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I think it is important to hear authentic stories about real people on how CORE
strength affects their lives.
Meet Chris Sea. Pediatric ICU nurse, pole choreographer, dance instructor and new mommy.
I followed her journey on Instagram as she navigated pole dancing pregnant, right through to 38 weeks and then back at her passions soon after with baby Colin
in tow. Chris is well known for her stunning choreography and gorgeous outfits, not to mention 'Coach Bosco',
her sweet fur baby who makes regular appearances in cute little outfits. But, the cool thing about her posts is her pediatric expertise that she adds about what's happening with your body at that point in pregnancy or recovery.
I wanted to feature her as she is such an incredible example of what having a strong core going into pregnancy can do for coming out of childbirth strong.
We all have our own individual journey's, but my hope is that Chris' personal story inspires you to step up your core training and maybe even venture into a new activity that empowers you to be the strong warrior that you really are.
Here's an overview of the last few weeks before and after her childbirth.
Chris taught pole classes, privates and coached competitors up until her third trimester. At age 37, she was considered high risk, so was at doctor appointments often and definitely made sure she was doing everything safely. She stopped inverting sometime during third trimester, but before that, was doing flips and everything as normal.
During her last trimester she did some light weight training with a personal trainer once a week "just to force me to move because I was so tired and lazy lol. It kept me accountable."
Chris tried her best to keep moving daily, walking every day with her dog, but not do anything that would jeopardize her or her baby's safety.
"Pole is an intense sport. So I had to lay back a bit."
Since the fatigue of pregnancy was very real, she admitted that her stamina was short lived. In some of her posts, she would use previously filmed videos to keep her followers motivated with challenging combos but remained honest that she was taking a break from pole training those days and spending time getting ready by running errands, stocking her fridge and shopping for itsy bitsy baby clothes.
I would seriously recommend checking out her underwater maternity shoot.
After child birth, she started back with dancing and pole, but took it super super slow, mainly because of sheer new mom exhaustion and being on her own with Colin as her hubby had to go back to work. She admits that she was too exhausted to push herself and was candid about lactation making it more difficult and tiring.
From there on, Chris' journey continued and she posted each month postpartum as her body progressed and her strength slowly came back.
"I didn’t go all out. I wasn’t on a schedule or workout routine and I never diet. I just took my time and listened to my body."
Workouts didn't always happen as planned, but Chris would just dance with Colin and move around the pole with him which made him happy- probably reminding him of being in her belly.
"Pole affected my pregnancy and childbirth 100%. It’s so much core and strength and concentration. And pain. Pole hurts so much when you are learning new tricks I felt like my pain threshold was so much higher because of Pole. And because I was in such strong shape before, I was able to bounce back pretty quickly. I was very lucky not to have Diastasis recti., which I can also say pole helped prevent that too. I was 37yrs old having my first child so I wasn’t considered a spring chicken. But fitness before pregnancy is SOOOOOOO helpful and essential."
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These no-bake energy balls are one of my favourite on-the-go snacks. Quick, easy and everyone loves them! They store well in the freezer, so go ahead and make lots! INGREDIENTS: 1 cup pecans 1 cup of almonds 3 cups MEDJOOL dates 2 TBSP cocoa 2 TBS cinnamon or carob powder DIRECTIONS 1. Soak the dates in hot water. Drain, but save the date water in the event more moisture is needed later. 2. In a food processor, process the nuts and dry ingredients, then add the dates. If a bit of moisture is needed, use the saved date soak water. 3. Scoop out with a spoon and form balls in your hands or use a mini ice-cream scooper. 4. Roll them in unsweetened coconut, cocoa or cinnamon. Or try rolling them in all 3 together! You can use whatever variation of nuts you want. Stick to only one type if it is easier. You can also make non chocolate ones with a bit of fresh lemon juice and a bit of grated lemon rind or oranges. Once you get the base down you can really play around with them. Time Saver: If you don’t feel like rolling them, you can flatten them into a pan to make bars, freeze for 20 minutes minimum, cut into bars. Store them in your freezer. I would love to hear about what type of variations you make! Comment below.
Six-pack abs do not mean that you have good stabilizing technique or a ‘functional core’. They simply mean that you have trained the outer musculature and it holds tone. The inner core covers all the muscles in the abdominal area that are responsible for functional strength and stabilizing. Follow these simple steps to build strength and stability in your pelvis from the base up. 1. Breathe Properly Many of us have poor breathing patterns that we aren’t even aware of. It’s important to make sure you are breathing correctly. Did you know your breathing is a great indicator of how well your core muscles work? Let’s check your breathing right now with a simple exercise. Correct Breathing Exercise While sitting or lying down place one hand over your chest and the other hand over your belly. Take a deep breath in. If you felt your top hand primarily rise, this indicates a shallow breathing pattern (upper chest breather). This is a possible indicator that your diaphragmatic muscles may not be actively stabilizing your torso as they should. Instead, your lower hand should rise and fall evenly as well as your rib cage expand to the sides and into the floor. Practice: 2-3 times per day for 2 minutes.