I’m Becoming a Health Nut

Diastasis Recti

I’ve been taking steps to better health around here, which has included an exercise program!  I know, I know, I’m also wondering where Naomi has gone, and who this strange person is who’s replaced her?!  Procrastinator that I am, it’s finally after the THIRD child that I’m doing something about my postpartum body and lack of muscle after pregnancy!  Did you know abdominal muscles separate when your belly stretches?  No surprise there, but… Did you know you can actually DO SOMETHING to pull them back???!

How do you know if you have Diastasis Recti?  Chances are, if you’ve been pregnant any time in the past, you do, and here’s how you check for it.

My gap (around your belly button) was 3.5 fingers wide and over 2″ deep when I started.  In less than 8 weeks – and only 4 weeks of the workout program because I’ve been going at a slower pace – it’s closed to less than 1 finger wide and <1″ deep!  My belly doesn’t look flat by any means, but the battle scars (stretch marks) and loose skin is just a reminder of the sacrifice to have our children. 🙂 But I FEEL good about myself when I am working to heal what I can!

I did buy and try a different program before, but for this season, I relate so much more with Olivia Cagle’s style.  She’s down to earth, with a sweet southern accent, and she does her videos in her house {and sometimes has kid interruptions!}.  That’s my reality, so surely I can do this in my living room too!!

I recommend her 8-week Diastasis Fix Boot Camp – that’s what I’m doing now!  I’m in a small FB group with other lovely ladies as we all share successes and ask questions!  There are video instructions for every day’s workout.

If you’re just curious, do as I did and start with her FREE 5-Day Challenge which teaches proper alignment and breathing.  It is the great foundation for the DF boot camp as well.  You’ll also get a feel for her teaching style, to see if it’s a good fit for you!  I did my first round of this at 5 weeks postpartum after Havilah, and I felt SO GOOD by day 5.

DSC_0407

 

Sick & Silent Suffering

Very soon after my last post, I had a flare up of some… health issues.  {Reading over it again, I think we can all see why??! I literally pushed myself to the max emotionally and physically on about 5 hours of sleep a night…}  Gut issues.  IBS type stuff.  Not completely new, but definitely the worst it’s ever been.  Bad enough to make some – RADICAL to me – changes in my diet.

No fast food.  No eating out.  No greasy food.  No fats/oils whatsoever.  No processed food.  No junk food.  No sugar.  No dairy.  Almost no wheat/gluten.  Just good-for-you whole foods.

Oops.  I’m already doing this wrong.  One is supposed to focus on all the things we CAN have.  Like sweet potatoes, lettuce, spinach, quinoa, rice, some fruit, meat, carrots, bone broth, lemon water, etc.

Sounds pretty much like just ‘eating healthy’ right?  It’s eye-opening just how much awful stuff is in our normal American diet – mostly in dressings, condiments, flavorings, and all that lovely oh-so-processed ready-to-eat quick-and-easy meals!

I’m being dragged over the line to the healthy side kicking and screaming and having a big-girl tantrum because I do love me some McDonalds fries and Starbucks Frappuccino and Kraft Mac’n’cheeeeeeese!!!!!

(No) Bone Broth for Me

Let me back up a little.  I am THE LAST PERSON who would be found doing a “diet” or some sort of special eating.  But I reluctantly agree that not feeling sick for hours after nearly every meal is a rather compelling reason for an exception.

Case in point; I’ve been doing the above work out program to heal my Diastasis Recti (muscle gap after pregnancies) for the last 7 weeks, and it has a whole eating plan with it, including bone broth.  Bone broth is amazing for healing connective tissue, I guess.  Anyway, I decided – since I’m not really the kind to exercise either! – that I would do the workouts, but not worry about the healthy eating part this time around.  After all, I do not have time to make bone broth!

Enter current digestive problems.  Guess what I’m making now???!

IBS Triggers

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a hidden health condition that supposedly 15-20% of Americans suffer with.  I have new empathy for those who LOOK fine and healthy, but are silently suffering with an invisible illness.  It can be lonely.  IBS is rather broad, and my symptoms match up, though I’ve not been officially tested yet.  There are other factors that contribute, too many to name.  Eating at irregular times.  Eating too fast. {What MOM has time to eat slowly??!}  Stress.  Excitement.  Not enough sleep.  Etc.  I can check alllllllll the boxes. 😛  And now you know more about that than you ever wanted to know.  I am hoping to see a Functional/Integrative Medicine Practitioner, as the more I learn about it, the more I like that model of care.  It combines conventional and natural methods to treat the whole person, getting a very holistic picture of the patient’s health!

Water Kefir

My WONDERFUL friend is creating a cleanse diet and supplement plan for me that she did for herself.  It’s focus is on getting rid of the bad bacteria in your gut and replacing it with good bacteria.  The overgrowth of too much bad can be just… bad.  And can cause many other health and digestive things.  The gut is the center of health (or not) for your body.  <–See?  I’m learning!  My goal with this plan is to eat carefully for a few weeks to heal my gut, so that I can have “normal” things once in a while without it wreaking havoc.

