Diastasis What?!

If you’re currently pregnant or recently had a baby, you’ve probably noticed a few changes to your body. (Understatement of the century!) One of these changes is likely a difference in your abdominal muscles: how they look or feel or function.

In order to make room for a growing bun in the oven, something’s gotta give! That something is the abdominal muscles, which gradually stretch as baby gets bigger. For some women, this can lead to a condition called diastasis recti (DR), a greater than normal separation between the two sides of your rectus abdominis muscle.

Your rectus abdominis is the “six-pack” muscle that runs vertically down the front of your abdomen. We tend to think of it as one big ol’ muscle, but actually it’s a pair of muscles that are connected along the midline by a tendon-like tissue called the linea alba. If there is too much strain on the linea alba and an unusual separation develops between the abs (ie. DR), the muscles can no longer function properly to do all of the wonderful things we take for granted, like sitting up in bed, carrying too many grocery bags, or holding in our tummies!

But why?!

It’s easy to point the finger solely at the baby bump; however the stretching of the tummy as baby grows from poppyseed to watermelon is only part of the equation. Diastasis recti develops when the balance of ALL the forces exerted on the abdominal muscles and the linea alba exceed the tolerance (ie. the strength) of the tissues.

Our postures, positions, breathing patterns, movements or lack of movement all create forces on our abdomen …and just like the Force, they have the potential for good or evil! These forces we unwittingly create on our tummies throughout the day can either contribute to the strain on our tissues OR we can harness them to improve the strength and resilience of our abdominals.

What can I do?!

If you have (or suspect you have) developed diastasis recti, don’t panic! Whether you developed diastasis recti months, years or decades ago, it can be resolved and optimal abdominal function can be restored.

However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Since there are many different factors that may be contributing to your diastasis recti, corrective exercises should be targeted to your body’s needs. It can be very beneficial to work with an instructor or therapist (like a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist… wink, wink) with specialized training in this area.

Whether you’ve already developed diastasis recti or you’re trying to prevent it, here are a few first steps you can take towards restoring and maintaining a healthy, happy tummy:

Posture: Take stock of your body parts and try to make sure they’re “stacked up” so that your feet, pelvis, shoulders and head all form a nice vertical line. Especially if you have a growing baby bump or you’re carrying around a little one, avoid shifting your pelvis forward and leaning back to counterbalance the weight. Finally, resist the temptation to stick out your chest. Instead, relax and drop your ribcage, tucking your lower ribs in rather than sticking them out.

Breathing: Did you relax your ribcage? Once you’ve done that, breathe slowly and deeply into the lower ribs, the belly and even the back. Avoid lifting the shoulders and ribcage as you breathe, and try instead to feel the ribs expanding out in all directions, front, back and sides. This breathing pattern will help to decrease tension on the abdominals.

Get Moving: Move your body often and in lots of different ways: bending, reaching, twisting, walking, taking the stairs, lifting your arms and legs, getting down to the floor and hopefully back up again! A healthy variety of movement will engage the abdominal muscles in many different ways, keeping them strong and resilient. Some ideas: walking, gentle stretching, pre/postnatal yoga, swimming, or light aquafit.  

If you’ve been given any activity restrictions, be sure to stay within those limits as well as your own body’s comfort zone!

Here is a registry where you can find Pelvic Health Physiotherapists in Ontario:

http://pelvichealthsolutions.ca/find-a-health-care-professional/ontario-physiotherapists/

Dr. Jessica and Jillian during their Wellness Wednesday interview

For more information or to book an initial physiotherapy or initial pelvic floor physiotherapy appointment with Jillian please visit http://thecoachhousetc.ca/ or call (519) 707 -0599

Thanks for reading.

Mental Health

Today is World Mental Health day, so let's talk about Mental health. For many people, this is an uncomfortable conversation; there is a cultural association that links Mental Health with the concept of Mental Illness, often as a negative trope used to spread fear and misunderstanding. The result of this association is a pervasive stigmatization, particularly when it comes to talking about oneself. Mental Health is a multifactorial framework influenced by genetics as well as social and physical environments. The complex nature of Mental health and the view of mental illness in our society makes this a difficult topic of conversation. Unfortunately, the lack of dialogue around mental health allows the negative stigma to prevail. The resulting discomfort creates serious barriers for individuals when it comes to accessing the support and care they require. Currently two thirds of Canadians suffering from Mental illness do not seek help because of stigma.

What is Mental Health ?

Mental Health reflects an internal state of wellbeing that includes feeling good and functioning well. Individuals with positive Mental Health feel able to cope with their stress and remain in control of their lives. People with positive Mental Health can experience difficult times and negative emotions without experiencing a Mental Illness. Mental Illness defines a range of medical conditions that affects the Mental Health of one in every five Canadians. In most cases Mental illness can be managed to include a life with positive Mental Health for the individual affected. When Mental illness is left unmanaged, Mental health can deteriorate, having a negative impact on the individual's life.

The quality of an individual's Mental health is closely linked to the quality of their physical health. Not only is overall health and performance affected by mental health, so too is one's greater sense of enjoyment of life and sense of purpose. Everyone can benefit and improve their overall health and happiness by investing in their mental health.

