I did a thing this past week which I don’t recommend, but also highly recommend: I read through old journals from my teens and twenties, after a proper junk purge of my house. I was stunned, first, by how much clarity I had at age 16. I was also stunned at how my journaling entirely stopped at age 25. I mean, after that age there were a few journals, but all of these contained a similar scene of trying to retrieve myself. I would write a few entries at the start of the journal, all of them beginning with neat handwriting and a “hello again” message. And then nothing after that. Just an empty journal. Blank pages.

Read more

This post is dedicated to the physical pain we all tuck away in the back seat of our lives every single day in order to keep on keeping on. For most of us, that pain resides in our backs - Maybe our low back. Maybe one side. Maybe that extends down our leg. Maybe our upper back. Maybe all the places. But it lives there and it asks us for help and we say, maybe tomorrow. I would guess we also say mean things to ourselves, as if back pain measures us as less fit, less strong, less healthy, less agile, and certainly way too old ...

Read More

I jumped over my existence as a postpartum person after Wyatt. I don’t know why I did it, but I did. No, wait, I do know why. There wasn’t room for it. There wasn’t room for cozy pjs or slow healing or fourth trimester. There wasn’t room for struggles or pain. 
Read more. 

Have you ever traded parts of yourself in exchange for safety? I did exactly this back in 2019, after my second marriage fell apart just weeks after Wyatt was born. And then the pandemic hit. It’s been a sort of survival mode since then that I don’t think has a defined clinical language yet for any of us. I knew I had to keep going, which also meant I had to jump over so many deficits and broken bits inside of my body and myself. That trade happened with a shaky smile and nod, a secret handshake made between sweaty palms. I’ll surrender my needs, if you give me a shell.

Read more.

Did you grow up in a poop-friendly environment? Probably not. Did you learn about your gut microbiome before you became middle aged, only to then discover that was goes in does not always come out … as expected? Nope and oh yes. Do you most often keep all things from this end of the body locked away in a giant secret safe of “if it’s not working, then I am broken and obviously it’s my fault and most definitely I need to figure it out alone?” Obviously.

Read more.

Oh hello there. This post will be extra short today because … summer. I’m writing this in my home office as I watch my toddler enjoy hour #2 of Wild Kratts. I’m not sure she’s had breakfast, but she has had a popsicle and an ice cream sandwich. For those of you with structured summer plans, please don’t panic for me. I will eventually get us out of the house, to do something somewhere at some point.

Read more.

I don’t have much to say this month except that there’s only so much to say because my brain is mush. At least the internet understands the torture that is the month of May now. I’ve seen about a gazillion memes and videos on “Maycember” and the like. So now we all know and instead of attempting to be deep, I am just going to high five you from my whirring computer and say, let’s just be idle for a hot minute.

Read more. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever done the extremely dumb thing that I did recently: Read my journals from when I was 16, 17, and 18. I was assuming I’d find old thoughts and ideas that had evolved in my adult life into fully formed thoughts and ideas, or at the least that I’d not recognize “that girl then”.

Read more.

We all know that diaphragmatic breathing is good for us. But there’s a lot of confusion out there about what exactly diaphragmatic breathing is (and is not!). Plus, what exactly are the benefits to our bodies? Read on to find out! Read more. 

Diaphragmatic breathing has a huge effect on both your nervous system and your overall health. It can improve conditions from anxiety, to GERD, to heart failure. Plus, it can lower your overall stress levels! So, how does it work? Read more. 

If you have had a Cesarean section (C-section), then you have a scar.  However, most of us aren’t told what to do about those scars, nor are we told what kind of problems C-section scars can cause. Read more.

“Employee wellness” and incentive programs have historically aimed at reducing sick days and health care costs, and increasing productivity and profit. Today, things have changed. Read more.

Most people assume that leaking urine after having a baby, aka postpartum incontinence, is just the price a person pays for becoming a birthing parent.  But while it is COMMON, it doesn’t have to be NORMAL! Read more.

Especially with the increasing number of people who are privileged-enough to be working from home, there are a lot of questions about how you should sit at your desk. Read more.

Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), also referred to as Diastasis Recti (DR) is one of the many physiological changes that take place during pregnancy. Read more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of changes to all of our lives, but in particular to many of our workspaces.  More of us are working from home at least part of the time, or have switched to jobs that are entirely remote. Read more.

