Diastasis recti or abdominal separation. Can we fix it?

What is it? Diastasis recti (DR) is the medical way of saying abdominal separation. During pregnancy the line down the middle of your abdominals (the linea alba) will stretch to accommodate your growing uterus and baby. It often occurs to some degree during pregnancy but DR usually refers to abdominals…

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13 ways exercise can help prevent disease (fitness phobes will love #13)

Alzheimers. Type 2 Diabetes. Breast Cancer. Colorectal Cancer. Prostate Cancer. Heart Disease. Depression. What do these major health conditions all have in common? Exercise can prevent, lower the risk of, or in some cases even reverse the effects of the condition. How? We all know that this is what researchers…

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Optimal Baby Positioning Healthy Back Pregnancy

This podcast is fantastic for those last few months of pregnancy. These moves will guide you through getting baby into optimal positioning for birth whilst relaxing and easing out any niggles in your back. Running time: 6 minutes, 17 seconds.

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Pelvic Floor. To squeeze or not to squeeze. Pre/post natal essentials

One of the most common reasons my ante natal participants come to Fit School’s Epping classes is to get expert advice on their pelvic floor. During pregnancy and birth, the pelvic floor muscles undergo some major stresses and strains. Obviously having great muscle tone before pregnancy, so being active and…

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Naomi’s birth story

AS a pre and post natal exercise specialist, NCT volunteer and mum of young children, I’m often surrounded by birth stories. Good, bad and ugly. I had polar opposite experiences with the births of my children, so before the memories fade, I thought the time was ripe to pen my…

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Top 10 things you can do for an easier birth

WHEN new participants to my prenatal Pilates classes in Epping and online join me, it’s usually with one of the following in mind: They’ve had a difficult journey to pregnancy and want expert, trusted advice. They’ve got a specific back, joint, pelvis or pelvic floor issue that they want some…

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The Princess. The bump. Your body. How long does it really take to recover after pregnancy and birth?

Pregnancy, Pilates, Epping, Essex, post birth recovery,  Fit School, Karen Laing, Ante Natal, Princess Kate, Princess Meghan, Royal Baby, Post birth recovery ****NOTE: Please note this article was written following the birth of Prince George in 2013. Since then there have been two more royal, ‘William and Kate’ babies, Charlotte…

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Everyday chemicals that could be putting your health and your unborn baby’s health at risk

LAST week the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the ‘gold standard’ of ante natal advice, published a scientific paper advising pregnant women to choose safety first when it comes to the use of toiletries, cleaning products and even pre-packed fresh foods. The report came under fire for being…

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Breast feeding help: early days

If you’ve decided that you want to breast feed your baby but something goes wrong in the early days it can be really frustrating trying to get back on track. Sometimes you can’t get a latch and it doesn’t seem like baby is feeding well. I’m not a breast feeding…

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Ante Natal Pilates: What’s all the fuss about?

So you’re pregnant. Yay!  Congratulations. How are you feeling? Nauseous? Overwhelmed? Excited? Relieved? It’s a time of your life when there are so many expectations on you and of how it will feel to be pregnant but when it actually happens, and your body is invaded by a beautiful, yet…

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