Push (or Pull) It Real Good
How’s everyone doing?! We’ve finally entered June and are hitting the final Vault workout of Round 1— it’s hard to believe! With kids out of school, summer activities, camps, trips and baseball games in full swing (haha), a lot of us may have schedules out of the normal routine.
In today’s newsletter we’re going to explore ways to answer the question: How are you staying consistent with your fitness goals?
Consistency is key
For me (Coach Kate), I aim to look for movement in everyday activities and prefer shorter workouts either with dumbbells or sandbags as the kids are usually around or about to be around.
Typically we have lighter dumbbells around the garage and the sandbag is light enough that they have fun doing reduced reps of whatever I am doing. This makes for some fun and entertaining moments. It’s not perfect, BUT adjusting like this helps me stay consistent and continue to move the needle forward on my overall health and fitness.
And if you’re looking for something fun for your kids to get involved with while you are working out, definitely check out the Street Parking Kids E-book that Coach Bre just released if you haven’t already! It’s fantastic!
Now, if you are still in the babywearing, push a stroller or pull a wagon phase of life and are wondering how you might get your workouts in also, we’ve got you covered!
Our FAVORITE Baby Carrier, Stroller/Wagon Street Parking Workouts!
No Equipment Workout #2 (Could adjust to a march or farmer carry/stroller push)
No Equipment Workout #7 (Could adjust to step overs or side steps for hop overs)
No Equipment Workout #18 (Could adjust to side-to-side steps for jumps if babywearing)
Diagnostics #12 (Check out the alternate option in the notes for Level 1!)
Extra Endurance #8 (Time Based for Walking/Carry)
Dumbbell Strength Series 1 Session 3: (Could adjust Plank to a DB Farmer Hold, Wall Plank, or a March)
Sled Push/Pull Benefits for the Pregnant, Postpartum and Perimenopause/Menopause Athlete
Let’s get gritty! This month is all about getting gritty utilizing fun pieces of equipment like sleds and/or sandbags. If you are pregnant, postpartum or going through peri/menopause, these are amazing training tools for us in these seasons and offer several benefits!
1. Low-impact
We often get asked, What’s a good customization for running or jumping aka higher impact activities? Especially later in pregnancy and early postpartum or even if you have pelvic floor symptoms or have to limit higher impact movements for whatever reason?
Our answer?! Sled pushes, drags, and pulls are lower-impact activities but still pack a lot of punch in our conditioning and overall cardiovascular health AND they help us build strength. BOOM!
🌠 Pro Tip: Don’t have a sled?
If you have a sandbag or a plastic laundry basket you don’t mind dragging around, grab a rope, tie it on, and have yourself some fun in the backyard! If you use a laundry basket, proceed with caution- it typically involves you dragging your kids around the yard multiple times!
2. Full-body workout
Sled pushes/pulls involve multiple muscle groups simultaneously, including the glutes, hips, core, back, shoulders, and arms. These movements can help strengthen the entire body!
Plus, let’s face it, pulling and pushing is an activity that we must perform on an almost-daily basis with strollers, mowing lawns, scooping/pushing snow, pulling wagons at all of those baseball games (PSA: Don’t ever get rid of your wagon. It transitions from baby to toddler to tween), shopping carts, bags, kids to carry, etc. Essentially we are training for our LIFE.
3. Core strength
Another question often asked, What kind of core work can I do during pregnancy and/ or postpartum?
Our answer: Many sled exercises, such as sled pushes, sled drags, and sled pulls can be awesome in helping maintain or improve core strength and stability. Try adding them in as a customization for toes to bar, sit ups, or planks. (I love the sandbag or sled pull for this as a customization!)
4. Managing Pelvic Floor Symptoms
Pushing or pulling sleds can help manage pelvic floor symptoms we might be experiencing as it can help distribute tension and pressure across our body differently.
