I’ve been getting up with the birds to work out and once I got past the initial hurt of waking up at 4:30am (ouch), I’ve been LOVING it! Sneaking exercise in isn’t always easy, especially when you add kids to the equation. I’m a much better person when I’m active, and it feels so good to start the day doing something for myself: I simply have more to give!
This is the last blog post in collaboration with Rachel Doell from Daily Routine Fitness, and this one is focussing on the derrière my friends. I’ll let Rachel take it from here!
There is so much variation in the way women carry their babies, including during pregnancy, while breast feeding, and then once they are born. This in turn affects our bodies—though how it affects the body is different for each person.
Some of us experience back pain, while others feel no pain but feel weak and out of balance. I can relate, in fact, to all of the above because with each pregnancy I have had very different experiences. Most recently, I’m working through neck pain caused from the imbalance of carrying three children on one hip over the course of six years!
In my pregnancy with my third child, I had crazy back pain due to other issues, causing my glutes (butt) to stop firing and my quads to build all the muscle and take all the impact throughout my day. Along with back pain, I started to develop a flat (or saggy) bum, due to the muscles getting very little attention. This was a shock to me because I was working my butt out tons and seeing zero results in that area.
After having a trainer and physio examine me, I realized I needed to slow down my movement, focus while engaging the muscles along the back of my legs, lower the weight I was lifting, and basically start from scratch in retraining my lower body.
As you can imagine, this was frustrating for someone who had been training for so long! But this is the reality of our bodies as we age and have children: things shift. It’s so important to honour each stage, not push through pain, and slow down when we need to.
Properly engaging the butt muscles is important for our back strength, supporting our core, and allowing us to function with freedom as we go about our days. These simple movements can be done at home, will get your heart rate up, and will develop the strength you need in that back end.
Workout Tips:
- Perform each movement for 60 seconds for a slow controlled count of 4 up and 4 down
- Make sure to breath in and out through each repetition
- Repeat circuit 3-4x
Equipment needed:
- Resistance Band
- Fitness Ball
- Between each movement add 30-60 seconds of cardio
Cardio options:
- Jump squats
- Lunge jumps
- Jumping jacks
- Mountain Climbers
- High Knees
Exercise 1: Flute Bridge
On your back, bring heels under your knees and raise your glutes off the floor.
Slowly lower for a count of 4, return to staring position at the count of 4 and squeeze tightly at the top.
Repeat
Exercise 2: Clams
On your right side. Bring your knees towards your chest. There should be a straight line from your butt cheek out to your top knee, then from the knee to the ankle (creating a right or 90 degree angle)
Band is wrapped around the legs, one inch above the knee.
Slowly raise leg to full extension at your four count. Slowly lower to starting position for 4 counts and repeat.
Switch sides and repeat.
Exercise 3: Leg Raises
On your hands and knees, shoulders stacked right over wrists.
Wrap your band around your ankles. Extend the right leg straight and slowly raise. Slowly lower and repeat movement.
Switch sides and repeat.
Exercise 4: Donkey Kicks with Ball
This movement can also be performed with the band wrapped just one inch above the knees.
Place your ball right behind the right hamstring and squeeze into the ball with the right calf.
Keep the squeeze, slowly drop the knee down a inch then up a inch. After 30 seconds switch to little squeezes into the ball by pressing the calf towards the hamstring.
Switch sides and repeat.
Have FUN!
Thank you to Steph Schulz Photography for the pictures, RYU Apparel for the awesome workout gear and to the Barreroom in Kelowna for the beautiful space to work out in! Please consult a physician before beginning any new exercise routine.
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