Mummy Tummy

Fix Diastasis Recti | Fix Your Mummy Tummy?

Yes, I KNOW this one's just a bit flabby, but I didn't have many model volunteers. Anyone?

Diastasis Recti contributes to a post partum or post natal ‘mummy tummy’. But its not the whole story.

Another mum contacted me today who has been told, by her doctor, that she has to accept a 7 month’s postnatal tummy, that looks like it’s 5 month’s pregnant, as ‘just what happens after you have children’.

A Mummy Tummy that protrudes, domes, causes backache, & inspires ‘Oooh, when’s the next one due?’ comments, is NOT any fun at all, & more importantly NOT something you have to just put up with. Whatever your doctor says.

Do YOU feel like your’re the only one who feels like their innards are falling out the front of their tummy? Like you’re the only one who wets herself *just a little* (or maybe quite a bit) every time they sneeze, cough or try to run for the bus.

I promise you you’re not. Each of us may or may not want to invest the time & effort to attaining a six pack (ahem… I don’t), but you can achieve a lot firmer, flatter & less pregnant-looking version of what you’ve got.

This particular lady had bought a quite-well-known mummy tummy book which she had found slightly confusing, quite hard to follow & well… her mummy tummy was still there.

Diastasis Recti (the sole focus of the book & the Technique she had tried) is indeed a major factor in determining the shape of many women’s mummy tummy. And the book & Technique she had tried is very thorough & effective at correcting diastasis recti.

But Diastasis Recti is ONLY ONE FACTOR. There are 4 more, (get them all with MuTu System download!). Knowing ALL the factors that cause a mummy tummy is the first stage. Learning how to engage, use & strengthen all the right muscles, how to exercise very effectively in a short space of time, how to eat, how to actually make it all happen… that’s the next very important stage!

Have you been asked the dreaded ‘Having another one?’ question on the school run? Or been told by a doctor or ‘expert’ there’s nothing you can do? Please share your stories!

Diastasis Recti Test & Exercises | What Works and What To Avoid

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Repairing a Diastasis Recti or Postpartum Diastasis of the Rectus Abdominal Muscle

Q. How to test for Diastasis Recti

A: Lie on your back with your knees bent & your feet flat on the floor. Relax your head & shoulders & place your fingers (palm facing you) just above your belly button.

Lift your head, neck & shoulders slightly off the floor & press down with your fingertips. If you feel a gap, that’s the diastasis. You will feel the muscles close in around your fingers as you lift your head & neck. Don’t lift your shoulders up too high.

Repeat the test in two other place: directly over the belly button, & a couple of inches below.

A diastasis recti gap is measured in finger width’s. You are aiming for 1-2 finger gap or less, but don’t panic if it’s much bigger at first – up to ten fingers is not unheard of :0

Can the MuTu System Exercise Program Heal a Diastasis? CLICK HERE to find out more!

Q: Should you use a splint, belly binder or abdominal wrap to bring a diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle back together?

A: Many women, & some exercise programs advocate wrapping or binding the mid-section to draw the split recti muscles back together. Postpartum abdominal binding has also been traditional practice in many parts of the world for generations. More on Belly Binding for Diastasis Recti Here

In my experience, it can be helpful when the gap is wide (4 fingers or more), & certainly helps with awareness of the abs & for lower back support. However don’t use a wrap or splint as a substitute for caution when working the abdominals.

The aim is not to ‘switch off’ & let the splint do the work!

To use a splint (a towel does the same job) to encourage your muscles to ‘knit’ back together:

Lie on your back with your knees bent & feet flat on the floor. Wrap a towel under your tummy & cross it over your abs, holding onto each end.

Slowly & gently lift ONLY your head, neck & shoulders off the floor, whilst drawing your belly button towards your spine & tilting your pelvis. This will activate your transverse abdominis muscle. As you lift, pull the towel tighter around your waist.

Do about 10 reps, building up to 30-40 a day (you don’t have to do them all at once!).

Q: How Common is Diastasis Recti?

Over a third of women will have a gap of two fingers or more after their first baby. After second or subsequent pregnancies, this figure is more like two thirds, especially if the gap wasn’t closed effectively after the first.

Q: What Exercises WILL Close a Diastasis?

A: As starting point, think about the ‘bellybutton to spine’ contraction discussed in this post, with everything you do – not just when you’re specifically exercising your abs. When you sneeze, cough, pick up your baby, do any type of exercise, stand up from a crouching position, or turn around. Try to get back in touch with your body & be aware of your core muscles doing the work to stabilise you in every day activity.

Persistence will pay off! These exercises (sign up in the pink cloud at the top of the page to get your free video!) might not feel like you’re doing much, but do them daily, as many reps as you can, & you will start to see a difference in 6 weeks.

To strengthen your abs the right way & reduce a Diastasis, CLICK HERE to find out more about the MuTu System online program!

Q: My Youngest Is At School…! – Can I Still Reduce a Diastasis?

A: Yes – activating & engaging your core transverse abdominis muscles at any stage postpartum can improve the gap.

If you did a lot of crunches &/or oblique crunches post baby, then you may have developed a ‘cone’ shape on your abdomen where you have worked the muscles hard, but in the wrong direction… Practice full yogic breathing, engaging your transverse abdominis & pelvic floor as you take a long, full breath out.

Q: Which Movements or Exercises Should I Avoid?

