Getting rid of the 'mommy tummy' at Body Forte

Kimberly Hoffman is a physiotherapist at Body Forte in Kingston and her job is to get rid of your pesky 'mommy tummy'.

This proves bothersome to women, who continue to appear pregnant months and even years after giving birth. 

The persistently growing bulge that's void of a baby, is termed as diastasis recti or abdominal separation in the medical realm. Hoffman's interest in the area peaked a year after she delivered her child. At that point, she began to realise that all efforts to lose the baby bump were futile and figured that something must be wrong.

As she explained, the condition is caused by excessive pressure to the muscle in the abdomen during pregnancy. Often times it will go unnoticed by several females who are not aware of the condition and simply settle for the protrusion. But there's a way to detect it. 

"The most obvious signs of diastasis recti, is the split between the muscles of the abdominal wall, but it's only visible when you do a sit up or crunch. Lower back pain, poor posture, hernia, constipation and of course a constantly growing belly, are other indications that you might have the condition," Hoffman told Outlook.

CORRECTING DIASTASIS

Hoffman begins to plan the repair regiment for the unwanted gap, the very moment you walk into the Barbican based fitness house, where she can be found on any given day, passionately working to improve to her clients. 

"A lifestyle change is required for treating diastasis recti. So, it will take into consideration your posture, your breathing - because a lot of persons don't know how to breathe properly, and even the way you get out of bed is important to ensure that this is corrected," the fitness guru explained.

She noted, however, that only consistency will give you the results you desire over the eight weeks that the treatment spans. Proper exercise is the most crucial element in decreasing the gap and getting a flatter stomach. But not every technique will do the trick. 

Sometimes unknowingly, you will widen the gap through exercise techniques which you think are helping. These include activities that are not a part of our daily movements for example, crunching will cause this to happen. 

Pelvic tilt, bridge, squatting and other specially designed tactics, are the weapons that Hoffman employs over an eight week period to correct diastasis recti and help you to arrive at your desired figure.

"It's a lot of core work and involves pretty simple exercises that you probably won't think of on your own. You can do them at home, or while in your car. If you think you have this problem, just come and we'll solve it," Hoffman said.

rocheda.bartley@gleanerjm.com