Round Ligament Pain

I thought it was my abs splitting but turns out my abs are fine, (thank god!). What I was experiencing was round ligament pain.

Why midwives never tell you these things is beyond me. I saw my midwife for my 24 week checkup and mentioned I was feeling some pain in my lower abs and groin. Her advice was that I shouldn't be engaging my tummy muscles at all. Ever. WTF? Can you imagine what a mess my core would be in if I never engaged my muscles? Apart from the fact that I teach pilates and Body Balance weekly and I train at least 3 days on top of that, how on earth would I be able to support my own weight without engaging my core?

Anyway, I just agreed with and did my own research.

Round Ligament pain occurs around the 2nd trimester and can carry on all the way through the third trimester too. The round ligament is the ligament that attaches to your hip bone to hold the uterus in place. The ligaments must stretch and grow to support the weight of the baby, (you can't build a house on matchsticks!), and can grow from around 2 inches to 12inches.

This stretching can be accompanied by sharp pains or twinges in the groin. Once I'd ruled out my abs splitting I thought I'd strained my abs with too much training, but then I realised that I could still train and do most things without any pain at all. The pains would occur with getting up out of bed, getting in the car and if I was trying to do a lunge or any exercise where I would need to stretch the groin area. It wouldn't last long, just a few seconds but it was sharp but not unbearable and went away pretty quickly. Still I didn't want to have this my whole pregnancy so I took some steps to remedy it.

First off I took 2 days off of training, to allow any additional strain on the muscle tissue to repair. This worked well and I reduced the pain by about 70% just from that.

Secondly when I went back to training I focussed on getting my glutes fired up to support my pelvis. Bridges would take the weight off the ligaments so I designed a workout around these and some other glute firing exercises.

Third, I went swiming. I found the water really helped as it supported my bump and took pressure off the ligaments whilst I worked out. Breast stroke worked the gluteus medius which stabilises the pelvis and helped stretch out my groin, gently, without pressure. It also allowed me to focus on my posterior chain which is essential in supporting a pregnant posture.

These things reduced the pain to around 5% of what it was originally. Lastly I learned to roll onto my side to get up and to sit down sideways in the car seat before swinging my legs in together, to avoid loading the ligaments in an already stretched position.

Another pregnancy lesson learnt the hard way! But I'm glad I could share it in case you suffer the same thing!

I hate bad customer service!!!

For the past 7 weeks or so I have been trying to book adult swimming lessons at my local leisure centre. Now this is a brand new complex who should be doing everything they can to bring in new business, but after 5 phone calls and two visits in person, I am STILL waiting for someone to call me back. Apparently the problem is that ONLY the swim co-ordinator can book you in for lessons. This seems ludicrous, seeing as she manages several different pools in the area and is never in one place long enough for you to contact her or for her to get back to. After leaving 7 or so messages, I finally got through to her yesterday. She was completely unhelpful and gave no apology whatsoever for the lack of communication or the difficulty I had experienced in trying to book a place on one of her courses.

I'm so frustrated but the only pools near me, (there's 3), are all under the same swim co-ordinator, otherwise I would have gone somewhere else a long time ago!

The thing is, I'm doing my resistance workouts at the gym but find the cardio machines so very boring. It's great if it's sunny outside as I can just do my interval training outdoors, but unfortunately, this is England! It doesn't always work like that. Plus as I'm getting bigger I think swimming is going to be a much more comfortable option for me.

Anyway at this point I'm getting nowhere but frustrated! It's such a shame as I'm on holiday next week and would have loved to do my intervals in the pool or the sea. I guess that's still feasible as I can swim, just means that there'll be a lot of splashing going on! Ibiza, you have been warned!

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but you're pretty hot!

Last night I went out for a few drinks with my newly single friend and her friend - a single mother of two. My friend S has been through a major traumatic time recently. After trying desperately for a baby for three years, her husband of 5 years told her he never wanted kids anyway. As if that wasn't enough she then answered a call from a mystery woman on his phone, then found a hotel bill, itemised with drinks etc. Anyway to cut avery long complicated story short, he did the unthinkable and was cheating on her, with a woman who has 3 kids!! What a scumbag!