Mental Health & Wellbeing

When we take time to care for our mental health and wellbeing we improve our overall physical health. Having a sense of wellbeing fosters an individual's self esteem, resilience, and sense of purpose. Other benefits of positive mental health & wellbeing include:

• Improved sleep
• Improved immune function and resilience
• Increased self esteem and worth
• Improved productivity
• Decrease stress
• Decrease pain
• Decrease fatigue

Supporting Mental Health

A community benefits when mental health is encouraged and supported. The Mental Wellness Network of Waterloo Region is a local public health committee that believes every person has the right to be supported in living a healthy positive life. This local initiative has launched a mission is to promote mental health and wellbeing for people across the span of their lives and to foster stronger, connected communities where everyone feels they belong. The Mental Wellness Network has adopted The Ways to Wellbeing, a simple five-pronged approach to supporting mental health within our community. There are several ways each individual can support these pillars of mental health you, and may even being doing some of these things already!

CONNECT
When we have meaningful relationships, we   feel like we belong, we feel valued, and we have support when we face challenges.



BE ACTIVE

Being active helps reduce feelings of worry, improves our mood, increases our self-esteem, and helps us cope with stress.

BE MINDFUL
Being mindful helps us control our emotions, makes us aware of our needs, and helps us enjoy the world around us.

KEEP LEARNING

When we learn new things, we feel a sense of purpose and achievement and we improve our self-confidence.

GIVE BACK

Giving helps us feel good, allows us to grow closer to one another, builds our trust, and helps us to feel thankful and positive.

What’s great about the Ways to Wellbeing is that it allows you to create a resource for activities you can practice daily to help maintain mental health. As you practice these small acts of self care, you foster a sense of resilience which further strengthens positive mental health. The website has a great resource page for both individuals and healthcare practitioners to refer to which helps us mindfully incorporate the five ways into our daily life. To find out more about the Ways to Wellbeing or to access individual resources please visit: https://www.waystomentalwellbeing.com.

Let’s end stigma and change the conversation around Mental Health. Practicing the Ways to Mental Wellbeing can be a valuable resource to preserve and nurture positive mental health. When we invest in our mental health we not only strengthen ourselves as individuals but as a community.

Some additional blog posts you might be interested in are;

Breathing Practice

Finding Balance

Busting Stress

Mindfulness Self Care

Family Friendly Stress Busting Yoga

Disclaimer: The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing a Naturopathic Doctor or your primary care provider for individualized health recommendations.

Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing - How to engage the Relaxation Response

Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing 

Deep breathing can help combat stress response and symptoms

When we are affected by stress it changes our breathing. When outside factors increase our stress the body engages a fight or flight response. This stress response was designed to help us escape from imminent danger. It sends blood to the muscles of the body, releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to improve concentration and focus. Over time and prolonged stress stimulus and stress hormones begins to have negative effects on our health. Negative effects of prolonged stress can include high blood pressure, suppressed immune function and adrenal fatigue. Prolonged stress increases an individual's risk factors for heart disease, anxiety, depression and common illnesses. Over time prolonged exposure to stress increases the demands on the system eventually creating systemic fatigue and burnout leaving the individual's overall health compromised.

The Relaxation Response

The good news is that the negative effects of the stress response can be balanced by engaging the relaxation response. The relaxation response, which is a physical state of deep rest, engages our parasympathetic nervous system which helps our body heal and repair. A technique known as Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing was developed at Harvard Medical School by a cardiologist named Dr. Herbert Benson in the 1970’s. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing, commonly known as belly breathing, is a corner focus of triggering the relaxation response. Several alternative practices exist to engage the relaxation response. Other popular relaxation response practices include meditation, yoga, massage.

There are several ways to engage the relaxation response but certain traits are always common to support a state of relaxation. In order to relax you need a safe and calm environment.  Try to sit or lay somewhere that you stay comfortably for up to a half hour. Your environment should be a comfortable temperature to support relaxation, if you get cold easily you may want to keep a blanket on hand.

Belly Breathing

One of the fastest and simplest ways to increase relaxation is practicing belly breathing. Belly breathing is responsible for increasing relaxation and oxygen to the bodies tissues. The health benefits don't end there however, belly breathing improves concentration, promotes feelings of well being and reduces muscle tension and fatigue. Other health benefits include improved immune function, lowered blood pressure and increased lung capacity. Belly breathing also makes us feel better by calming the mind and releasing endorphins that combat stress hormones.

Method:

Lay or sit comfortably, lay on your back or by sitting up straight. Bring one hand to your belly and the other to your chest. Begin by taking a deep breath into your belly. Allow your belly to expand like a balloon into your hand as you inhale, exhaling allowing the belly to empty. The hand on chest should move only minimally.

The best part about a breathing practice is that it can easily be done anywhere. It can be as fast and simple as three deep breaths. This can be a great exercise to do before bed at night and before getting out of bed in the morning.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and watch the video. We hope you enjoyed and are going to give these easy breathing exercises a go. Enjoy some zen time today, you deserve it!

Stay tuned to our Wellness Wednesday and biweekly blog posts to help improve your well-being.

Some additional blog posts you might be interested in are;

Finding Balance

Busting Stress

Mindfulness Self Care

Tips for Managing Back to School Stress

Family Friendly Stress Busting Yoga