The happy balance

16/04/2022

April is c-section awareness month - the brilliant Sam is sharing her tips to help you recover, please do check them out or share with someone you know it might help. Sam is always on my list of local experts I let clients know about who can help.

Thanks so much for the mention, if you’ve had a c-section and are unsure how to navigate getting back into movement/exercise please do reach out for a chat!

C Section - Tip #3 - How long does it take for a scar to heal?

This is a difficult one, because it depends what we mean by healing.

The wound should take around 4-6 weeks to heal and close over. If we are not getting this complete closure of skin and formation of the scar it's really important to speak to your GP, as we don't want this stage to drag on longer than necessary.

However as we've seen from the previous post it's not just the superficial scar we have to be aware of. There is a lot of healing going on internally from the deeper incisions. We can't presume that just because it looks good on the outside that it's good on the inside.

By 6 weeks your scar should be looking healthy and pink, this is not ticket back to 'normal' movement. The scar itself can take between 18 - 24 months to fully mature, and therefore what we do in the early months will dictate how the scar forms in the long term.

Movement is always good, but acknowledging that your body has been through a lot both during the pregnancy and birthing via c section is important. Therefore building up fitness and movement gradually and preferably under a trained fitness professional who specialises in postntal rehab is key (I've tagged some below!)

If you 'load' your abdominals too much (ie overuse) in the early days of scar healing then the body may respond by laying down excess scar tissue. While in the short term this creates strength and stability in the area, in the long term this can have a restrictive effect.



@ The happy balance AbsoFIT Yogahugz

18/03/2022

Feedback Friday

Reading little bits of feedback like this one from one of my awesome clients always makes my day. Great reminder that when you’re in a class/group you can still be very well looked after as an individual - just as it should be even more so during pregnancy.

Any questions or help navigating pregnancy, post natal and all things training/exercise please do reach out, always here to support or have a chat!

09/03/2022

Really like this visual example of strength training throughout pregnancy, and how mindset has become more flexible and adaptive in her approach to fitness during this time - shared via Brianna Battles- Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism

Taking this barbell back squat you can see as her pregnancy progresses different strategies have been used which are all helping to support her overall core and pelvic floor health in the long term.

• The load decreases
• Position - her stance widens
• Breathing - you’ll see towards the end her breathing strategy has adjusted to a full exhale during the full range of motion

Colette was recently a guest on The Practice Brave podcast with Brianna. She is a former All-American Athlete and Olympic trails qualifier so it’s always great to keep in mind an individuals previous training experience when you see how they train during pregnancy.

This example is just a snap shot of why I loved doing the Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Certification. Love strength training or higher impact but not sure how to navigate it during your pregnancy? Please reach out - I’m here to support you!

Emmy Meli • I AM WOMAN

28/02/2022

Had my lovely niece Esme in the gym yesterday - the cutest assistant coach helping me to update a couple of videos as part of the mindful movements we cover in our fourth trimester guide that offers support while your body continues to recover from pregnancy, delivery and daily life as a new parent.

This guide is included when you book onto our prenatal services. We have a couple of drop in spaces on our current Prenatal Pilates block this Thursday at 6pm at The Wee Retreat. To book on please head to https://www.theweeretreat.co.uk/

If you have any questions about any of our services or just want to chat do get in touch - [email protected]

22/02/2022

Excited to introduce a bit of a switch up of the structure of our post natal training blocks/classes.

Every pregnancy, delivery and post natal recovery is individual - this is why although the foundations block is suitable to join from 6 weeks you can join anytime in your post natal journey when you feel ready. If you’re already working with a pelvic health physio we tailor to compliment the work you’re already doing together.

•Post Natal The Foundations - Rehab & Strengthening
-Next 6 week block starts Friday 4th March
-10am at Unite Fitness Glasgow
-£60 per person
-Max 5 spaces in the gym

•Post Natal - Return to Higher Impact
-Follow on block from the foundations
-Next date TBD please get in touch to go on the wait list

📩 If you’d like more info about our post natal services/classes, to book a space or to go on the waitlist for future blocks please pop a message or email

09/02/2022

Are you currently pregnant and unsure how to keep moving? Or have you been told to stop higher impact training like strength training or running?