Anyway so I met the girls at one of our favourite bars and by the time I got there they were already sat at a table surrounded by kiwi guys who were over for the NZ vs England 20:20 cricket match that was on here at the weekend. I took an inward sigh, as I walked over, preparing myself for an evening of chatting to the leftover guys, stone cold sober, while my friends flirted away and got drunk. Oh the joys of pregnancy - I couldn't even drink to take away the pain!

Before I got to the table they spotted me and started shouting and calling me over, asking me who'd eaten all the pies! (UK slang for you're looking fat). S hasn't seen me for a couple of weeks as she's been on holiday and couldn't believe how much my bump had grown! I jokingly replied that I'd been living on lard for the past few weeks, and did it show?

Anyway, the guys were very gentlemenly, pulled up a seat for me under the awning so I didn't get soaked by the rain and I'd barely sat down before a bottle of sparkling water was brought to me. They were all very sweet and interested asking me how I was feeling and when it was due..blah,blahblah...

I was feeling quite grateful for this polite show of interest when the one who had been chatting up my friend S, suddenly was showering me with interest and then commented, "You know, you're looking pretty hot though". I explained I was a trainer but that I was still working out 6 days a week. The guys all looked very surprised at that and after all the, "is it safe though", and "when will you stop?", were very impressed with the fact that I wasn't one of those women who choose to use pregnancy as an excuse to stop everything and stuff their faces with junk.

Needless to say I left pretty early and left the girls to it after a couple of drinks but I left on a high, knowing that I wasn't looking too bad after all. So next time I look in the mirror in despair at my growing tree trunk thighs, I can at least think back to the compliments I got and know that I'm not looking so bad after all!

20 week scan!

Finally, the day arrived! I was so excited that I woke up super early and then had to fill my morning to keep me from boredom. Today I would find out the sex of my little tadpole!

Carl managed to get the day off of work and I was really pleased as this would be his first hospital appointment. i just knew once he saw his little baby on the monitor it woiuld all hit home for him and become real!

Now when I wake up in the mornings I'm generally quite dehydrated as I try not to drink too much at night so I can get a good night's sleep without running for the loo every two minutes, so as usual I woke up and downed a couple of pints of water. At around 11am I remembered that I wouldn't be able to pee from midday as I needed a full bladder for the scan and hastily stopped drinking and went to the loo.

We got in the car and all was fine till we reached the hospital. I was DYING! I was desperate to pee but knew I had to wait. Well isn't it just typical that when they have you waiting, tell you to come with a full bladder and tell you not to pee, that they're running late!! I just had to cross my legs and hope for the best!

The scan went well and Carl was really chuffed to find out he wwas having the boy he'd hoped for! It was so great to hear him say that it almost brought a tear to his eye, seeing him for the 1st time, (for Carl this is a miracle and he's not the most emotional of people - I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't cry at the birth!)

I swear the little monkey knew we'd seen him as the very next morning he started kicking!

Elimination day 3 and finally a cure for pregnancy acne!

Well this last week has been hectic to say the least. I finally moved home on the weekend and it's great to be back. Although I can't get used to not having to go to work. Think that may take a while!

Now that I'm home I've gone back on Elimination and it's been great. I'm loving it and the fact that I have the kitchen at my dispoal any time I want makes it sooooo easy!

Today is day 3 and it's been an absolute breeze! My body is loving it and my pregnancy acne has practically gone, (although I think that also has loads to do with the fact I'm no longer living in a cupboard, sleeping on a sofabed and completely stressed out all the time!).

The great thing about elimination is that the more often you do it the easier it gets. You know exactly what to eat, you have loads of recipes in mind that are quick and easy and I actually really look forward to my meals. I love that I'm doing the best for my baby and I'm sure tadpole is appreciating it too!

I'm still craving fruit like crazy but I'm sure that probably won't change.

For those of you who are still sceptical about elimination and the restrictive nature of the diet here's what I've eaten over the last 3 days:

Thai beef salad
Chicken Curry
Masala mincemeat and peas
Banana eggs
Muesli
Yogurt
Fruit of all colours!
Fudge walnut bounce balls (protein snack - all natural ingredients)
Loads of veggies done every way!

Tommorow I'm making blackberry muffins, yummy!