Crunches, sit-ups, oblique (twists) combined with crunches; anything that ‘jack-knifes’ the body, by pivoting at the hip & placing strain on the abdominals such as straight leg lifts or holds from lying on your back & some Pliates moves.

In terms of every day movements, avoid lifting straight up from a horizontal lying position – always roll to your side & push up from there; be careful when twisting & turning from the waist, keep thinking ‘core’ & pull belly button through to spine whenever you lift, twist or get up from lying, bending or crouching.

You can also visit the Diastasis Recti blog category here for more articles on diastasis recti.

SIGN UP IN THE PINK CLOUD ABOVE TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE REPORT:”TOP 10 MUMMY TUMMY SECRETS” PLUS GET FREE ACCESS TO ‘THE 10 BEST AB EXERCISES FOR MOMS” VIDEO!

Diastasis Recti Exercises: What Works?

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What exercises will work to close a Diastasis Recti or abdominal separation? Many commonly prescribed exercises (even a number of Pilates moves) will actually make a diastasis recti WORSE, so you need to be very careful when exercising with a diastasis.

Cardio? A bit, to lose some extra flab maybe, but it won’t address the root problem.

Pilates? You could certainly borrow a few core & postural principles from pilates … but some moves could even exacerbate the problem & won’t be the most effective diastasi recti exercises

Yoga? Good for lower back & core strengthening if done correctly, which will help relieve back pain & improve posture, but it’s not going to fix your mummy tummy on its own

Or crunches? NO, NO, NO!!

Firstly, you need to differentiate between a flabby belly (ie excess fat over your tummy), & the mummy tummy which is partly caused by diastasis recti, a (perfectly natural) separation of the abdominal muscles during pregnancy which makes way for the growing uterus.

Incidentally, you may have a diastasis and a flabby belly, but we will deal with both, so don’t worry!

You can read about how to test yourself for diastasis recti here, but for now, we’re going to look simply at which diastasis recti exercises will work, & which won’t! Obvious indicators that you have a diastasis, are a bulging, or ‘doming’ above or below your belly button when you contract your abdominals (especially if you attempt a crunch or sit-up type movement).

There are a number of important muscles you need to exercise (in the right way) to repair a diastasis, the most important of which is the transverse abdominis. This is the innermost abdominal muscle which runs right around your middle like a corset. It is attached both in front of, and behind, the rectus muscles (the ones that have split), so if you work the transverse abdominis (TVA) correctly, your diastasis (the gap) will reduce, & stay put!

The fundamentals of effective diastasis recti exercises are to start identifying & ‘engaging’ your transverse abdominis, you need to breathe diaphragmatic-ally or into your belly & ribcage. Sit on a chair or cross-legged on the floor & place your hands on your belly. Breathe in, fill your lungs & let your belly expand. Then exhale, emptying your lungs, whilst drawing your belly button right back towards your spine. Keep your shoulders down & your neck relaxed.

Now try doing this from all fours.

There are a number of visualisations which may help, (this is where it can be useful to borrow from pilates & yoga as well as restorative core work) :

Imagine your recti (the vertical muscle we’re trying to put back together) as a string attached to your pubic bone. Now use the string to pull your pubic bone towards your belly button.

Imagine ‘zipping up’ the gap from below the belly button, to above.

Whichever works for you, remember to exhale as you draw your abdomen inwards, & inhale as you allow your tummy to expand & your lungs to fill. Don’t raise & lower your chest (it’s all in the belly), don’t hunch your shoulders, & don’t hold your breath!

You will find that as you do this, your pelvis will naturally tilt forward as you contract the transverse muscle.

OK, now add in your pelvic floor exercises (now we’re really multi-tasking!). As you draw in your transverse abdominis muscle, pull up your pelvic floor. Remember, don’t hold your breath, all these muscles work together best whilst breathing

Ready to get really clever? From the all-fours position, put a pillow between your inner thighs, & as you exhale, draw in your belly button and pull up your pelvic floor, squeeze the pillow between your thighs.

Do this 15 times, every day. (That took, what, 5 minutes??) & you really are on your way to repairing a diastasis recti & losing your mummy tummy, ‘muffin top’ or whatever charming term you refer to it as!

Do not, under any circumstances, do crunches or sit-ups post-baby, & certainly not if you know you have abdominal separation.

Any crunching, rolling or jack-knife straining or movement will serve only to widen the gap & make the ‘doming’ or bulging worse. Some pilates moves will fall into this category, so avoid those ones for now. For the same reason, avoid crunches or sit-ups that work the obliques (your waist) in a diagonal direction, until you know you have closed the diastasis gap. These movements are NOT effective diastasis recti exercises & will make it worse!

Strengthening your transverse abdominus & working your pelvic floor (because these movements work so well together it’s great way to remember to do your kegels) will repair a diastasis & close the gap. It will also help alleviate back pain, improve posture & increase pelvic floor control! If there is extra flab as well (which if you’re post-baby, is a distinct possibility ) then in order to see the difference, you will need to address your nutrition, & do some short sharp interval training (circuits) as well.

But your CORE is where you must start – so get belly breathing & ‘zipping up’ & find your pelvic floor… & you have the basis for the post-baby body you’re dreaming of!

SIGN UP IN THE PINK CLOUD ABOVE TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE REPORT:”TOP 10 MUMMY TUMMY SECRETS” PLUS GET FREE ACCESS TO ‘THE 10 BEST AB EXERCISES FOR MOMS” VIDEO!