Mothers Are Important Too

I attended my 6 week check right on 6 weeks at the doctor, and paid $60 just to be asked how my boobs are feeling, and then we moved on to all the baby tests. I have also been attending "Parents Group" (aka mothers group, not even one dad in the room) at my local Early Childhood centre for 5 weeks. The way this particular centre works, is every week has a new topic and a professional to come and talk about it. So far we have covered baby settling, baby feeding, baby sickness, playgroup, and baby massage.

I have one question after all these week's of education; What about ME?!

 Not to take anything away from the need to educate new parents on the health of their child, there is an obvious disregard for the woman's mental and physical health post-baby. With Post Natal depression such a massive problem, no one has asked how i feel or how i am coping. No one has checked how i am doing physically. I am lucky enough to have an intimate understanding of these issues, and i have access to a gym that can test for common post-natal problems, but what about the other 20 women in my group, and the hundreds of others across the state and nationally?

I will start with the 6 week check at the doctor. It is a PT's duty of care to wait for this check before training a client. But why bother when the muscle testing we do at the gym is a million times more thorough?

At the Early Childhood Centre, they educate the mum's on the best practices for their baby's health, and then the mum goes home and gets frustrated with dad, who has not got access to this education (since someone has to work, and in the first 4-6mths of a baby's life this will logically be the dad, and then they schedule the sessions for 10am on a weekday....) and makes the same mistakes as she made weeks ago!

Then they completely disregard the mum's health, mentally and physically, by not even considering it important enough to address. How many of these women are incontinent at the moment? The Continence Foundation of Australia find that 37% of women have a problem with incontinence, and 70% of these never seek help. That is HUGE! The only information that is readily accessible is TEVA commercials which basically say that you have to live with it and buy their product so you don't embarrass yourself!

You can treat incontinence very effectively with adequate education and training. It is simply a muscle weakness for most people.

Incontinence aside, back pain is another serious issue for the Post Natal mother. The hormone Relaxin is still doing its magic while you're breastfeeding, and the effect of this for many women is loose joints that become inflamed and cause pain. Adequate abdominal and butt muscle strength is necessary to maintain back and pelvic health, but again, there is no advice on this. Many women lose the ability to contract these muscles

with the structural changes that occurred during pregnancy, so even if they begin to try and strengthen them, they cannot access the correct muscles to contract, and end up "compensating" with alternate muscles. Many women simply

never use those muscles again, and they disintegrate with disuse. This can increase the woman's risk of injury later down the track (like when you're trying to lift a 15kg toddler).

Another issue, with breastfeeding being virtually impossible to achieve with good posture, is chronic neck and shoulder pain caused by bad posture. Like incontinence, this is a muscle issue, and can be trained back into pain-free shape!

And what about reducing body fat? Did you realise that exercising too soon can impact the way in which your pelvis fuses back together and leave you with chronically uneven hips (the consequences of which is damaged hip sockets leading to arthritis, bursitis, or chronic hip, back, or knee pain)? Did you realise what and how you eat directly affects not only your baby, but their children and grandchildren?

The first thing i asked the midwives that came to visit after the birth was to check my abdominal separation and pelvic floor contraction. Even then, in the hospital, you have to line up for a physio to do these checks.

I am so proud that at my little studio, we can test for, and address, all of these issues. Even from a mental health perspective, exercise has been shown to improve serotonin levels (happy hormones), decrease cortisol levels (stress hormones) and, in this way, help combat depression.

If anyone has not had their muscles checked after having a baby, please contact Galileo PT galileopt@unwired.com.au or 02 9905 4144, to arrange it. It takes about 10min, it's free, and you can then access training to correct any problems that the tests uncover.

The Chariot

I have a very expensive Canadian pram, that i absolutely trashed on the weekend, and it survived!

