I am in the middle of a 30 day Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor program and I am giddy. I have hope for the first time in a long time that broken areas of this body of mine can be fixed!
My abs definitely could use some strengthening, but what intrigued me the most about this program was the hope that it could strengthen my pelvic floor, where I feel most ‘broken.’
Do you have broken areas? Do you have a gap between your abs that now bulges from pregnancy? That is very common and called Diastasis Recti.
Do you wet your pants a little when you laugh, sneeze, cough or jump? Or like me, is it hard to hold it when you gotta go? Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can do wonders, and this program gives much better solutions than the typical advice of “just do your Kegels!”
I’ve had 3 babies. I’m 42. I’ve been in menopause since the age of 36 due to breast cancer treatment. All of these things have weakened my pelvic floor muscles.
As a breast cancer survivor, I take treatment medications that continue to keep me in remission and living life! I am so thankful for this. But these medications have side effects, and often can get in the way of living freely and fully.
I take 2 cancer medications. One is an injection that chemically shuts down my ovaries and forces my body into menopause, and one is an anti-hormone medication. My tumors were estrogen and progesterone positive, so to keep more from growing we starve my body of these hormones.
The injection I take stops hormone production at the main sources, my ovaries, and the second medication I take sweeps up any remaining hormone that my body produces. I am completely starved of hormones.
I believe this has saved my life, but it is not without many MANY side effects.
Estrogen keeps the body young. Progesterone is the calming hormone. Needless to say, I miss my hormones!
There are many bothersome consequences of early, chemically induced menopause, and I am feeling them more and more as the longer I’m on these medications.
Hot Flashes
I have hot flashes that are intense and come often, and there is no hiding those. I usually react immediately to anything that brings temperature change. My husband’s warm hand on my leg, my blow dryer, when I get into a warm car…actually just thinking about hot flashes gives me a hot flash! Excuse me while I go stick my head in the freezer.
Painful Joints
I have creaky, stiff, and achy joints and I’m very proactive in keeping those as young as possible. I take Turmeric, Glucosamine and try to move my body every day by walking, jogging, and yoga. These things really help and I’m so thankful and relieved to have found natural ways to deal with joint pain. I’m not kidding you, without Turmeric (a natural anti-inflammatory) my joints are so inflamed that I have to take one stair slowly at a time in the morning. With Turmeric? I can walk normally down them most days. The weather affects joints, so I am better than the weatherman at knowing when rain is coming, predicting it by how fast I walk down my stairs in the morning!
Pelvic Floor Issues
This is the first time I have talked about this on New Nostalgia, but now is the time! You and I have talked about many things that could be considered TMI –remember my sliding implant post? Or how about my breast redos and nipple tattoos post? Yeah, I’ve “gone there” many times with you all in my health updates, so let’s do it again!
I know I am not alone with pelvic floor issues. I posted an Instagram photo of the Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor Program and I had quite a response of women relating and wanting to know more, both in the comments and in direct messages.
Abs, Core and Pelvic Floor was written by personal trainer Natalie Hodson and Dr. Monique Middlekauff – a specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction. It is a 30-day program for women 6 weeks postpartum to menopause and beyond and can be done on the floor from the comfort of your own home.
Right now my pelvic floor issues cause me to always be aware of where the closest rest room is. When I have to go, I gotta go! There is no holding it for long. I also have to go often!
We just got back from a family road trip and my husband was so gracious in stopping almost every hour. I got a few eye-rolls from my girls, but someday they will understand and then I will point them toward this post and this program!
I’ve learned through the Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor Program reading material (there is a ton of super informative printable reading material, plus videos of how to correctly do each exercise) that this urgency can be due to weak pelvic floor issues.
Y’all… urgency eventually turns into incontinence. I do not want to deal with that, not to mention how all of this weakness in the intimate regions can affect your intimate life. Now THAT is worth fighting for!
I know from my doctor that I have a weak pelvic floor. Her solution was to strengthen my muscles doing typical Kegels. I have not been very motivated to do them. I just felt like they were not working!
Now that I am informed on the anatomy of the pelvic floor muscles (thanks to the program) I get what muscles need to be worked and why which is very empowering and motivating. I am halfway through the program and I am giddy and confident that it will work and I will continue to build the strength of my pelvic floor.
I read the material, watched the videos, and have been incorporating them into my restorative yoga routine, and have loved knowing that what I’m doing is not only strengthening my pelvic floor, but also abdomen and core.
The Diastasis Recti is the gap many women get between their abs from pregnancy, (also the cause of the “mommy pooch” in the lower abdomen), and typical exercises (like planks and sit-ups) can make it even worse! The key is correcting the Diastasis Recti with the right exercises, then you can be free to do these typical exercises.
These muscle groups all work together, and the exercises the program addresses them all. I love knowing that I am not only correcting what is weak now but also keeping my body from having even more embarrassing or serious issues in the future.
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Let’s talk!
What about you? Do you relate to my weak pelvic floor issues? Does your abdomen bulge after having children? Are you feeling the effects of pre-menopause or menopause?
Do you want to know more about Abs, Core & Pelvic Floor Program? This program works! When my cousin (who is a young Mom) saw that I posted about the program, she told me she has gone through the program and her Diastasis Recti is completely corrected and her pelvic floor is at 80% already!
Click here to learn more about the program, and leave a comment letting me know if you can relate.
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Natalie Hodson, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #abscorepelvicfloor http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
kathy
September 23, 2017 at 1:59 pmI just reread your post and wanted to know how you are taking turmeric and how much? I can so relate to this whole article. I am finding the joint pain to be miserable at times. Thanks for the info.
AmyNewNostalgia
September 25, 2017 at 1:30 pmI hate hearing that you can relate to joint pain. So sorry. Try the turmeric…it has been so wonderful for me. I know if I ever miss a day…by how long it takes me to walk down my stairs. I don’t even notice my stairs when taking it. If I miss a dose, I have to take one stair at a time. Major difference in my ankle, feet joints. It amazes me! Keeps me off any other pain relievers like advil, which are not good for the liver. As cancer survivor need a healthy liver! I take Gaia Herbs brand. The Turmeric Surpreme Extra Strength. It is only one capsule a day and has 482mg of turmeric root extract. It also contains black pepper which helps the body absorb the turmeric, which is why I like this brand.
Melissa Loos
August 14, 2017 at 1:33 pmThank you for this information! I totally relate! Going to check into this!
AmyNewNostalgia
August 15, 2017 at 9:11 amYou are welcome! It is so nice to know how to be proactive in this. <3 I think you will like the program.