The only thing I'm struggling with is finding a raw milk supply near me. There's loads of farms seeing as I'm out in the West Country so I think I'll just get in the car and drive and see what I find!

The one week quitter!

A few weeks ago I had a client quit, after just 6 days. Now it's a rare occurance to have a client quit and especially so early on in the programme. Not because I'm blowing my own trumpet about how great a trainer I am, but because the consultation process usually weeds them out so they don't start in the first place.

Without going into too much detail the consultation process we use here at the studios really gets down to the core of a person's motivation and commitment and if they're not willing to give 100% then we don't accept them as a client.

Anyway, so here was this great client, raring to go and all fired up. I gave her strict advice on the nutrition, training, hydration, sleep cycles and homework that she would have to do for the next 30 days and she was ready to give it her all.

And she did!

For 6 days.

I had a message over the holiday weekend saying she was struggling and when I saw her the following week she told me the programme wasn't working for her and she wanted to quit.

Why?

Well in her mind she had a very good reason. She'd been trying really hard, eating everything she was supposed to, doing her homework and training with me, (we had almost 2 sessions), but she hadn't lost any weight. To add to the distress, she'd put on 1cm.

Now 6 days is no time to be able to assess anything. Detoxing the body can have many different effects and cause varying symptoms in the first 10 days. If you do find you are feeling bloated there are several things that may be causing this.

Possible causes of initial bloating during detox

Bloating due to the initial reaction to toxins being released
Hormonal fluctuations - particularly if there are existing hormonal imbalances or sensitivties
Initial water retention due to release of toxic load into the body's extracellular environment
Hydration levels
Food sensitivity - in particular: raw food, higher fibre foods, new foods
Lack of sleep
Altered glucose sensitivity
Stressor reponse

The list goes on..

So what I'm saying is, with any change in lifestyle you need to give your body time to adjust and settle. The body is a cybernetic organism. That means there are many different systems that work synergistically. If any one, (or all) of these systems undergo a dramatic change it will affect the entire balance of the body. So not only do you need time to clean the body up you also need time for it to rebalance and settle into it's new routine.

This will take a minimum of 10 days to clean up and at least 30 days to adequately assess how the body is responding to different stressors, be they exercise, diet, rest, hydration, hormonal....

So please, don't be too impatient when starting something positive. 6 days of a new lifestyle may seem like an age to you, but think of it in relative terms. If you've been putting rubbish into your body for months/years then even 30 days is a very small comparison.

Balance and how I found sanity...

So two days back at work and I feel normal again.

Had a well dodgy tummy yesterday, as a kickback from the weekend and as a result only had a couple of pieces of gluten free toast for tea, (translation: dinner), last night and feel ten times better today.

Had a lovely start to the day as I got to work early and practised Body Balance, which I teach.

Body Balance as the name suggests is a harmonious workout for the body. It centres and balances through controlled breathing, mental focus and structured stretches, strength poses and co-ordinated and flowing movements. It combines Eastern practices such as Tai-Chi and Yoga, with modern disciplines like Pilates and Feldenkrais.

The music is a huge part of Balance and is absolutely amazing as it takes you through a different journey on each track.

I found Balance back in 2002 when I was going through a real difficult time. I was under a lot of emotional stress and it all got too much and I had a mini breakdown. I was severely depressed for a couple of months but hated feeling like that and wanted to recover from it as quickly as possible. I went through a really tough time, but 6 months of anti-depressants, counselling and diary writing really sorted me out.

Body Balance was my time out of my head space. My instructor at the time was also a friend.

Her name is Alana and tragically she was hit by a van about 6 months after my black period. She survived but was left with severe brain damage. Bless her soul.

I digress, Alana helped show me that through Balance I could escape what was going on in the outside world and truly focus on connecting with my body and the things about myself that I loved. Balance helped me find stillness and peace and I love it to this day.

Over the last year, since I've been teaching Balance, I've brought that same feeling to my class and I've had lots of people crying at the end or experiencing great feelings of calm and inner joy.
It truly is the most effective method I've experienced of reconnecting with your inner self and establishing true body focus and awareness.

In this world of hectic pace, fast living and always rushing to get to the next thing it's so worthwhile to take some time out to just stop.

