Pelvic Floor Fitness

The Birch Tree is pleased to offer a 6 week therapeutic course to Recover, Strengthen and Recondition the pelvic floor

From April 3rd to May 8^th 2016 - 1.5 hr sessions 9:00-10:30 pre-natal 11:00-12:30 non pregnant

9 Hours of instruction, Half Price!            

You don’t need to be pregnant to enroll in these classes, although you may be, or you may be 20 years post partum.

This program works for everyone, and is designed to be used before, during, and after delivery, or to gently and effectively heal, retrain and regain your core strength at any age. Recruit a friend, or mother-in-law, they will thank you for it!

We will be addressing the following issues:

               Mummy Tummy (DRA)

              Incontinence (can occur in pregnancy) and later years

               Release Techniques for “uptight” or locked muscles

               Breathing Techniques

               Posture & Pelvic alignment

               Lower back, pelvic and pubic pain

               Strengthening of pelvic floor muscles

               POP, pelvic organ prolapse, during pregnancy and later years

Program is taught by Brenna Jacobson who is a pelvic floor specialist and Certified Pre-Post Natal Consultant.

Register at the front desk. 604-943-1989

or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Bi-Weekly pelvic Floor Tip:   Exercises for Improving Posture

Weather you are pregnant, grandmother, aunt, or girlfriend, your posture can benefit from postural exercises. Here is another exercise to add to your toolbox, to help improve your posture during and after pregnancy, especially for breastfeeding. Remember to keep it simple and safe.

Try This:

Rotator Cuff, Medial and Lateral Rotation: This shoulder action controls your range of motion in the shoulder joint (rotator cuff). It also strengthens the pectoral muscles, helps to align the scapula (shoulder blades), and strengthen the rhomboids, (muscles on either side of the spine). It will help to reinforce posture due to the rounding forward during breastfeeding. You can do this seated or standing.

Extend both arms to sides at shoulder height, and bend the elbows to 90 degrees. Holding this position, bring the palms, forearms and elbows together on an exhale breath. Inhale, back to starting position. Repeat up to 10X. Reset your arms, inhale open, now keeping elbows bent, raise over your head to touch finger tips, then lower back to starting position. So, you will exhale bring forearms together in front, inhale open, exhale up over head touching finger tips, inhale back to starting position Repeat up to 10X. Note: You should feel your shoulder blades raising and lowering as you raise overhead. Make sure to keep the elbows at shoulder height. (Focus on the exhale breath, your body will automatically inhale).

Bi-Weekly pelvic Floor Tip: Exercises for Improving Posture

Muscles require strengthening for improved posture. Here is another exercise to add to your toolbox that will help to prove your posture during pregnancy. Remember to keep it simple and safe.

Try This:

Standing Row:  Stand in a lunge position with knees slightly bent. Loop your resistance band around a stationary object, such as a bar or a stair railing. Step back to take the slack out of the band, and grasp both handles one in each hand. Stand tall and lift the chest. Pull the handles back toward your waist, keeping the elbows close to your sides, and lower back slightly arched. As the handles touch your body, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and reverse the direction, slowly returning the handles to the starting position. This exercise improves posture and shoulder girdle muscular balance to develop the upper back.

Bi-Weekly Pelvic Floor Tip : Exercises for Improving Posture

Muscles require strengthening for improved posture. Here is an exercise to start with, that will help with improving your posture during pregnancy. Remember to keep it simple and safe.

Try this:

Shoulder Blade Wall correction: Stand with your back against the wall, with elbows bent to 90 degrees. Keeping the elbows bent, slowly raise them up the wall, then lower the elbows back down towards the waist. Try and keep the entire arm against the wall during the entire movement. You may want to add a count of 1-4 on the up slide, and 1-4 on the down slide. Repeat 5-10 times. Remember to breath, inhale going up and exhale down. Keep your shoulders relaxed. As you do these moves, you will notice it keeps the chest open and you will feel your upper back (subscapular muscles) and shoulder blades moving. Practice this exercise for the next couple of weeks, and notice any changes in your posture and how you feel.

Wishing you all the best during the Holiday Season!  Remember to be patient with yourself and your body.  Don't worry.
Your body will respond to all of your efforts in restoring it back to it's normal state. 
Stick with your program, and you will very soon be experiencing Vibrant Health!

Bi-Weekly Pelvic Floor Tip : Putting it all together with exercises.

Now that you are comfortable with your natural posture and deep diaphragmatic breathing, you are ready to begin adding some exercises.   We will be using the deep or “Core Breath” while doing a Bridge exercise.

