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Friday, February 25, 2011

Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel your Best – Review {Giveaway Closed}

I have yet to meet a mom who is not concerned about their body shape after pregnancy.  Pregnancy takes such a toll on your body, stretching and pulling muscles out of whack, throwing off your posture.  Combined with less sleep, changing hormones, new demands on your body for nursing, and heavy lifting of baby and equipment, all leads to pain.
Be Fit Mom

Helene Byrne has created three great products to help new moms regain control.  I will be reviewing and giving away all three of these items over the next three days :)
Today I am going to talk about the book: ‘Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel Your Best” by Helene Byrne.
Exercise After PregnancyExercise After Pregnancy starts out talking about the fundamentals of what happens to your body during pregnancy, that ultimately affects your postural habits and where and why you have pain (and how to fix it).  Then she goes into details about specific exercises with great photos showing the areas a new mom should be focusing on. 
The book focuses a lot on the pelvic floor, abdominal separation, and special postpartum abdominal reconditioning techniques. These techniques are not new to me; because I once belonged to a fitness studio where all classes were based and focused on this kegel/pelvic floor, pelvic tilt, and core strengthening for posture improvements.  After I belonged to this studio where they were constantly worrying about what muscles you were contracting inside your body – and then going back to the plain old gym where they just wanted you to run as fast or do as many reps as you can – I couldn’t stand the gym any more and ran right back to the studio.
The exercises in the book combine the mind/body methods of Pilates and yoga with cutting-edge fitness techniques – and can be started days after giving birth.  These exercises require no equipment; and is suitable for all fitness levels.
I love that at the end of the book; it gives very practical advice for every new mom (and dad too!) about good body usage in daily activities with your new baby: ergonomic breast feeding, baby lifting and carrying, lifting laundry and managing heavy equipment like car seats, strollers, and baby slings/carriers.
If you are not familliar with the methods of using your pelvic floor and pelvic tilt in order to achieve a flatter tummy; I would highly recommend this book.  This book explains in much more detail the techniques of doing deep kegel exercises and in return, essentially 'knitting' your body back together after pregnancy.
Buy it:  You can purchase the book Exercise After Pregnancy: How to Look and Feel Your Best from Amazon.com for $17.95


WIN IT!!!!
One Lucky Reader will win the Book Exercise After Prengnacy: How to Look and Feel Your Best.(MSRP:  $17.95)
This first entry is MANDATORY.  Visit the Be-Fit Mom website and tell me something you’ve learned about the Pelvic Floor.
Extra Entries: (Current subscribers count as well!)
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  • Follow GrinCheek2Cheek on Twitter on twitter and tweet about this giveaway:  (this may be done daily as well)
    Enter to #win the #book : #Exercise After #Pregnancy @GrinCheek2Cheek #Giveaway Ends 3/24 http://tiny.ly/yPgv
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Open  to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends March 24th, 2011 at 11:59pm. Winner  will be drawn by random.org the following day, and will be e-mailed. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new  winner will be drawn.  Winners will be announced on this blog after all have responded.  I received a product for review purposes. However, all of my opinions are 100% my own and are no way influenced by compensation received.

31 comments:

  1. I am an email subscriber. Thanks

    dianad8008 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  2. GFC follower. Thanks again

    dianad8008 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I learned strengthening these muscles will quicken your recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I learned the pelvic floor consists of a thin sheet of muscles that cover the pelvic outlet
    heididaily at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I follow via gfc
    heididaily at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I follow via networked blogs
    heididaily at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I learned that a long pushing phase during delivery can traumatize your muscles - yikes! I could sure use this book in about a month.
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. email subscriber
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. gfc follower
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  11. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  12. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I learned After pregnancy, weakened pelvic-floor muscles often cause urinary stress incontinence
    husskl at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  19. picket fence vote
    rach62803 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. nanasmama08@Yahoo.comMarch 22, 2011 at 10:32 AM

    I have learned that During pregnancy, the abdominal wall has 40 weeks to expand. pelvic floor muscles, however, endure extreme stretching, (and sometimes tearing) in just a matter of hours.

    ReplyDelete
  21. nanasmama08@yahoo.comMarch 22, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    I subscibe

    ReplyDelete
  22. nanasmama08@yahoo.comMarch 22, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    I follow

    ReplyDelete
  23. nanasmama08@yahoo.comMarch 22, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    I voted for you on picket fence

    ReplyDelete
  24. I learned that "most women find it almost impossible to contract their pelvic floor muscles" after delivery but that shouldn't prevent one from continuing reconditioning.
    cbeargie at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Following on GFC as sunnymum.
    cbeargie at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Voted for you today on Picket Fences. Says you have 744 votes.
    cbeargie at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. I also entered the Bounce Back Fast - Post Natal Core Conditioning DVD giveaway.
    cbeargie at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I also entered the me & goji cereal giveaway.
    cbeargie at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. I also entered the Executive Gift Shoppe GC Giveaway.
    cbeargie at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. I also entered the Popcorn Factory giveaway.
    cbeargie at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. I also entered the Warmlys giveaway.
    cbeargie at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete