BOOTCAMP BLOG – MUMS ON THE RUN PART 3

Week 3 - If you are looking at this for the first time, please look at previous posts (Just click on the headings to the right). If you are chomping at the bit to get started, read all three post in one go. You can then start on week 3 NOW - It just means having to be a bit more gun ho about your approach…

So no procrastinating or getting bogged down on whether you have the time, motivation or inclination - as that well known marketing slogan says, 'Just do it'. Or perhaps you'd be persuaded more by another well known marketing buzz line...'It's the real thing', 'Nothing acts faster than...', 'The power to be your best' (It's big honest - look it up!), 'We try harder', 'The better way to fly', 'Vorsprung durch technik' or may be... 'Whooooah body form'...All of these work equally well for MUMS on the RUN, kind of. Anyway, I'll promise to stop wasting valuable blog space if you get your pieds on the plod, NOW.

This week you are again looking to do three slots. You are however going to add another minute to each cycle, i.e. 2 minutes running, 3 minutes walking. You are also, for one of your runs, going to make it longer. This is the run that you do on the weekends, the one where you have a bit of extra time, the one that goes hand in hand with a pain au chocolat, fresh brewed coffee and the Sunday papers. Oh sorry I forgot, that was before we had children! Well anyway, you know what I mean. This run is going to get longer, much longer. For now make it at least 25 minutes. Here's your schedule this wee...

Run No. 1 - 5 minute warm up (see post 2) , run for 2 minutes, walk 3 and repeat for 20 minutes, cool down and stretch (see post 2).

Run No 2 - as above

Run No 3 - 5 minute warm up (see post 2) , run for 2 minutes, walk 3 and repeat for 25 minutes, cool down and stretch (see post 2).

Your other focus this week is to add a thought, or several thoughts actually, to your pelvic floor. Starting to run and not paying attention to this very important muscle is nonsensical. It's like flying without wings or should I just say trying to run before you can walk. Here's the thing...Our pelvic floor muscles are responsible for supporting the spine and pelvis. They also act when you cough, sneeze and perform a variety of bodily functions. Unfortunately, after babies, they tend to be, like everything else, on the saggy side. There are a number of factors I could bleat on about here but to turn this into a positive, if you work on your pelvic floor NOW, not only is it going to stop you peeing your pants when you least expect it, it's going to support your pelvis and make you a better runner! Most important of all, by connecting more strongly to your pelvic floor muscles, you are going to get a better connection to your deep abdominal muscle. This muscle is not the one you see on the front of Men’s Health Magazine (although you do have one of those too, yes really!). Your deep abdominal muscle is the one that lies underneath, like a corset around your middle. The pelvic floor and your deep abdominal muscle, called the Transversus Abdominis, work on the same nerve response so pull up your pelvic floor and your tummy will come in too. This is, without doubt – And I have had over 20 years to work this one out - is the BEST way to work on flattening your stomach! See I told you MUMS on the RUN was going to be soooo good for you!

Your target this week therefore, as well as your three runs, is to work on your pelvic floor muscle, every day by doing the following, any time, any where - At the bus stop, stuck in traffic, or my particular favourite, whilst at a very boring dinner party, just make sure you are sitting up tall...

Pelvic floor Exercise - visualise your pelvic floor muscle running from your pubic bone at the front to your tail bone at the back like a hammock strung between the two. Imagine you could pull these two points together like a peg being closed. Focus on this, feeling as you aim to draw the muscle together and then pull it up inside you. Your tummy should come in at the same time. Relax, then repeat, 10 times. Do this every day, 3 x a day without fail. You should be doing it right now!

Good luck and I will speak to you next week and don’t forget to let me know how you are doing. You can tweet me, www.twitter.com/janewake.

MUMS on the RUN has been created and written by Jane Wake, the UK’s leading authority in exercise for mums and mums to be. Check out her recently released ,Baby A-Wake Complete Antenatal and Postnatal Exercise and Wellbeing DVD.

BOOTCAMP BLOG - MUMS ON THE RUN, PART 2

BOOTCAMP BLOG

MUMS on the RUN part 2...If you are visiting MUMS on the RUN for the first time, then check out last weeks post below before reading this. Current team members, Welcome back...

So did you get your time slots sorted? Did you try a little walk or perhaps a wee run? Hopefully you also have got yourself kitted out with some running shoes and if you haven't, do get out to the shops in the next few days - they really are a worth while investment.

The other bit of essential kit is a v v good sports bra. I am inclined to wear THREE. As a breast feeding mumma, I wear a nursing bra, a sports bra over the top of that and then cap it with a vest with an inbuilt support. If babalicious needs a feed in a hurry it can be problematic! But at least I know my frontage is safely tucked away. Giggling boobs while you run is simply not a good look and soft breast tissue has no muscle support so you really do need to look after them. A very well known knicker store does a good line in sports bras. Alternatively you can try one of the better known sports bra brands.

Now those 3 time slots you gave yourself can shift this week. The important thing is that you still make sure that you do 3 sessions. There is no argument, no excuse, no budging on this. If you want to be a MUM on the RUN (keep thinking no more wobbly bits, no more tiredness, no more muffin tops), you have to commit to the magic No 3. The good news is it only has to be 20 minutes, for each slot. If you are already a runner or have some level of fitness you can increase this to 30 minutes. For each slot, this is what you must do...