It is called a Chariot, and it went over soft sand, hard sand, single trail, pebbles, roots, and stairs without a hitch. I was stoked! Stoked enough to plug it in my blog :-)

I got it from http://www.ragear.com.au/

Here are some pics:




Back Beach, Minnie Waters

 



The stairs and rocks that we conquered in order to get to back beach. I did these twice, the second time when i went surfing the next day. You can see Evie's little foot poking out if you look close enough.

 



The trail to the beach

 



Soft sand on the trail, and a close up of the unreal adjustable suspension!. Evie is also in a hammock-like sling, so she rocks comfortably on the uneven stuff.

 




The view from the top of the hill between Main and Back beaches, Minne Waters

  FYI i had Evie sleeping through the night before this adventure, it has fallen apart somewhat, but we are back on track today and my fingers are crossed for tonight!!

SLEEP



Me attempting to continue life, work, and play
with my new appendage!

 Sleep has been on my mind lately, or lack thereof with a 5 week-old.

I have been advising my clients to get adequate sleep for weight loss for decades, as it has an impact on your stress hormones, which in turn will have an impact on your ability to lose weight. There are some tips on getting adequate sleep at: http://www.sleep4health.com.au/sleep-and-weight-loss/5-tips-for-sleep-and-weight-loss/

But my fuddled and tired head has got me wondering what else is sleep good for? Dr Oz (yes, catching up on my daytime TV) said in a recent episode that being sleep deprived and driving has the same effect on your reaction times as drink driving! That is a scary idea with all these mum's on the road!

The midwives at RNS told us during the Breastfeeding Course that your body makes breastmilk better at night (which makes sense, since according to researchers at Harvard, you also repair your body tissue, grow, fight infection, store memories, etc while you sleep). They also said that the baby will deliberately feed at night for this reason.

That didn't make sense to me, since being sleep deprived stresses the mother, which REDUCES milk supply in a similar manner as high intensity exercise.

Researchers at Harvard are not really sure why we sleep, but they do know what happens while we sleep, and what happens when we don't sleep. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, consequences of not sleeping include: difficulty receiving and interpreting information, difficulty coordinating movement, losing our ability to make sound decisions (because we can no longer accurately assess the situation, plan accordingly, and choose the correct behavior).
Harvard Sleep Researchers put it like this: "Being chronically tired to the point of fatigue or exhaustion means that we are less likely to perform well. Neurons do not fire optimally, muscles are not rested, and the body’s organ systems are not synchronized. Lapses in focus from sleep deprivation can even result in accidents or injury. "

So where does that put me, and the midwife's brutal advice to essentially suck it up and become part nocturnal and part superhero? If the research is correct, i am putting lives at risk every time i get behind the wheel, or my baby's life at risk every time i pick her up while i am in this state.

I have been lucky enough to have a partner that is equally involved in the sleep/feed routine, so it is less of an issue as it could have been, but it worth asking the question. Maybe the general advice should be more flexible than "demand feeding" and simply accepting  the fact you are going to be up all night. After all, aren't the mother's needs important too? Won't a healthy mother mean a healthy child?

There are enough books and sleep centre's around to see that not every baby magically conforms to a convenient routine, and often this needs to be guided. Is there any harm in starting early, and treating it like Jet Lag? I am going to give it a go, and i will keep you posted.

Exercise with a Newborn

I am nine days into being a mum, and overcoming the same hurdles of mothers everywhere; specifically lack of sleep, an influx of visitors, learning to understand a baby, keeping up with the washing, etc. As a trainer, i was painfully aware of the weight i put on in pregnancy, and was champing at the bit to lose it again, only to find myself too exhausted to get out of bed.

Having said that, i have almost done it, and am only 2 kg off my pre-pregnancy weight.

