Start with the Center

So when I first decided it was time to get back in to shape post pregnancy, I needed to find a workout that would gently push me in the right direction. After 5 weeks of having my son I decided to go on a light jog through the neighborhood. After all this had been my approach for years. After about 1 mile I had to stop. I realized my body was simply not ready. My OB had advised me that some women could begin as soon as 2 weeks after birth. Since I was in the fitness industry I held myself in relatively the same esteem. I was quickly humbled. This was not a matter of being out of shape. This was an anatomical issue. I felt as though my organs still needed some shifting. Everything had been moved around so much to make room for the baby, that I felt as though things were still...well...loose, and sliding back into place. So after one unsuccessful run. I decided to wait for my post partum check up, get the assured affirmative, and then re-approach the whole idea from a different angle. 1 week later I was standing in my living room dwindling between the idea of taking a nap while my son slept or motivating myself for workout number 2. Number 2 won. I decided to hook into my professional experience and give myself the kind of workout I would give to someone in my shoes. My weakest part of my body was of course my core. The center. In my experience, every time I focused my energy on strengthening my core muscles, the rest of my body seemed to fall in line. It was like someone had just come along with a magical eraser and started eliminating lines that did not need to exist. So I picked up a dvd that I had gotten from work months ago. It was the Core Fusion Body Sculpt DVD. It led me through a series of exercises that combined both stretching and strengthening focusing on the abdominals and quadriceps. I was not able to do all of the exercises or sustain them for that long, but I felt as though I had gotten something back at the end. My posture was better, my breathing was easier, and my core felt stronger. I also felt as though my anatomy was placed more correctly. In essence I found my center. Some of the photos I have posted demonstrate these exercises. Such as the curl, and plank

1. 

Easy position/Deep abdominials