The Necessity of Simplicity

The Motherhood Transition (from preconception through at least the first year postpartum) is a complex period of time. There are numerous changes happening physically, mentally, and emotionally, and women during this time period are often confounded by information overload.

BIRTHFIT seeks to simplify this period as much as possible by offering consistent, clear, helpful information through our in-person interactions and online programs. We’re working on growing our message, but because there’s so much out there, it seems like we sometimes add to the confusion.

We would like to simplify this all for you. BIRTHFIT is based on four pillars: fitness, nutrition, chiropractic, mindset; one, two, three, four. That’s it. Move, eat, get adjusted, and be open. One, two, three, four. That’s pretty simple.

Our movement recommendations are based on the beautifully simple principles of developmental kinesiology (how babies learn to move). Babies are actually born with diastasis rectus abdominis that they learn to heal through breathing and movement (read all three parts of this wonderful blog by Dr. Erica for more info), so we figured it would probably make sense to do the same thing postpartum. As it turns out, this same SIMPLE idea applies throughout the Motherhood Transition: breathe and move in a way that establishes a stable foundation. That’s also pretty simple.

We even put together a flow of movements based on all of the movement patterns a baby learns to master in the first twelve months of life. It’s called the Functional Progression, and it has – you guessed it – four parts. One, two, three, four. It’s still simple.

The complicated part of all of this is usually in the implementation of our ego. Breathing and intentional movements seem too simple. We tell ourselves we’re ready for more. We want more resistance, harder exercises, and more complicated movements. But that’s not what we need during the Motherhood Transition. We need simplicity.

True mastery of the Functional Progression is nearly impossible. You can always make improvements, learn from the movements, and benefit from moving in an intentional manner. The likelihood that you need to add to these movements or do more complicated modifications is very slim.

So once again, let me put this simply (into four bullet points since we’re on a roll).

• Live the four pillars.
• Do the Functional Progression.
• Slow down.
• Breathe.

Don’t worry about adding more or trying to make things harder. The Motherhood Transition is hard enough. Let’s keep it simple.

By: Lindsay Mumma, DC
BIRTHFIT NC