I'm Strengthening Inside-Out Archives

by Kendra Fitzgerald August 10, 2019

How to check yourself for Diastasis Recti

Diastasis Recti is the separation of the connective tissue between the six-pack muscles (the rectus abdominals). It happens when too much pressure is placed on that muscle and the tissue connecting the two sides together starts to stretch and separate, creating a ‘depression’ between the two muscles. Want to know more about it? Read the 5 surprising things you didn't know about Diastasis Recti (but should). Here's how to check yourself! Have questions? ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald June 6, 2019

I'm Growing My Baby , I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Uncategorized

How to Know You’re Doing Core Work Correctly (and Incorrectly!)

‘Gah, I’ve been doing core work wrong my ENTIRE life’ ‘I’m feeling muscles I didn’t even know were there!!’ ‘I’m sweating my a$$ off moving my hands 3 inches forward and back. WTH!’ I’ve taught hundreds of students and clients over the last 15 years. And you know what? I would guesstimate about 95% of them have said one of these things after putting them through a core workout. (A workout that does ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald April 29, 2019

I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Redefining Your Postpartum Journey: The Dangers of Jumping Back into Exercise Too Quickly (Part 4 of 6)

Once you've wrapped your head around why we mamas have to exercise differently for a bit and the mental shift we have to deal with in postpartum too, we know you'll be ready to jump in, like...yesterday. But hold up! This is one of the biggest mistakes we see new moms make. Going too fast, too soon. We know, it's so tempting to jump feet-first back into doing 'what you were doing before' ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald April 8, 2019

I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Redefining Your Postpartum Journey: An Essential Mental Shift to Getting Back to Exercise (Part 3 of 6)

Now that we've talked about why postpartum exercises is so different and why we really need to pay attention to that difference, we have to talk about the mental factor of this entire process. Let me tell you, 'mental' can be the hardest part of all. We know the hit-the-ground-running instinct all too well. I did it myself after my first son, with disastrous results. (I learned my lesson the hard way, ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald April 2, 2019

I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Redefining Your Postpartum Journey: Why you must address issues from pregnancy and childbirth NOW (Part 2 of 6)

In Part 1 of this blog series we talked about why postpartum exercise is so different than 'regular' exercise. Yes, it's different. But what happens if you don't actually DO things differently? Well...potentially a lot. Now,we are not trying to freak you out here. This is not a life-or-death situation, but it is something that can change how your physical body feels for the rest of your life. Imagine this - using the ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald March 31, 2019

I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Redefining Your Postpartum Journey: Why Postpartum Exercise is so Different Than ‘Regular’ Exercise (Part 1 of 6)

When I had my first son in 2013, I thought the healing process would be relatively easy. I was fit, I worked out through my entire pregnancy and did 'all the things' I was supposed to do. And it's my profession, so why wouldn't it be easy? But when it was time to jump back in, boy was I dead wrong. Fast forward many years and another child later, and my approach ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald March 23, 2019

I'm Getting Ready For Birth , I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Progress, Not Perfection

It can be tempting to want to do all the preparations, all the practices, all the reading, (all the sleeping!) right this red hot minute. But the reality is we simply do not want everything we've ever wanted or ever will want all at once. Like our Thanksgiving dinner, it's the small bites of different flavors throughout the day, the myriad of conversations, the variety of experiences that each hour of ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald March 15, 2019

I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Fit in your workouts without anxiety

I have to be honest. Finding time to workout is one of my BIGGEST challenges...and I teach other people how to workout it for a living! So when a client or student tells me they didn't have time to work out, I get it. I totally GET IT.⁣ ⁣ Obviously there is an entire conversation to be had around making it a priority, but today we're going to chat about some ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald February 27, 2019

I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Pro-Tip: How to get back to swimming in postpartum

Swimming is an awesome way to exercise in postpartum. It feels soooo good to float and glide in the water! No wonder our babies love being in the womb so much. :) Here are a few notes to remember when you start swimming post-baby: 🏊‍ Keep your ribs down as you pull your arm overhead (ribs tend to flare out when we lift our arms overhead, which causes the intra-abdominal pressure to ...

by Kendra Fitzgerald November 26, 2018

I'm Recovering From Birth , I'm Strengthening Inside-Out , Postpartum Journey

Pro-tip: Getting the Most Out of Your Elliptical Workout in Postpartum

In our book, no exercise is off-limits in postpartum. BUT, it's all about integrity. It's absolutely key that you're doing exercises safely, within your current strength range and progressing well. ‍ Ready to get back to elliptical training? Here are a few tips to making sure your pelvic floor and core are staying safe while you work on that endurance. (ehem...which we neeeeeed to chase around these little bear cubs all day ...