Thanks so much Jo Ann!
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| Anita Vodden exercises with her 6-month-old daughter Eva during a recent Restore the Core class. |
A mom's postpartum stomach is enough to make her bawl like a newborn.
Not taut. Not tight.
Not even close.
Sort of like a mushy, spongelike mass of flesh that has clearly suffered some trauma.
Will it ever be flat or firm again?
Lots of moms - of all ages - are turning to a class for help.
"Restore the Core is a Pilates-style class where we specifically work on correcting all the things that happen to your body when you go through pregnancy," said Leigh Hobson, who leads the class and another for moms and babies called StrollerFit. "We specifically work on your core muscles. We work on posture. It's formatted to target the low belly area and to tighten up the tummy."
In brief, to banish the muffin top.
A typical class session begins with participants lying on a mat and practicing some deep breathing techniques.
Unlike exercise classes that might feature a loud instructor shouting above the din of obnoxious techno music, Restore the Core features the calming sounds of nature.
"It is similar to yoga in environment," said Hobson, the mother of a 4-year-old. "It is a time for moms to de-stress, focus on themselves and get a good workout."
Hobson leads class members through a series of postures and quietly makes adjustments when she sees someone doing a move incorrectly.
"I am a fan," Lisa Halstrom of Lodi said. "Within a couple of months, I dropped a whole size. After a year, I went down two sizes and lost 10 pounds."
Halstrom, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, said it had been hard to find an exercise activity that was easy on her joints.
"I had almost given up hope that I was ever going to lose the baby weight," the mother of a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old said. "Her class once a week and walking my son to and from school is the only exercise I do. And I lost weight. It's amazing."
Halstrom said other people noticed that she was getting more fit.
"Before I got pregnant, I was 110, pounds and with my son I gained at least 60 pounds," she said. "Then I had my daughter and gained a little more. Now I'm at 118, and I'm almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight."
Halstrom said there is another benefit as well.
"My doctor is so amazed, because it has really strengthened the muscles in my body and helped relieve the arthritis," she said. "And by strengthening my core and my muscles, it helps with the general back pain you have from carrying kids around."
Hobson said the class has attracted a group of moms and even grandmothers ranging from about 20 to 60.
New moms are asked to wait until six weeks after childbirth to join the class, or 10 to 12 weeks in the case of a C-section birth, and to have clearance from their doctor to avoid a hernia.
Hobson said the class is especially popular with women who want to get their core muscles back in shape after having a Caesarean birth, which is a major surgery that cuts through the abdominal wall. Other postpartum moms may have suffered a separation of stomach muscles common during pregnancy or just feel generally out of whack. It's not uncommon, say physical therapists, who deal with postpartum clients experiencing problems with back pain or other issues.
"The muscles in your pelvic floor and your abdominal muscles are stretched past a length where they are designed to work," said Chip Hanker of Delta Physical Therapy in Lodi, adding that during pregnancy, a hormone is released that loosens the joints in preparation for childbirth, which makes moms lose stability. "It's good to be on a core-stabilization exercises program. That will help strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor and the abdominal muscles so they restore the stability to the joints that they cross."
Simple abdominal exercises such as those practiced in Restore the Core can help correct the problem as well as alleviate back pain associated with weak core muscles and improve posture.
At a class this past week, Hobson led moms - some of whom had brought their kids - through a series of exercises.
"We work on three series of moves," she said, explaining exercises to stabilize, mobilize and energize. "Roll onto your side facing me for side planks. Pull your belly toward your spine. Get your pelvic floor up. Engage that quad."
Some moms take both Restore the Core and StrollerFit, which is a circuit-type class where moms, with their tots in strollers, get in some running, lunges, wall sits, squats and even skipping. The classes are franchises held at various locations nationwide. Locally, they are held in Lodi and Lockeford. Other classes are offered in Sacramento and Elk Grove.
Restore the Core
What: A Pilates-style class designed to help women get their "mommy muscles" back in shape.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Lockeford Spring Golf Course Pro Shop, 16360 N. Highway 88, Lockeford; 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Pilates Place, 220 W. Pine, Lodi
Admission: $79 for eight weeks of once-a-week classes; includes a resistance band and stability balls
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| Instructor Leigh Hobson leads a Restore the Core class at the Lockeford Springs Golf Course Pro Shop in Lockeford. The class is for new mothers who want to get rid of that flabby stomach that is left after giving birth. |