Start by walking at a fast pace for 5 minutes - you are going to need a stop watch or a watch with a second hand. Next go into a light jog. If immediately you start jogging, you want to stop, then you know you have gone off too fast and you need to slow down. You now need to keep running for 1 minute. When you minute is up, go back to a fast pace walk - aim to keep your intensity at a level where you feel puffed but are able to continue. Walk for a total of 4 minutes and then go back into a run for 1 minute. You then need to repeat this at least 2 more times e.g.
5 minute warm up
1 minute jog
4 minute walk, fast pace
1 minute jog
4 minute walk, fast pace
1 minute jog
4 minute walk, fast pace
Now slow your walking pace down for 2 minutes and stretch...
Stretch 1 - Find a tree, fence or wall to lean up against. Place both hands on your wall/tree at chest height, arms outstretched in front. Bring your left leg forward, knee bent, foot flat on the ground and stretch your right leg out behind you, leg straight, hips pushed forward and tummy in tight. Make sure your right heel is on the ground - you are aiming to feel a stretch going down from the back of your knee into your heel. Hold for 30 seconds and change sides.
Stretch 2 - Turn sideways on from your wall/tree, left side nearest to the tree/wall. Place your hand on the tree/wall for support, bend your right knee and take a hold of your right foot in your right hand. If you can’t reach, hold onto the back of your shoe with your fingers. Bring your heel towards your bum and then push your hips forward, pulling your tummy in at the same time. Feel a stretch coming down the front of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds and change sides….You are done!!!!

Memorise this in your head so that you are not faffing with bits of paper on your run. Practise the stretches now – GO ON! Just stand up from your computer and use your chair for support. You are now armed, ready and oh so dangerous….Go on, make em scared! And let me know how you get on. Jx

MUMS on the RUN has been created and written by Jane Wake, the UK’s leading authority in exercise for mums and mums to be. Check out her recently released ,Baby A-Wake Complete Antenatal and Postnatal Exercise and Wellbeing DVD.

BOOTCAMP BLOG - MUMS ON THE RUN

BOOTCAMP BLOG…
MUMS on the RUN is dedicated to all of you who have pledged to run for charity this year or may be, like Forest Gump, you just woke up one day and decided to run. Whatever your motivation, whatever your target distance, Mums on Run is the definitive guide to successful Mummy running.

It was prompted by the lovely www.askamum.co.uk who on tweeting their resolve to ‘walk’ a charity run, I felt compelled to intervene! Why walk I say when you could run? Not only will it get you so much fitter. It will do wonderful things to your body. It will rid you of wobbly bits, give you more energy, flatten your tummy and put you on an exercise high.

If you want to achieve all this it's vital that you do it right. Us mums have concerns that others do not. From pelvic floor muscles, bouncing boobs and of course our very own particular emotional concerns (such as getting that 'arrrrrgh' feeling out on your run rather than your children). Only here will you get the answer to all your queries and be able to communicate about particular mummy, running issues.

Before we begin it's important to note that running may not be right for all of us. If you are pregnant and not used to running, now is not the time to start. For more info on exercising during pregnancy please see my antenatal DVD,Baby A-Wake Complete Antenatal Exercise and Wellbeing DVD. and think about coming back to this later, after the baby is born. If you have recently had a baby check with your GP before you start. Also get a copy of my postnatal DVD,Baby A-Wake Complete Postnatal Exercise and Wellbeing DVD. to ensure you are doing things right as a new mum.

Whether your last baby is 2 months or 20 years, weak pelvic floor muscles can be a big concern. We will tackle this here but if you think it's a major problem for you, it's worth getting it checked out before you start. If you also have other worries such as a back or knee injury, an existing health condition or perhaps you just haven’t done any exercise for a very long time, then you should again check with your GP or clinical practitioner before you start.

So let's get going! For your first week I want you to get your head around the fact that, from this day forward, you are going to dedicate at least 3 slots in your diary to getting out and plodding the streets, roads and local parks. Even if it's only a 15 minute slot after you’ve dropped the kids off at school or thrown the baby at your partner/baby sitter, make these time slots sacrosanct. Where you can, involve another person so that you can't wriggly worm your way out...Book a baby sitter, force your hubby home early from work or pledge your allegiance to MUMS on the RUN with a friend who can plod the same patch. This is a sure way of getting you to run successfully - significant others will not be happy if you start trying to cluck your way out. Best bit is, you don't even have to start running…well not just yet...Make these dedicated slots, open spaces in your diary this week, to fill as you choose - Go for a walk, meet with fellow runners or your partner so that you can outlay your plans. If such planning involves cups of coffee or even the odd glass of wine - Fabulous! This is MUMS on the RUN after all and not Crystal Palace Athletics Club.

There is also one more thing that you must do this week...Start to think of yourself as a runner. Forget pink jogging pants and slip on pumps. It's time to get yourself kitted out with some hardcore Nike Dry Fit or equivalent clothing that keeps you dry as you sweat. Most importantly get a decent pair of running shoes. Go to a dedicated running sports shop - just Google your area for specialists shops. You'll know if they are any good by the level of service they give you. A good shop will let you try the shoes out on a treadmill or even let you trot down the road in them. Even better ones will look at how you run and try to match the shoe to your stride.

So good luck and tell as many mums about this as you can, tweet it, face book it, email it and text it. Let's get MUMS on the RUN kicking some serious arse! Finally apologies for the fact that this blog doesn't sit as well on this page as it should. We are currently updating the site and will get it sorted soon. See ya for your first week of running next week and well done for making this first step, you won’t regret it, I promise. Jxx