on board, you get a BONUS if you register for this session. You’ll have an automatic upgrade to the Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist Certification - a $147 value. . You don’t have to be in fitness to take this certification. If you’re a PT, Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, Doula, Midwife, Nurse, OT, Body Worker, or just want to know more about how the body works together and how you can better serve your clients, this course will exceed your expectations, and improve your assessment skills so you can help your clients in a whole new and more holistic way. . I’m excited to be teaching again with @vaginacoach, @nicolethornefitness , @pelvicfloorfitness, @familylifefitness, and @kalijopilates. I always walk away having learned new things from my colleagues in this space. . The deets: ✅ You’ll have immediate access to the entire online course ✅ You’ll get 2 live days with us to review what you’ve learned online, and get your questions answered! ✅ Cost is $397 (and don’t forget the bonus of the Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist Certification with a free copy of Pregnancy Fitness) 👉🏻 Tap the link in my bio to register through my affiliate link 👈🏻 Can’t wait to “see” you there!
The brain is an amazing thing. Once upon a time as a nerd child I won a “Brain Bee” - think spelling bee but for brain facts. 🤓🧠🐝 Not kidding. I loved knowing about how the body works. Still do, no surprises there. . Sometimes we don’t spend enough time thinking about the fitness of our thinking organ. More specifically, how fit is our mind for life right now? . I know for a lot of us, there’s an increase in “pandemic fatigue,” anxiety, depression, self sabotage, concern that we’re doing enough during this time (homeschooling and working from home? I see you mama!), and the enormous mental load we carry around with us each day, thinking of the to-do list and keeping track of everyone’s everything. Phew. It makes me tired just writing that list! . So let’s do a Friday night check in: how’s your mind doing? How’s your mental health? How are you doing, really? Take a moment to pause, reflect, and write it down. You can comment on this post, write it down on paper for just you, or share it with me in my stories. I’ll share anonymously so we can all support each other. 🙂 . I hope you can find a few moments of real rest this weekend. Reach out to your community. Reach out to me. Talk to your people. Let’s support each other, friends. 🤍
How often do you work your feet out? 🦶🏻 . If you think that’s a weird question then keep reading. 😬 . Our feet are an incredibly important component of our fitness level, and ability to be agile, balanced, pain-free, and springy. Not only that, but they directly influence our pelvic floor. Say what?! I’ll say it again: our feet and their movement (or lack thereof) directly influence our pelvic floor. Think stiff/weak feet that are relying on heeled shoes can potentially lead to leaking, too much tension, weakness and other pelvic floor dysfunction. It’s all connected. ✨ . If we are just immobilizing our feet and giving them extra cushion with supportive shoes, how are they supposed to get strong and mobile? . For the majority of people, it is fairly simple to regain foot strength and mobility. Mostly, it’s being intentional about going barefoot more often, varying the surfaces you move on, and choosing shoes that allow your feet to move in a more natural way. . For really great education, podcasts, and inspiration for feet, check out @thefootcollective and start moving those feet in new ways!
Taking some time to think about all the good in my life and this year, despite 2020’s antics. I’m so thankful for all of you who are here, joining me in this space. 🥰 . What are you thankful for? 🤍
Just a little Sunday evening reminder to all of you mamas. Rest in this. Know that your body truly does know what to do if you just let it. 🤍
Looking for some new movements or challenges or don’t know where to start? . Here are some things you can try: 🟢 Just move. Most of the time, any movement is better than none. Motion is the lotion to get things moving better. 🟢 Stick to the basics like squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. 🟢 Try some movements you can do with your baby. (Second video) Can you get up off the ground without using your hands? Can you breathe and engage your glutes well while holding a baby? 👶🏼 🟢 Try adding different types of loads. One side loads, heavier loads, dynamic loads (wiggly kids or sandbag that moves, or perhaps a kitty? should just be honest, Kodak the kitty knows he’s the real trainer here and the reason you watch. 😻). 🟢 Do as many reps as you’re comfortable doing with good form. Once you’re tired and that form starts to fade, that’s the end. Take a rest and come back to it. Or not. 😉 Believe it or not you don’t need 3 sets of 10 of everything. Just enough to make a change, feel the work correctly, and feel mentally okay. 🟢 Always, always make sure you’re breathing. Ideally you’re doing a core breath, and properly engaging your pelvic floor. If you don’t know how to do this, or would like personalized recommendations for where you are in your journey, I’d love to chat. Tap the link in my profile and schedule a free consult. ☺️ 🟢 Lastly, have fun with it! 🤍 Movement should not be a punishment for bad eating, a rigid chore you HAVE to do, or something you dislike. It should be a celebration of how strong and resilient you are. 💪🏻👏🏻
Sharing Stories & The Power of Words This is something that has been heavy on my heart for a while now. (And hang with me, this is a long post) Just about every single pregnant person I work with tells me they have heard unsolicited negative birth stories. . Pause and think about that for a moment. . If we are consistently telling pregnant people that their birth is “just going to be hard”, they’re “going to need the epidural because I did”, or that “postpartum sucks no matter what”, they just might believe it and it may lead to a self-fulfilling prophesy. It may also be a trigger for someone who is already anxious about the whole process. Bad news travels faster than good, and this is the same for birth experiences. . Our words are powerful, and we need to be careful how we use them. Research usually isn’t how we form opinions about birth; personal stories are, which provides all the more reason for sharing positive and empowering things. . It’s important to note here: I am saying share positive stories, yes. I’m not saying gloss over the possibilities of negative experiences and potential adverse outcomes. Birthing people need to know the truth of what they’re walking into, and I encourage them to learn all they can about their options, because you don’t have options unless you know them. But! Talking to a pregnant person is not a way to process and work through a traumatic experience. Giving the pregnant person resources for quality, evidence-based information so they can make their own, informed decision is key to an empowering pregnancy / birth / postpartum experience. . Continued in the comments 👇🏻
Getting new toys...I mean, educator tools, feels like Christmas around here. ☺️😍 (Help me name the baby! Tap my stories to give me your best baby prop names. 👶🏼) . It’s been a while since I’ve posted this, but I feel it every day. I’m so thankful I get to teach and make small differences in people’s lives and how they birth and become parents. I’m thankful for good tools that allow me to more easily explain concepts. I’m thankful for my clients who push me to learn more and discover new things every single time I teach. . You are why I do what I do. Thanks for being here. 🤍
Just a normal day cooking and holding my kitty. 🥘♥️🐱 . When we carry something in our arms, we load our muscles and joints. When we slide into what is usually typical for people - hips tucked under and shifted forward and upper back slung back - we take the load from the stabilizing muscles that want to help, and put it all on the areas that don’t need it, like the low back. Ouch! 😫 . By shifting your posture to align pelvis and ribs into a more “neutral” position - hips untucked and shifted back and ribs over pelvis - we bring that load back into the arms while setting up the deep core and glutes for success. 🎊 . Having postural awareness and knowing when to adjust will help you throughout pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond, empowering you to lift better, and be more comfortable and engaged as well. 💪🏻 . Happy loading! Did you try it? Let me know what you practiced with in the comments 👇🏻
Just a basic pumpkin lift to brighten your Tuesday. . It’s fall y’all 🍂 . Pro tip: never buy/wear pants that don’t allow you to squat. 💁🏼♀️
Trainer Natalie
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