Planksgiving Apology
/I’m screwed up. I’m sorry.
I got a really nice note from someone the other day pointing out my error, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it up to you since then. (Really, it was nice- I’m not being sarcastic. The FRICKin Good Life community really is filled with the best people)
You see, I’ve been sharing my postpartum recovery and fitness journey sporadically spread across multiple different platforms. I’ve been using Instagram the most, but sometimes I only put things in stories- and those disappear after 24 hours. My Facebook group has gotten bits and pieces too. However, my website and my email friends are really where I’ve gone into more details… sometimes.
Recently I’ve been promoting my Planksgiving Challenge, because it’s November and it brings a sense of normalcy. For the last several Novembers I’ve done Planksgiving with my group exercise classes and while I haven’t been teaching since the gyms closed in March, I thought it would be a fun way to connect with my students and my email friends. And since I spent the time putting together the challenge- I decided to throw it out there for anyone else who wanted to join us here in The FRICKin Good Life community.
So I’ve been talking about Planksgiving, demonstrating the planks, and talking about plank form pretty much everywhere this past week. And in my videos I’ve been using a lot of postpartum hashtags, not because I’m promoting it specifically for postpartum mamas, but because that’s where I am in life right now.
And to be completely honest, I’ve been doing it partially as a disclaimer.
Because as much as I promote body-positivity and loving yourself the way you are, I still struggle with my own body image from time to time. I look at myself and think I should be “further along” in my fitness journey or be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by now. Even though I know exactly what I’d be telling my clients.
I’d remind them that they spent over 9 months creating a human, they shouldn’t expect their bodies to be the same as they were prior to that experience. And certainly not within a short time span.
I’d remind them that they were focusing on their new baby and being able to keep up their milk supply to feed that baby to the best of their ability. So hard and fast diets aren’t appropriate for them as a mom or for their baby (not that I am ever a fan of diets. I prefer people to “have” a diet rather than be “on” a diet).
I’d remind them to give themselves grace. Life has changed a lot. Sleep, workouts, nutrition are all being adjusted (sometimes daily) as baby has taken center stage for the time being.
I’d remind them to look at their bodies not in disgust, but appreciate them in awe as their baby’s first home. And instead of beating their bodies up to “get into shape,” to be gentle and get there in a way that feels good and not draining.
But, I have a hard time telling myself these things. There’s a nagging voice in the back of my head that says, “but you’re a fitness professional, you should look the part.” So I hashtag postpartum in hopes that the people who see me will give me grace as well.
But this is where I screwed up.
Because if you just jumped in and saw me planking postpartum, you might think you should be able to do all of those things too. When in reality
Planks are not appropriate for all postpartum mamas, especially not right away (in fact, planks are not appropriate for some of the non-postpartum population as well)
These planks are hard. Really hard if you’re doing them correctly
Even though I’m demonstrating all of the levels, there are some days when I have to modify or break the planks up myself
So let’s break these things down. Starting from the bottom and making our way up to the top.
First of all. Modification. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, “Modifying an exercise doesn't necessarily mean making it easier. However, for some reason, we get it in our heads that we should push through or suck it up or deal with it.” In fact, I wrote an entire article about modifications and why you SHOULD modify. There is nothing wrong with modifying. In fact, you may find you get better results doing modifications because you are able to engage your muscles correctly…. Which let’s be honest, is kind of important.
Second, planks are hard. If you’re doing them correctly, planks are not just an ab exercise. In fact, you’re using so many muscles and muscle groups. Your back, hips, legs, glutes, shoulders, and chest muslces are working. And yes your transverus abdominus, rectus abdominus, and obliques (abs) are working too. So engaging properly and doing a plank well isn’t easy and it takes time to increase strength to do it well. So when I recommend breaking up the 30 or 45 seconds into multiple planks if you’re a beginner, I’m not saying it just so you “feel” better. Doing a plank correctly is challenging. Period.
Finally, planks are not appropriate for all postpartum mamas. There are lots of fabulous exercises out there that are not appropriate for different people depending on their current physical state, and that’s okay. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll never be able to plank, but it’s important to know if you have any contraindications to a specific exercise before you start doing it. One very common example is diastasis recti, which impacts more than 3 million people in the United States every year. If you suspect that you have diastasis recti you should talk to your doctor about physical therapy. In some cases, surgery is the only way to repair the damage. Either way, take care that there is no bulging or “coning” of your abdominal muscles in any exercise movement.
What it comes down to is that planks, just like any movement, are not appropriate for every body (postpartum or not).
Which is why I now feel like I have to insert the “please talk to your doctor before starting this or any other fitness program” advice here. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I highly encourage you to work with a team of wellness professionals to find the right exercises and the right programs for you, your body, and the season of life you are currently going through. What was right for you 6 months ago may not be right for you now. Just like what works for you now, may not work for you in 4 months.
So, I’m sorry.
Over the next couple weeks I’ll go through some of what I’ve been doing to recover postpartum, so you know that these planks didn’t just come out of nowhere for me. But that being said, every fitness journey is completely different.
Take your time, listen to your body. And remember, no matter where you are- each day you have the opportunity to make yourself a little better. And if you’re better tomorrow than you were today, you’re going the right direction.
Xo
BONUS RESOURCES
Body Image and Pregnancy
First Trimester Workouts
Should You Modify When Exercising
Planksgiving
Should You Workout When You’re Pregnant?