Once your abs are within 2cm of eachother (the midwife or doctor, or your trainer if you train at Galileo, can check this), and your bleeding has slowed, these are my tips on how to achieve it:

1. Enlist a friend or relative to cover the domestic stuff (like cooking, cleaning, and washing).
2. Attempt a sleep/feed routine as soon as possible. Even though it's hard work, and the baby rarely complies, it has allowed me enough structure to plan my exercise.
3. Do what you can when you can. I will go fast walking when Evie is sleeping, but only if we had a good night. If it's particularly good i'll go twice! On the way i'll stop at the playground and do some push ups and pull ups and lunges. On bad days i'll just go for a wander to get outside.
4. Salad salad salad. If you're lucky, well meaning friends and relatives will feed you, but more often than not, they'll bring over "energy" foods like pasta and cakes. If you're unlucky, you'll be making your own food, so will grab whatever makes you feel better and quickly! Get onto a website that delivers, like www.aussiefarmers.com.au , who will deliver fresh food directly from the farmer for an excellent price, to make eating well easy. Eating fruit and veges has the added bonus of enriching your diet with vitamins and minerals, assisting with overcoming fatigue and boosting your immune. In
   addition, the fibre will make it easier on the loo, which is an obvious benefit for anyone who has pushed a baby out. I have been making massive fruit salads and regular salads which i just spoon from the bowl whenever i am peckish, saving me from the chocolate draw....!
5. Express. It is fiddly, but it means my husband can do the 10pm feed, so i sleep from 8pm until 2am. Even if i'm up the rest of the night, i have a solid block of sleep in which to recover from the day before and prepare for the day ahead.
6. Carry the baby. Adding weight means you'll burn more calories! And the baby will love being close to you.

Good luck to all the mum's out there. I'd be interested in learning your tips for survival, so send them through!

Stress Less!

There is more than one reason to take it easy on occasion. Hormones play a massive role in your ability to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

Acute (short term and high intensity) stress will lower your appetite, increase your metabolism, and increase your cognitive function. Chronic (longer term and moderate intensity) stress will cause you to store fat easily, disrupt your sleep, and impair your cognitive function.

The main hormone responsible for both responses to stress is cortisol.

In small doses, cortisol will trigger short bursts of energy, increase memory function, and increase immunity.

In long, sustained doses, cortisol can impair brain function, suppress the thyroid (which regulates metabolism), disrupt blood sugar balance, decrease bone density and muscle tissue. This usually leads to a simultaneous increase in abdominal fat, which increases the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Studies also show that people with high cortisol levels eat more, and more of what they eat is carbohydrate. This will also increase their fat-storing ability.

It is possible to manipulate your cortisol levels increase your well-being, weight loss, and longevity.

10 Top Tips for Keeping Cortisol in Balance:

1.        Stress less! Learn stress management techniques. See http://www.stressmanagement.com.au/ for more information and tools.

2.        Meditation - Holosync CD’s use sound tones to assist you in achieving a greater meditative state than experienced practitioners achieve. Go to http://www.centerpointe.com/ and get your free trial CD.

3.        Sex.

4.        Yoga.

5.        Deep  breathing techniques.

6.        Keep exercise sessions short, infrequent, and very hard - less than 25 minutes is ideal, with your heart rate regularly pushing over 85% of your max (you do not  have to sustain it over there. Stop-start techniques such as intervals are useful). Galileo Personal Training at Brookvale specialise in 30 minute sessions. Go to http://www.galileopt.com.au for more information.

7.        Exercise only when you’re healthy (REST when you’re sick or tired!!)

8.        Make exercise fun! Get outside and do something you enjoy!

9.        Take time to stretch or unwind after any exercise session, major deadline, or stressful event. Simply lying still (with a quiet mind) for a couple of minutes is enough to reduce your cortisol.

10.     Vibrate your hormones into balance! Studies show that vibration training can reduce your cortisol levels after only a 11 minute stretch and massage session. You try this for free at http://www.galileopt.com.au or buy one for yourself at http://www.powerplate.com.au . Sessions performed on the vibration plate also increase the release of Serotonin, the “happy” hormone.