Try this: Bridge: Lie on your back, knees bent with feet flat on the floor, arms along your sides. Take a big breath in deeply into the belly, your belly will rise. As you exhale you will feel your pelvic floor rise slightly. Keeping the pelvic floor muscles engaged, lift your pelvis off the floor and push the hip bones up toward the ceiling. Push the knees slightly forward, and roll your shoulders towards under your back for added support. Remember to breathe normally here, but keep the pelvic floor engaged. Now, inhale to expand the belly, releasing the engagement of the pelvic floor and lower back to your mat. Repeat 8-10 times, and 1 or 2 times daily if time permits. This exercise is great for strengthening the glute muscles, while also aligning your hips, and returning your abdominal organs to their original position, and improves circulation to help your tissues heal.

Bi-Weekly Pelvic Floor Tip : Practice good posture:

Whether you are a new mom or a grandmother, we all need awareness of our posture. Particularly when you are pregnant, the chin begins to jut out, the shoulders round forward, and the knees tend to lock. This can cause muscle tension and pain in the lower back, neck and knees.

Try this: Every time you walk through a door, bend your elbows to 90 degrees, lay one on each side of the door frame at shoulder height, and lean into it. You will feel a wonderful stretch across your chest (pectoral muscles), and in the rotator cuff area (the shoulder joint). If you have poor range of motion bending the elbows for the doorway stretch, use a wall and extend one arm at a time on the wall at shoulder height and turn your body in the opposite direction. You will feel a great “opening” sensation. In combination with this, raise your sternum as you walk as well as when seated, throughout the day. It’s amazing how this works. First of all you will look 10lbs thinner, and importantly you will be opening the chest which will help you breath much more deeply. Practice these two things over the next couple of weeks, and notice how different you feel!

Many clients who have been runners, joggers or cyclers in the past, and who are experiencing symptoms

of prolapse or incontinence, are concerned if they have to give up what are sometimes passionate forms

of exercise.

The answer is no.  As long as you are using the correct posture (Whole Woman) posture, I actually encourage you to

continue with these excellent forms of exercise.  As discussed in previous articles, by practising the correct posture,

you will be repositioning the bladder and uterus forward and up toward the lower front abdominal wall, and gravity

will be working for you when you walk, run or cycle.

On the other hand, if you are not practising correct natural posture, gravity will be working against you and pull your

organs back into the unsupported vaginal space. 

Remember your natural posture also aligns your hips and knees.

You or someone you know, may be struggling with symptoms of urinary incontinence.

Our urinary tracts work day and night to rid our bodies of toxins and store the urine.

My system of rehabilitation consists of a non-surgical approach which has helped women in many different countries

around the world.

The symptoms we experience are our bodies telling us we need to make changes. 

Detoxification and Repair go hand in hand.  The cortisol that is released in response to the presence of these toxins

is damaging to our connective tissue and need to be flushed out. If we respond to our bodies messages

we give the body the opportunity to restore itself. This detoxification process is a daily process and

not just a quarterly event (cleanse) during the year.  It may involve some dietary changes and strengthening exercises

(pfilates program) and a variety of complimentary exercises to rebuild the pelvic system, (not traditional kegels).

Urinary incontinence can be stabilized and reversed over time. 

Two types of urinary incontinence:

Stress Urinary Incontinence

- Leakage when you cough, sneeze, laugh or run.

Over-active Bladder

- Urinating throughout the night, frequent urge to urinate, racing to bathroom unexpectedly

Regaining control is crucial to our quality of life. The First step is learning about your anatomy and educating yourself

about what is going on in your body. The Second step is receiving my support and being there to answer your

questions, and teach you the rehabilitation process.

Your path to health may include changing some eating habits, exercise and learning correct posture.  Your body will

let you know when you've got it right.

Restoring the Posture and Alignment

 - feet parallel

- lower the shoulders toward the ground, (not back)

- soften (relax) the belly

- raise the sternum (lift the chest)

These steps create the natural lumbar curvature, and proper pelvic alignment, which is our natural state.  After you practice this type of

posture, it will feel more and more natural, until it will be "unatural" when your are not engaging it.

Strengthening

The muscles, connective tissue and fascia that support the bladder and urethral system are complex and respond well

to the very focused and isolating pelvic strengthening program Pfilates (pelvic floor pilates) which is a focal

part of the program that I teach. My program requires dedication and committment, and has a high success rate for those who

take in on as part of their lifestyle changes.  Once you learn the technique, you will find it doesn't take more than

about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour per session, and should be done a minimum of twice a week, although more frequently will

give quicker and stronger results.  An often asked questions is "when can I expect to see/feel results?" 

For a woman who hasn't had a surgical procedure, she may see improvement in a few weeks, and major improvements in

in a 1-2 months, but you need to be diligent, and follow your program, practice posture and any dietary changes you may have adopted.

If you have had a surgical procedure such as hysterectomy, c-section, or bladder repair it is a bit more

unpredictable due to the adjustments made to your pelvic area during the surgery. You will first experience a stabilization of symptoms

with results to follow but again, depending on what changes have been done, the results will vary, time wise.

Make the committment and you can look forward to urinary control for the rest of your life.