Top 5 Practices for Shifting Mindset from Competition to “Training for Birth”
High-intensity fitness classes tend to draw a lot of “Type A” go-getters. These are people who can buckle down, put in hard work, and get it done. Pushing the limit of our capabilities through training and regularly testing ourselves through competition can be a great way to stay motivated and …
Three Tips for Exercising While Pregnant
“I want to exercise, but I’m so tired I fall asleep instead.” “I know I should exercise, but I just don’t have the time.” “I feel like I am running out of steam and just going through the motions.” Movement during pregnancy is a beautiful thing. If …
Why Don’t We Perform Lifts To Failure During Pregnancy
If you’ve followed any of the BIRTHFIT online programming, specifically the Prenatal Program, you might have asked yourself, “Why don’t we perform lifts to failure during pregnancy?” The short answer? Because you have a baby in you. The long answer is that birth is one of the single most athletic …
What Are Your Obliques and How Can They Help Your Core?
If you have ever been inside a gym, I can guarantee you have seen people doing their “ab routine” to work on their core. These often include some kind of twist or bend to work on the side of their core, or what is called the obliques. But is that …
Links We Love: Linking to Evidenced Based Research and Awesome Sites
At BIRTHFIT we believe resources that give up to date, unbiased, and inclusive information are the best. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of favorite sites and resources for your reference. This list is broken down into each pillar so that you can see how BIRTHFIT can support you in …
BIRTHFIT Online Prenatal Training
Birth is an ATHLETIC event. Delivering a baby takes strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance to name a few physical skills. If I signed up for a marathon, the first thing I would do is search for a training schedule. I would start planning right away. I would not run that …
Why Kegels Aren’t the End All Be All
“Kegel” has become a household name since its introduction in women’s health in 1948. Developed by Arnold Kegel, gynecologist, the exercise was originally prescribed for treatment of stress urinary incontinence and is now blasted across the internet and unfortunately in many clinics, as the way to “cure” pelvic floor dysfunction …
My Top 5 Pregnancy-Related Misconceptions
When mom and baby are healthy, there should be no reason not to train for birth. In my opinion, and what I founded BIRTHFIT on, is that training includes, but is not limited to, strength, conditioning, flexibility, and balance. These skills can easily translate into other ordinary life tasks. When …
Fitness Adaptations While Trying to Conceive
One season of the motherhood transition is preconception and/or trying to conceive. It is important to know that everything affects everything and the way we intentionally eat, think, and move plays a part in conception. So how does a woman who is actively trying to conceive approach this? …
The Benefits of Lifting Weights for Women
Women Lifting Heavy? Until recent years women weren’t typically all about the barbells and squat racks. Even today, as weightlifting is becoming more normal for women, we are still surrounded by stereotypical ideas about what fitness should look like for us and we are faced with unrealistic ideas of …