info@bellabelliesstudio.com  (201) 253-0426         223 Bloomfield Street Studio 101        Hoboken, NJ

 
Text Box: BELLA BELLIES STUDIO Exercise for every stage of life!. Text Box: General Questions: Do you have to be pregnant or post-pregnancy to workout at Bella Bellies Studio? No. The instructors at Bella Bellies Studio are trained and experienced fitness professionals. We are skilled to work with a variety of clients and have trained clients for weight loss, osteoporosis prevention, core stability and more. I have been exercising for years and cannot manage to lose weight and tone up. What can I do to “get over” this plateau? Speak with a trainer at Bella Bellies Studio. A well-balanced diet is key. Also, changing your workout each and every time you workout. Nonetheless, being aware of targeting muscle groups so you have a whole body workout. This includes cardio exercise. Balance of diet, cardio, core and resistance training. Watch heart rate. Speak with a Bella Bellies Studio trainer about target heart rate for cardio, resistance and pilates training. Each and every time you exercise your heart rate should fall within a “range” to ensure a workout. Speak with your health care provider. Sometimes hormonal imbalances, medications and other physical complications can effect weight gain/loss. I have read articles stating various Pilates exercises are counterproductive to increasing core strength and spinal motion. Does the staff at Bella Bellies Studio modify the exercises? Yes. Research completed, peer reviewed and published by Columbia University Physical Therapy Department and San Diego University Exercise Science Department has proven that exercises (such as the jack knife, full roll-up and hundred), not modified, are in fact hazardous to spinal motion and core strength. Bella Bellies Studio has designed a fitness program which follows the traditional format of Pilates, yet modified the exercises for better spinal motion and core strength. For further information please contact Bella Bellies Studio at: info@bellabelliesstudio.com I have very little time to exercise what can I do? A well-balanced diet is essential. A diet which avoids fatty foods, refined sugars, preservative rich foods, and Invest in a pedometer, available at Fleet Feet and Target. Your day is what you make of it. You can walk (fast) to the path/subway stop, get out one stop sooner and walk further to work everyday, park further away from your super market door, take the steps to your destination and more. You should have at least 7,500 steps a day with a goal of 10,000-12,000 steps. From there work with a trainer to design a cardio-intense weight resistance routine which is 15-30 minutes in duration and something you can fit into your schedule 5-7 days a week. Does spot training work? In physical therapy yes, through hands on exercise, massage and ultra sound. Again stressing this is for therapeutic purposes with an end goal of pain management and healing. In personal training, absolutely not. The most common “spot” specific interest we encounter is abdominals. A leaner stomach is a product of diet, cardiovascular activity, proper abdominal exercises and overall resistance training. All of this needs to be modified for your goals and for your needs. Numerous studies have refuted the claim that exercising one specific part of the body will burn off fat in the “spot” specific region. I just began a fitness program and have noticed that I have gained 2-3 pounds. Is this common? Yes, muscle weights more than fat. Muscle burns fat. Best to follow a circumference measurement guide for accurate results rather than weight. I am a woman, If I begin to lift weights will I began to expand and “bulk” up? NO. Testosterone, steroids and other artificial means (such as the product “Mega Mass”) will result in dense “bulky” muscle tissue. NOT weight training. Resistance training is imperative for proper weight loss. I would like to try a variety of diets during my fitness routine to see which works for me. Do you recommend this? Absolutely not. There is a direct correlation between Yo-Yo dieting and mortality rates. The best and most effective diet routine is one you can incorporate into your life on-going and not for week(s) here or there. Yo-yo dieting (going on a restrictive diet plan and then off) is proven to slow one’s metabolism and, long term, result in higher body fat and higher incidence of heart failure. Frequently asked pregnancy questions: If I am on a fertility treatment program do I need to modify exercises? Yes. First, it is important to speak with your health care provider. Bella Bellies Studio recommends avoiding certain abdominal exercises and certain spinal “twist-like” motions. What is prenatal training? Based on a personal assessment, your fitness program is designed with respect to your unique pregnancy. Bella Bellies Studio has resources available to mothers relative to prenatal exercise. Bella Bellies Studio acknowledges the need for caution and during the course of your exercise program we will carefully monitor and modify your workout so that neither mom’s or baby’s health is jeopardized. We believe that knowledge is empowering and we promise to keep our clientele informed of the latest research. If interested Bella Bellies Studio will put you in touch with other pregnant mothers and support groups, upcoming Hoboken Family Events as well as references to other professional services available in New York City and Northern New Jersey. “Modified exercise during a normal pregnancy has little risk and clear benefits to mother and fetus.” -John Turner M.D. What type of exercise does prenatal training include? Depends on the likes and dislikes of the participant. The type of modality included can range from modified pilates, strength training, gyrotonic, yoga or a fusion of all three. Included in every session are exercises to help you through your pregnancy. We include exercises to help strengthen and stretch your lower back, strengthen your abdominals, stretch your upper back and stretch your legs. Our exercises are intended to help strengthen the body during pregnancy and for motherhood. Is prenatal exercise safe? Yes. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorses exercise by stating the following: "Healthy pregnant women are encouraged to engage in at LEAST 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week."