If you don't have a Balance class near you or just don't have time for one more thing, take the philosophy and spend ten minutes a day breathing, meditating and connecting with your body and mind.

My birthday, the Queen and a lot of food.....

The mayday weekend is always the first bank holiday of the year in the UK, where we get a long weekend with Monday off of work! It also happens to fall on my birthday almost every year. My Birthday is the 6th May, (today, yippee!), so I always celebrate over the entire 3 day break.

Yes you got it, I love my birthday and make the most of it by claiming from Friday to whatever day it falls on that, "it's my birthday!". This, however, turns into a bit of an excuse to eat and drink whatever I want, because....,"it's my birthday!".

This year was no different, and I probably gave myself even more leeway than normal, "because I'm pregnant". (Don't worry not using that one evey day!).

Friday turned out to be a bit of a disaster as I had planned to have dinner with my dad and boyfriend that evening after doing a favour for a friend. Unfortunately the favour turned into a bit of a nightmare. My friend works for a big name hairdressers and needed a model for a show, so I agreed I would be the model. We arranged that she would cut and colour my hair, early Friday evening before I went out.

What started well and was supposed to takle only a couple of hours turned into a 5 hour nightmare, with me obviously having to cancel my birthday plans with my dad. I'd been at work since 7am, drove straight back from London to the hairdressers and finally left there about 9:45 pm that evening.

I was not best pleased as you can imagine. And starving. And in the bad books with my boyfriend.

Got back to my dad's and it was too late to eat anything so just had half a tin of rice pudding that was in the cupboard and went to bed upset.

Woke up feeling, much better but still upset I hadn't seen my boyfrined yet. Had a good breakfast and then went off to do some birthday shopping in town. Stopped in the supermarket and bought lots of healthy salad stuff and had a good lunch.

I carried on in this vein that evening at my birthday dinner with friends and had a chicken salad and two glasses of wine. So all good!

Then Sunday came and those two glasess of wine hit you when you're pregnant! Woke up feeling tired and queasy but ate my yoghurt and fruit and felt slightly better. Carl and I went to the market and there was the sweetie stall!

During this pregnancy I have turned into sweetie monster! It was always chocolate before but I'm off that now and just love sweets! I picked at a few then we stopped and shared a mincemeat curry, (lush!).

3 hours later I was picking again and had some aubergine pakora that we'd bought earlier from the Indian stall and a chocolate dessert thing.

Then, we were out for dinner that evening with my mum! We went thai and I tried to stay good and had the thai beef salad and a little rice. ALL GOOD SO FAR!

Then the dessert menu came out and I had to have lemon meringue ice cream!

Still stuffed when I got in I managed to eat a piece of cornish fudge.

Monday after a healthy breakfast we went shopping for my new camcorder, (it's really cool!). I had to go into MacDonalds for the toilet and came out with large fries and a chocolate milkshake!

AGGGGGHHHH!

I didn't realise how much all that was till I wrote it down - I'm so glad birthdays are only once a year! I wonder how the queen manages to stay trim..she has two!!

TFI Friday!

Thank God, the weekend couldn't come fast enough this week!

I spent last weekend in Belfast with my boyf and his family and it was so relaxing it was a bit of a shocker getting up at 5:30am on Tuesday for work, knowing that I wouldn't get home till 9:30pm!

Feeling a little sick this morning but think that's tiredness from the long working week.

Elimination has been good and I'm feeling better about my skin already knowing that I'm doing something to help it clear up.

Breakfast this morning was my yummy gluten free porridge with a chopped banana. Can't wait till it gets warmer and I can swap it for bircher muesli!

I'm sooooo looking forward to tommorow as my boyfriend is visiting me for the weekend. It's really tough right now and sometimes I get a bit lonely knowing that we have another 5 months apart. Oh well all in a good cause!

I am too tired today to exercise so I'm giving myself the day off. Will do some yoga stretches and some relaxation meditation. I'll train in the morning after I've trained my client.

Todays poses:

Mountain Pose
Forward bend
Down dog
Warrior 1
Warrior 2
Triangle pose
Backbends
Long stretch roll
Supine butterfly pose

10 min relaxation and connecting with tadpole - can't wait to find out what it is so I can call him/her by name!