All new moms grapple with hard postpartum realities like sleep deprivation, hormonal shifts, identity crises, body image, and learning how to be patient with themselves as they heal. Read more.

I just can't get anger off my brain! So, today I want to address some myths about anger, and see if we can get some good questions and thoughts a-brewing about it as a community of humans who get angry (because we’re humans). Read More.

We LOVE planks— when done correctly, plank exercises engage and target the whole body, can be incorporated into all kinds of dynamic movement, and require no equipment. Unfortunately, wrist pain and discomfort is a common issue that can be aggravated by planking. Read more.

I’m not a sleep expert, I’ll start by saying that. However, I am a self-proclaimed sleep deprivation expert, so I promise to walk us through with appropriate skepticism and vetting of sources. I, like you, want to learn more about how to get better sleep as a busy parent, BUT through advice that actually applies to the life of a primary caretaker. I simply cannot read one more article or book touting the importance of uninterrupted sleep without laying out a clear plan for primary caretakers who carry the burden of helping little humans go to sleep and stay asleep. Read more.

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter about resistance training is a fear that it will make us get “bulky,” (i.e. that it will rapidly make our muscles huge, and we won't like the way we look). Sigh. There's a lot to unpack here, but my response when I hear this concern is usually: "If only it were that easy to build muscle!"

Read more.

By Courtney

I’m stealthily typing this article in my notes app on my phone while my 3 year old sleeps next to me, her face squished exactly in my armpit. This sweet kid was an excellent sleeper from the age of 10 months until basically her third birthday. And then the combination of threenager brain development, endless cycles of preschool germs, and moving out of the crib after moving to a new house … yeah, she’s no longer a great sleeper.

Read more.

By Stephanie

The ads are out there, and they are tempting. Can wearing a “smart shorts” Innovo device really fix my incontinence in just 12 weeks? Or some other products like Elitone include external devices that you put in your underwear - they promise results in 6 weeks. And the best part is that these devices tell you that you can just “go about your day” and let them do the work!

Read more.

By Stephanie
It comes on slowly over time - as you age you may wake up one day with a sore neck, or a stiff lower back. And you have to wonder, is my sleeping position contributing to this pain? What are the best sleeping positions for neck and back pain?

Read more.

By Courtney
If you’ve been diagnosed with diastasis recti, or you think you have it, you most likely want to know how to fix it as quickly as possible. That is certainly how it was for me after discovering that my years of back pain and my deep abdominal issues were because of this condition. I felt both relief and total overwhelm, grateful to know that there was a root cause but, well, completely unsure of how to get myself “back together”.

Read more.

By Stephanie
It goes by so many names it can be confusing: diastasis rectus abdominis, diastasis recti, di-recti, diastasis, or some people will even just call it an “ab separation.”  Plus you can shorten the name to DRA or DR too!  So what exactly is diastasis recti?  Let’s talk about allll of it, and along the way we’ll dispel a LOT of myths associated with di-recti.

Read more. 

The famous book title says it all: everybody poops!  And, a lot of people have problems with their poop.  It’s a shame this isn’t talked about more openly, because there are so many simple things that can help if you are constipated in particular!

Read more. 

This post will be about functional constipation. What do I mean by that? Basically this means there are no other medical explanations for your constipation. No IBS, Crohn's or Celiac, or really serious pathologies like cancer, etc.

Read more. 

By Stephanie 
If you’ve been diagnosed with, or ever suspected that you have, pelvic organ prolapse, I’m certain it brings up a million questions for you.  Will my bladder eventually fall out of my vagina?  Will having sex make it worse?  Do I need surgery?  What about having more kids, returning to exercise and running, etc etc??

Read more.

By Stephanie
Please note: this post has a brief mention of body weight and obesity.

The prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse is one of my favorite things to talk about.  Prolapse is SO common, and not enough people know that! 

Read more.

By Stephanie
This article will focus more on the evidence behind building stronger bones with exercise, and thus lessening the effects of osteoporosis. Of course there are also a lot of nutritional recommendations for OP, but that is beyond our scope of practice. Please consult your doctor or dietitian for more information on how nutrition can help OP!
Read more. 

By Stephanie
We have all heard of osteoporosis, probably especially as it relates to older people with vulvas. But what is it exactly, and how gets this disease? We dig down into the details to help you understand what osteoporosis is, and who is more likely to have it. Then check out our next article for more information on how to build stronger bones through exercise!
Read more. 

Download

Download

Download

Download

Download