The pushing or pulling stance often puts us in a more nose over toes position which for many of us allows for better coordination and management of pressure we could be experiencing. During postpartum, this can also be a really helpful progression in your return to run by building hip extension and generating power and strength through the glutes.
5. Perimenopause and Menopause Benefits
In the menopause transition we want to try and build/maintain muscle and bone density as much as possible and sled work can be awesome for that. We can swap in sleds for those higher intensity interval training days which, because of the high power output, can help with muscle building and preservation. Dirty Work: Sleds Session 8 where there is a 50m sled push with a 30 second rest would be an awesome option to try! (Add more rest as needed- that’s ok!) Another workout option is Endurance On Ramp Session 5. Instead of the run, opt for the sled or sandbag pull to mix things up!
Ultimately, sled pushes are an effective resistance exercise that can help with our bone density and cardiovascular health. They help maintain and build muscle strength, especially in the legs, glutes, and core. Adding them in (if you want to) is a super fun option to try that will support you during this season!
6. Fitness Freedom
Sled exercises can be easily modified by adjusting the weight, distance, intensity, or movement patterns. For example, you can adjust load, position on the sled by trying a more upright or higher hand position on the uprights, shorter or longer steps, a pull, a push, a drag.
This versatility allows for customization based on an individual's fitness level, pregnancy stage, or postpartum recovery progress. You can add these movements anytime for conditioning work. Typically you would adjust distances and perhaps use more of a time domain if you do use it as a customization.
Have fun exploring the sled push/pull this June or throughout the summer months to add in some variability that will have some real benefits to your training now and beyond!
What the heck is a Pessary?
With all of the fun summer activities, you may find you want some extra support, especially if you are someone who is navigating pelvic organ prolapse. But what kind of support is available? We introduce to you the Pessary!
A 𝗣𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 is a orthotic device made of medical-grade silicone designed to support pelvic organs (worn vaginally, no you don’t feel it).
𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝘀.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥/𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 (you know, that thing that happens on trampolines and during double unders?).
There are 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 different shapes and sizes and finding the right one is often like finding the right bra or shoes- sometimes it takes a few tries.
Certain types of pessaries are designed to stay in for many months, others are used only during the day or for exercise/sport.
A good bit of evidence supports their use, with many studies showing improvements to symptoms, quality of life, bowel symptoms, and body image. One newer study found a reduction (improvement) in prolapse grade for all types of POP with consistent pessary use, and their subjects were all post-menopausal women (Boyd et al., 2021 PMID 32910077). This demonstrates that over time, pessary use may improve vaginal anatomy.
They are fairly low risk. The most common complaints are increased discharge (extra “lubrication” made by your body that’s likely protective), abrasions, and infections such as BV can occur. Both abrasions and infections can be treated and pessary use may resume.
Most pessaries are fit and managed by medical providers such as Urogynecologists, Gynecologists, and continence nurses, with many Pelvic Physical Therapists now offering this as well! There are a few over-the-counter pessaries for Stress Urinary Incontinence. In the US, there is a single-use option called the Impressa, and a reusable one called the Revive.
⭐️ For more information, check out this SP blog on Pelvic Organ Prolapse and one on troubleshooting Stress Urinary Incontinence.
Community Highlights: “We See You, Mama!”
Chasatie Whitely, thank you for keeping it real with us over in the Street Parking Members Facebook group! Way to keep crushing it, even with your adorable “stage 5 clinger baby”!
Check out Chasatie’s post below!
That’s a wrap!
We hope everyone is having fun working through (and even finishing up) the first round of the Vault series, trying some of the dirty work programming options, and enjoying the fun Summer tends to bring. We love cheering you on so share your stories in our Facebook group or on Instagram, tagging #spmoms or #sppregnancyandpostpartum!
With love,
Kate & Terri
FOR QUESTIONS, FEEDBACK, OR COMMENTS:
📧 mamas@streeparking.com
📲 @coach_katejohnson
📲 @terri.elder.dpt