“During pregnancy, women can continue to exercise and derive health benefits even from mild to moderate exercise routines.” Bella Bellies Studio follows ACOG guidelines and recommendations strictly. If I am pregnant do I need clearance from my health care provider to work out? Yes, no exceptions. Will exercising during pregnancy help with pregnancy, labor and motherhood? Yes. The exercises incorporated during your session are both beneficial for mommy and for baby. The unique exercises incorporated are proven to help the body with the physical stress presented during pregnancy, as well labor and motherhood. "These babies tolerate the stresses of late pregnancy, labor, and delivery better than the babies of women in the control groups who did not exercise. All aspects of growth and development after birth for babies of mothers in exercise programs are equal to or better than those observed in the control groups." -John Turner M.D. How will exercising during pregnancy help me? During pregnancy and thereafter, I (Annie) dedicated months and now years handpicking prenatal and postnatal exercises based off of substantial reading and studying various research articles and experience working with Moms. I set my experience in a post partum doula setting, assistance and work with physical therapists, my exercise physiology background and experience working with moms as the foundation for opening Bella Bellies Studio. When should I start exercising? It's never too late, but the sooner the better. Just make sure you have clearance from your health care provider first. Is it safe to continue to do abdominal exercises during and after pregnancy? If modified. Meaning no crunches (or lifting the shoulders off the mat), jack knifing of the legs, criss-crossing of the obliques or lying on your back until your diastasis heals. For more information contact us at: info@bellabelliesstudio.com Can I continue to work with weights during my pregnancy? Yes, if you modify your usual program. The hormone relaxin, which is produced during pregnancy, affects a woman’s joints, making her more prone to injury. Therefore, the amount of weight should be decreased and the repetitions should be increased, and the movements should be slow and controlled with “muscle moving, not momentum moving muscle.” Is prenatal exercise beneficial for my baby? Unless there are special circumstances and if exercise is modified appropriately, yes. Prenatal exercise and its benefits for a baby in utero are relevant on a case by case basis. Exercise and movement is an essential component for a healthy life style. Frequently asked postnatal training questions: What is postnatal training? Postnatal training can help with the arduous job of healing after delivery.   Special consideration for the exercise program include:                                                         Increased thoracic kyphosis (rounding of shoulders, poor posture),                                                   Lordosis (arching of the back often accompanied with pain), Diastasis recti (spreading and weakening of the abdominal muscles),                                              Flared rib cage, Shallow breathing from an inflamed diaphragm, Weakened pelvic floor.                                                         Stretching with special consideration to the effects of the hormone relaxin on the muscles and joints. Respect to birth conditions such as: tears, episiotomies, hematomas or hemorrhoids. With these conditions in mind exercise needs to be approached correctly to help prevent inflammation of scar tissue and inflammation of hemorrhoids. Cesarean Section is a major abdominal surgery. Exercise helps one to heal but it is absolutely imperative that Postnatal exercise be modified for a woman with a c-section. Given the radical change in a woman’s physiology after giving birth it is imperative that she be educated and informed of the body’s changes. We will inform you of how these changes effect exercise. What is diastasis? Okay I am no longer pregnant but why will my bulge not go away? Most mommies find this embarrassing and want full bragging rights when they have graduated from the elastic waistband jeans. As it turns out, there is a physiological basis for this bulge which has nothing to do with whether you're in good shape or not, so don't allow untrained marketers or trainers to convince you that crunched are the fix. Cardio vascular exercise and diet are essential. Special exercises are needed to help “pull together” the separated rectus abdominus. In the abdominal region, a muscle called the rectus abdominus makes up the two superficial bands that run parallel to each other down the center of the abdomen. They are “glued” together by something called the linea alba. During pregnancy the growing uterus causes the linea alba to  unzip  in such a way that the rectus abdominus separates. This separation, which allows the baby to come forward rather than push backwards on the spine, is called a diastisis, and it is a completely normal part pregnancy. The problem comes afterwards… Women whose recti (rectus abdominus) does not close on its own accord bulge or distension is actually a protrusion of the organs and the fat surrounding the organs, and typical exercises sometimes can worsen this – especially commonly recommended exercises incorporating flexion of the spine and jackknifing of the legs. How do I heal a diastasis? The key to healing it correctly – and this is not-obvious – lies in a muscle called the transverse abdominus which wraps around the abdomen like a belt. If you work the transverse abdominus muscle, and complement it with cardiovascular, resistance training and diet you will be back in your pre-pregnancy jeans in no time. Most trainers are not specifically trained in diastisis and other post-pregnancy healing issues. If you need help with your diastasis, please contact Bella Bellies Studio at : info@bellabelliesstudio.com I think I have a diastasis, yet I had my children 10+ years ago. Is it too late to start a fitness regime ? No, try to find a trainer who is knowledgeable on the condition. Can I work out if I am breast feeding? Are there special considerations? Yes and Yes. Bella Bellies Studio’s staff is trained to exercise with women whom are breast feeding. We also have resources available on breast feeding topics. When can I begin an exercise program? After your health care provider has given you the “okay.” Will an exercise program at Bella Bellies Studio help prevent urinary and bowel incontinence? Yes. Another study, Indiana University, concluded “that 20% of women involved in a fitness program have urinary incontinence verses the national average of 42%.” The same study also concluded that women whom participated in postnatal exercise “regained and maintained abdominal muscle and tone more often and more rapidly.” I had a c-section, should I modify my exercise? Yes, the scar tissue associated with a c-section needs special consideration. You need clearance from your health care provider before beginning any fitness program. The staff at Bella Bellies Studio will check the wound to make sure there is no indication of a hematoma, stretching of the stitches, excessive diastasis, etc. before designing a fitness program for you. For more information please read our Spring 2008 Newsletter. The Summer 2008 Newsletter will be posted online September 1, 2008. In the meantime, if you would like to receive a copy via email please email info@bellabelliesstudio.com. Any other questions feel free to ask. info@bellabelliesstudio.com