You can manipulate your hormones by your state of mind and behaviour. Take control, and give yourself the best chance of success.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: understanding these principles from a health perspective to ensure you get the most out of your life.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey
 
This chapter deals with focusing on specific things that you‘d like to achieve. Training your brain using visualisation has long been a habit of world-class athletes. They visualise and mentally rehearse every aspect of their sport, from the perfect finger position to standing on the podium after the race. The same principle can be used in business and in optimum health.

The revolutionary approach to weight loss by Jon Gabriel in The Gabriel Method relies heavily meditation and visualisation to re-train the brain. These methods can help reduce hormones that cause your body to hold onto excess fat, as well as boost “happy” hormones that can assist in motivation.

The use of a mission statement is highly utilised in business, and can be effective for you in your health journey to help you stay focused on the big picture.Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution

 Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit

In the book, this chapter is about communication with others, however the same principles can be applied to balance your needs with other conflicting parts of your life. A common example is exercise time and work demands often get in each other’s way. Or the conflict your fitness needs and your family’s needs to have you around. Thinking “win/win” will help you achieve a plan to accommodate both.

Using our first example, finding time. We can utilise the first three habits. The first is be proactive, so find out the minimum amount of exercise you need to do for optimum health (10min x 3 per day x 3 days a week) and then plan it, visualise it, execute it, and prioritise it!

The second example can be win/win by including your family in your activity. For example, throwing a football with your son, going walking with your partner, and so on.

Thinking win/win will open a multitude of alternatives, where you can integrate all competing aspects of your life into one well-balanced and happy existence.

 Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding

While this habit strikes gold from a HR and management perspective, utilising it for your fitness needs is not as clear at first. For the purposes of our discussion today, seek to understand the how, what, when, and why of health before sabotaging yourself with excuses about why not to be healthy.

The most obvious way to seek understanding is to enlist in professional help. Health is not just about weight loss. Regular meetings with a dietician can help you maximise your nutrition and wellbeing, thus maximising your productivity at work and increase positive energy at home. Regularly seeing a personal trainer can provide time efficient and highly effective results. Half hour sessions are available at Galileo Personal Training in Brookvale, see

 Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation
This is a fantastic chapter that will help you utilise your friends, collegues, and family in assisting you all as a collective to achieve optimum health. In striving to achieve a healthier lifestyle, you can recruit the entire office, and work collaboratively to formulate ideas in making it possible for everyone. Studies show that exercising with a friend ensures greater adherence than if you go it alone. One idea is to cover each other’s tasks while each person takes a brisk walk, or to sign up for a corporate sports team. Lunchtime Legends, held in French’s Forest, runs mixed soccer, oztag, netball, softball, and volleyball competitions in 30min lunchtime slots. See http://lunchtimelegends.sportingspectrum.com.au/ for more information.

 Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
An article published in March 2006’s Harvard Business Review explored the concept of “Cognitive Fitness” and found that exercising the mind can help productivity, intelligence, and slow degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. In short, moderate exercise can keep you mentally quicker and smarter for longer.

Covey touched on these concepts in his final chapter, but the latest neuroscience findings have allowed us to put it more succinctly. As summarised in November 2007‘s Harvard Business Review, you can consistently renew yourself by: seeking new experiences (go “walkabout“), work hard at playing (this encompasses games like cards, as well as trying on new ways of interacting with others, playing with kids, and so on), seeking novelty (like going to a museum, sight-seeing on a business trip, taking a different route home), trying new things (eg. new technologies, learn an instrument or language), searching for patterns (within these experiences, take notes every time you hear of something new and use it as a reference), and exercise.

View the entire article at http://hbr.harvardbusinessardbusiness.org/hbr-main/resources/pdfs/comm/philips/cognitive-fitness.pdf . www.galileopt.com.au for more information.

By listening to your chosen health professional’s advice, and then tailoring this advice in your personal circumstances, you will achieve more than presuming to understand everything about your lifestyle, body, and health. Covey’s communication methods will enhance workplace and family relations as well.
Prioritising and delegating are important ways of maximising your time. Once you have developed your mission statement, formulate a plan to work towards it. Considering moderate exercise can help your cognitive function and increase your life expectancy, it is astounding that more Australians do not put their health as a priority, especially as we are now the most obese country in the world.