I’m officially joining the ranks of the crazy home-brewers.  Water Kefir is going to be my new hobby.  I really don’t like kombucha, milk kefir, sauerkraut, and all those other wonderful fermented probiotic foods, and the only one that I can stand… I feel SO LUCKY that water kefir is the one I need to have.

I am impatiently waiting for my kefir grains to activate!  What are water kefir grains?  I am just learning about them myself.  They are GOOD bacteria (not actual grains, just called that), that feed on sweet water and ferment a little to make a very healthy PROBIOTIC drink! It’s good for your gut to fight the bad bacteria, yeast, IBS, leaky gut, etc. It is yummy tasting and can be made fizzy as a healthy drink instead of pop or something.

I got these starter grains from Cultures for Health.  I really love their easy-to-follow (and fun colored!) instructions!  {And also the not-so-subtle confidence boost with “YOU CAN DO THIS! –>” Why yes, yes I can… thank you!}

image

So if you’ve wondered where I’ve been these last weeks, chances are I’m either trying not to die doing simple-LOOKING one-leg squats (don’t be fooled), experimenting with what I can eat without getting sick, or calling doctors and friends for advice.  No worries, just come on over — I can be found stirring up my first batch of healthy home brew, and soon YOU can try some too! 😀

 

UPDATE — June 23 —

My water kefir has been growing, fermenting and doing it’s thing amazingly!  We went camping last weekend and I hauled precious Water Kefir {this thing really needs a pet name} with me, and it didn’t die!!  So far I’ve made lemon (like a light, fresh lemonade), blueberry, mango-blueberry, black raspberry, and apple (like sparkling cider) flavored drinks.  I’m now bottling for the second fermentation – where you infuse the fruit flavors – so it gets fizzy.  My kids LOOOOVE it and it’s so fun to be able to give them a special drink that’s good for them!  And by all means, please stop by and try some – I so enjoy sharing the experience!

I got in to see a doctor this past week {during my family’s visit, yes, life has been crazy!} and she’s doing testing.  I am getting immediate help in the form of adrenal support, digestive enzymes, and gut-healing powder.  I feel blessed that after researching, I could go straight to the exact kind of doctor that I had wanted, and it seems I’m in the right place.  She’s determined to figure this out with me.  I am so grateful to be getting help on this journey.  We are also thankful for being a part of Samaritan Ministries which helps us cover medical expenses!

Our countertops come tomorrow!  I’m hoping that once I’m back to feeling good, and with our 3 visiting family trips this spring completed, I can get back to documenting our house progress.  Here’s an update from tonight:

This post contains affiliate links.  I only endorse things I wholeheartedly recommend and feel would be beneficial to you.  If you purchase any of the products, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  It’s a great way to help support this blog and keep it as ad-free as possible!

You Might Also Like

  1. Hannah M

    If anyone can be healed from this, it’s YOU! Your determination and drive will make you successful at this! And it certainly encourages me to keep looking and researching and not settling for anything less than complete healing with my own issues. I am looking forward to my next round of cleansing and healing and what all I might learn from you before I do it again. You totally got this!

    1. naomi

      Thanks, friend! You’ve been hugely instrumental in getting me on the right path!

  2. Erica

    Health issues is what made me clean up my diet recently as well! Hope you can heal – it’s such a drain to be feeling sick constantly.

    That’s amazing that you were able to heal your diastasis in 8 weeks! I tried a 12-week program and it did very little help me. Definitely going to try out that 5-day challenge!

    1. naomi

      Did it have breathing exercises? Learning proper alignment and breathing has been key for me. Let me know your thoughts after Olivia’s 5-day intro – I am curious as to why and what works as we learn to help our bodies heal!

  3. Amy

    Hi, Naomi. Just saw your interview with Olivia. I’m so happy for you in your successful diastasis healing. That’s great! I’m in the middle of going back through the bootcamp now. Many things have improved for me. I’m much older than you and my “baby” is 3, so I’m thankful for my progress, but I’m still a two finger width but very little depth. Anyway, I’m really interested in the kind of doctor you’ve chosen to help you with your health issues. I’m needing to find a doctor and was considering a functional doctor. I hope you are able to get really good results!
    Thanks,
    Amy

    1. naomi

      Thank you for hopping over to my blog and reading! 😀 I’ve only been to her once (so far) but I really, REALLY like my doctor. She’s actually a Naturopath. I know there can be quite a spectrum with that title, but she’s formally educated, not against conventional doctors, and runs tests, uses labs, etc. I’m blessed that it seems this is exactly the kind of place/doctor I was looking for. I love the holistic approach (she asked about all aspects of my life) and spent nearly 2 hours with me for my first ‘consult’ that cost $210 (cash-pay provider at that place). I hope you can find someone as well!

  4. Joanna (Paulus) Yong

    Good for you! And if you can work on healthy eating and making bone broth and water kefir, then so can I! I was going to several months ago, but then my bad eczema flare up went away and I lost my motivation. Not sure if I should be glad or sad. 🙂 But I just may get started now.
    Glad to hear you’re in Samaritan too!

    1. naomi

      I feel you! I am so much more motivated to make healthy choices when I have not been feeling good… 😛 It’s so hard when everything is going “good” to keep being disciplined!