Then our next prenatal offerings are here to help. All prenatal sessions are suitable for second and third trimester, and have been designed to keep you moving throughout your pregnancy - there’s no need to stop moving unless it no longer feels good (or of course if your healthcare provider advises you to).

Saturday Exercising in Pregnancy Taster Sessions

These have been designed to give you the chance to see how you can safely strength train, continue to enjoy how you like to train and looking ahead post natal, begin to understand the feedback/symptoms your body might give you and provide you some strategies for when you need to adjust or modify an exercise during your pregnancy. These are capped at 5 per session to allow everyone enough time for any questions.

📧 For more information or to book in just pop a message or an email to [email protected]

Prenatal Pilates - 6 Week Block

This can be a great addition to compliment your exercise routine during pregnancy. We spend time maintaining full body strength, focusing on the deep core (including pelvic floor), breath work, keeping you feeling mobile and looking ahead to your post natal recovery.

To book your space on this block head to https://www.theweeretreat.co.uk/studio-classes/

17/11/2021

It’s always a huge privilege keeping prenatal clients moving and continuing to feel supported both pre/post natal - this lovely client trained with me for 6 months during her first pregnancy until her last class at 39 weeks +6 days.

Currently pregnant and want to give a prenatal class a try? We’ve kept a couple of drop in spaces available for the prenatal pilates class on Thursday evenings at The Wee Retreat or joining in online from home.

⬇️ Class spaces can be booked here https://www.theweeretreat.co.uk/studio-classes/

This class can be a great compliment to your current exercise programme during pregnancy - some of things we focus on are breathing, mobility, core engagement, both pelvic floor strengthening and relaxing, learning why/when we adjust, how you can use this in your current training/day to day movement as your pregnancy progresses, support you can access such as pelvic health physios as well as looking ahead to preparing for your post natal recovery.

04/11/2021

It doesn’t take long before the little ones start to move, Jacob getting in his plank practice in before his mum’s session last week.

Tonight’s the start of the last 6 week prenatal block of the year at The Wee Retreat before introducing some new prenatal and post natal offerings for the new year. We’ve kept this class really flexible with block passes, single class drop ins, studio spaces or joining in online from home - all can be booked over on https://www.theweeretreat.co.uk/studio-classes/

This class is designed to keep you feeling mobile, supporting the body by focusing on keeping the full body feeling strong with extra focus on breath, pelvic floor, deep core work, and looking ahead to your rehab/recovery once your baby is here.

07/10/2021

“Really appreciate you doing all of this, I’ve been raving about how knowledgeable you are all weekend!”

Lovely little bit of feedback from a new client at 12 weeks pp who came in for a post natal assessment before getting started. A huge part of my role as a trainer is to meet you where you’re at, know what your goals are and have as much information as I can to allow me to fully support you and/or be able to signpost to specialists like pelvic health physios or scar work therapists. Focusing more on what they CAN do, that rehab and strengthening can be so much more than exercises on the mat, signs they can look out for and different strategies that they can use.

01/10/2021

Another amazing local business and has some availability this month....Sam offers so many wonderful services!

24/09/2021

One for anyone looking for a baby massage class - couple of spaces left on Joanna’s next block!

06/07/2021

Lovely new review in today...

Pelvic pain can be really daunting in pregnancy with many fearing it’ll get worse as their pregnancy progresses. This doesn’t need to be the case, please reach out for help as there is so much we CAN do.

Rhiannon is a photographer running her own business, and a mum with baby number 2 on the way so keeping her moving well is really important. She loves her strength training sessions with her amazing PT MJS Personal Trainer and I came up with a plan specific to her and some new tweaks she could add into her programme along with some daily management strategies she can do.

I always recommend seeing a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist first if you can and find a qualified prenatal trainer who will understand how to continue to support you.