Reasons for prioritising your health includes reducing the obvious health risk to ourselves - such as diabetes and heart disease - which may prevent us from performing our perceived “more important” roles in our work and as a family member (just being overweight can increase your risk of premature death by 30%, similar to the risk associated with smoking 1-10 cigarettes a day^*).

In addition, obesity is costing us as a nation, in dollar terms. Costs are associated with managing obesity-related diseases, secondary diseases, health insurance rates, sick leave, and also time away from work while sick, emergency services responding to events such as heart attacks, etc. This list is enormous.

Using Covey’s methods you can identify your real priorities, and allocate your time and effort accordingly.
However, what of the broader applications of these principles? How can we utilise this simple and effective life plan to maximise our effectiveness in all aspects of life? Today we will look at applying the seven habits to maximising your health.
Applying business principles to health is an excellent way of managing time and ensuring you get the most out of this life. Remember that health is not about weight loss. Rather, it is a way of optimising your productivity and relevance in the office and at home. It will mean you have the energy to interact with your family for years to come, and that you experience personal satisfaction and wellbeing. Take the time to ensure that your life is lived! has been on the “must read” list of ambitious people since first released in 1989. A self-help book with benefits across all facets of life, it has been primarily utilised in the business arena, with spin off publications addressing leadership, family life, and wealth.

Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice

Proactiveness is also about accountability and responsibility, “if it‘s meant to be it‘s up to me”. It is time to stop blaming time, the weather, transport, and all those other things that prevent you from embarking on a healthy fitness and eating plan. Focus instead on what you can do (or fit in). Can you manage 10min in the morning for a brisk walk around the block? If yes, then take action! Or maybe you don’t like walking, but can you swim? Cycle? Run?

Covey argues that people are different from animals as they are able to observe themselves, think about their thoughts and actions. In this way, address your own objections to exercise or eating well. Health is not about being a “gym junkie”. You can achieve substantial health benefits from adding certain foods to your current diet (such as fruit and vegetables) and from just doing what you can in terms of exercise. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au has useful guidelines to give you a kick-start.

 Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision

Depression and Exercise

I was talking to a new client this morning about her reasons for exercising, and it hasn't been the first time that the subject of depression has come up. From a training perspective, it is a hard subject, because the medication often causes the person to put on weight, which makes them feel worse!

It is well documented that exercise can help manage mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Beyond Blue’s numerous fact sheets recommend exercise as an alternative treatment for depression and anxiety, and a tool for you to “help yourself” when faced with this disease.

Depression in athletes has been documented as far as dealing with pressure and performance, as well as overtraining, but what happens to one’s mental state when you cease regular exercise? There is no research on this topic, so i asked some of our Olympic Athletes and clients of Galileo Personal Training their opinions.

Robin Bell, who won bronze in Beijing 2008 Slalom Canoe and participated in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games, says that he never experienced depression whilst training for any of the Olympic games, despite being “always tired“. Once he retired after Beijing, he found he lacked motivation to exercise because he did not have a goal. He struggled with sleeping and concentrating, and felt generally “like a slob”. He began “fun exercise” like surfing and mountain biking to “feel better”.

Whilst this is not proof that lack of exercise can cause depression, it does show how exceptional, motivated, and talented individuals can fall for the same traps as every-day joe. Exercise can help improve even a well-balanced person’s mental state.



After training at Galileo!



You often see in the 30min spent with each client training, their mood improving as the session progresses. I often think you've done a good job if they walk out feeling better than when they walk in (that's right, you do not have to be nailed every time you do a PT session - if you are, maybe you need to come to Galileo for a session to try it out!!).

Any kind of activity is good activity. Contact my studio if you need help! http://www.galileopt.com.au/