Welcome to episode 99 of The Optimal Body Podcast
Exercise & Therapy for Pregnancy & Postpartum with Physical Therapist, Lashonda Jones
Curious about pelvic floor health? Need some pregnancy or postpartum core guidance? Heard Kegels are your one-stop solution? Lashonda covers it all from rehabilitating that core for pregnancy to diastasis recti to incontinence. To kick off the episode, Lashonda discusses how and why she came to specialize in the field of pregnancy and postpartum as a physical therapist. As a mother of two, Lashonda talks about how she bounced back from her core and pelvic floor issues post-pregnancy. Moreover, she discusses her top tips on healing from diastasis recti and connecting with the pelvic floor, and her thoughts on Kegels and what they mean. She describes the importance of using yoga blocks or a stability ball, your hands, and different types of visual cues to help educate you and enhance your mind-body connection. Through these techniques, she walks you through her favorite way to reconnect with her pelvic floor and her favorite breath pattern that works in conjunction with any mind-body connection activity. Finally, she addresses how you can explore balance in the pelvic floor, distinguish between pelvic floor tightness and weakness, and how you know if you are working your core enough. Through all her recommendations, she highlights the importance of education as the number one tool to empowerment and foundation of all her programs, emphasizing the importance of truly finding your individualized solution for your body. Listen in for the best of Lashonda’s tips!
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What You Will Learn In This Interview with Lashonda Jones
3:33 – Lashonda’s passion.
8:35 – How did Lashonda bounce back after pregnancy?
11:28 – First steps to healing Diasthesis.
13:57 – Kegels.
14:20 – How to build Pelvic Floor Awareness.
17:24 – Exercises to try right now.
20:11 – The best breath pattern.
22:21 – How long and how often? Not 24/7.
25:22 – Distinguishing tightness, weakness, and more awareness.
29:45 – Beginning step to addressing diastasis rectus.
33:15 – How do you know if you’re working the core enough?
36:53 – Fear that comes with new experiences.
39:06 – Learning more with Lashonda.
About Lashonda Jones:
Lashonda Jones is a licensed physical therapist, certified personal trainer, pre/postnatal corrective exercise specialist & owner of Core Elevation Fitness & Wellness. She has 15 years of experience in outpatient & inpatient orthopedics with a more recent transition into women’s health once she became a mom of 2.
She loves educating & empowering women through postpartum rehab, fitness & Diastasis Recti healing journeys. After working hard to heal her own Diastasis & seeing the lack of education moms were given about their postpartum healing she developed an online program that allows women to work 1 on 1 with her online to receive the individualized education & exercises they need to heal and strengthen their postpartum cores.
What would you say are your 2-3 different primary areas of expertise or areas you’re most excited to speak about these days!: Diastasis recti healing & core strengthening and a Safe return to postpartum fitness!
Items mentioned in this episode include:
Lashonda’s Website: http://coreelevationfitness.com/
Lashonda’s free Diastasis Recti Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1717404338566150
Lashnda’s free 5-day challenge: https://core-elevation-fitness-wellness.ck.page/free5daychallenge
Lashonda’s Plans: https://leanwithleanne.com/collections/get-lean-with-leanne
Lashonda’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptrainershonda/
We Think You’ll Love:
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