UPDATED and reposted 1/3/22.

The one about Diastasis Recti...

I was just featured on a MiMo Method Chat (interview) with Gretchen Gegg! We talked core strength after babies, C-section, and figuring out what the heck Diastasis Recti is!

I met Gretchen when we were teaching together at a dance and fitness studio in College Station, TX. I shared my Pilates knowledge with her, and she shared her Yoga knowledge with me. Along with having been on staff at Texas A&M University for years, and holding an MS in Kinesiology, she is incredibly knowledgable on all things fitness, mind, and body health.

So, what IS Diastasis Recti?

If you're a woman, and you've ever been pregnant you've most likely had some degree of Diastasis Recti. DR is more likely to occur in pregnancies following your first, or multiples (and yes, men CAN have it as well, a.k.a. beer belly, but that's not the focus of this post).

"During the gestational period of pregnancy, connective tissue called the linea alba thins out in response to a mother's change in hormone levels in order to accommodate the enlarging uterus. This is one important way that a mother's body changes to allow a baby to grow in utero," says Kevin Brenner, M.D., F.A.C.S., a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon based in Beverly Hills, (quote from "Diastasis Recti: The Postpartum Body Problem No One Talks About")

OK, How do I know if I HAVE Diastasis Recti?

There's a simple way to check yourself to see if, and to what degree you may have DR.

• Lie on your back, knees bent, on hand behind your head
• As you exhale, gently lift your head (curling chin towards chest), be sure to engage your abdominals and pelvic floor as much as you are able
• While holding the head curled off the floor, position your free fingers perpendicular to your linea alba, and beginning just under your rib cage start to "feel" your way down towards the belly button, and past the belly button a few inches.

You are trying to feel whether 1, 2, 3 or more fingers can fit into the soft dip between the two sides of your abdominal walls. If more than 1 - 1.5 fingers can fit in the gullet, you've got Diastasis Recti! If you'd rather follow along with a video instructional for checking yourself, click over to my YouTube playlist about DR.

So I have DR, what now?

As mentioned above, I have collected my favorite YouTube videos regarding DR repair and pelvic floor recovery into a short playlist.

The best thing is, you can do these exercises as soon as a few weeks (with your doctor's permission) after birth and even YEARS later! Doesn't matter if your youngest baby is 5, 10, or even older, it's never too late to start healing DR, Pelvic Floor, and gaining your core functionality back!

Back to Gretchen...

Bringing this post back around to Gretchen. Recently, she created The MiMo Method (a cute acronym for Mind Into Motion), a body-positive health and fitness program for women, AND is a certified Life coach who sincerely loves helping people, especially Moms. She also happens to be a Mom herself, to 2 sweet daughters.

I'm currently part of Gretchen's 12 week program The Mom Bod Makeover. [The Mom Bod Makeover program is no longer available as a stand alone purchase. Find it inside Gretchen's Body Freedom Fitness Studio] I will definitely be posting about my experience once complete. Even though I'm 3 years post-natal from my last baby, this Core Challenge has improved my core strength and we're only on week 3!

Update 4/2/20: I'm on week 11 and it's crazy good! Use my personal coupon code SARAH at the link below to save 20% off the full price of the program! Read my full review here 

To find out more about Gretchen, the MiMo Method, or her life coaching services, click over to her website:

https://www.gretchengegg.com/