When your core is broken and you feel disconnected from your body, getting help is so important. But depending on where you live, there may not be much help nearby. Which is why I love that The Tummy Team offers online abdominal and pelvic floor rehab. But sometimes I want a more personal touch and that is where Skype sessions come in.
Last week I had my Skype Session with Kelly Dean. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a great experience. The biggest help was her correction of my alignment. It turns out that I was right when I concluded that I was tucking my pelvis, but not as much as I thought. However, in my effort to correct my pelvic alignment I was shifting my ribs forward. Not thrusting my ribs forward and opening them up exactly, but more like shifting my whole rib cage off center from my pelvis. I’m so glad that Kelly caught that before I spent too many more weeks in bad alignment. It definitely feels awkward, but it will be something great for me to work on.
She also gave me tips to help with the upper back pain I have. Keeping my eyes on the horizon whenever possible, even if just as a break from whatever my current activity is. Also keeping my elbows in rather than flaring them outward like chicken wings. She also recommended adjusting my laptop for the best arm position and then tipping the screen to better accommodate my neck and head.
As far as lifting my son, she suggested holding him close and toward the center of my body so that he isn’t pulling me one way or the other out of alignment. One of things I like most about Kelly’s philosophy is that she realizes that our bodies were made to live. Sometimes we have to do things that aren’t ideal, like bending over or carrying a child on our hip for an extended period of time. But if we do the best we can the rest of the time, our bodies will be strong enough to handle those sub-optimal times.
We talked about my goal of getting healthy for my next pregnancy and how to orient my life to avoid too much bending in half. Suggestions such as having the children help pick up toys since they are closer to the floor (also has the added benefit of helping them learn responsibility). Most of my questions got answered in the course of our meeting and she even touched on a few things I hadn’t thought of.
Tips to prepare for a Skype session with Kelly
Write down questions ahead of time
Kind of like preparing for a doctor’s appointment, come to your session with a prepared list of questions. Don’t just sit down a few days before either. Make lists as you work through the program. My session was part way through week 4. I recommend keeping track of any questions you have starting day one or two of the program. If your questions gets answered in the course of the program that’s great, but at least you have them written down in case they don’t.
Take notes
Kelly has a lot of great things to say, so make sure you are ready to take some notes so you don’t forget her advice. I found it helpful to keep a pen and paper right next to my laptop so I didn’t have to look fully away from the screen while I took notes.
Make sure you have room to move
I anticipated this so I had my laptop set up downstairs on my dining room table instead of on the couch or coffee table. If you can set up your computer so that you can take a few steps back and let Kelly see your alignment that’s ideal.
Try to find a time when the kids aren’t around
This was a hard one for me. With me being in a different time zone than Kelly it was a little awkward but I managed to get an appointment during my kids nap time and made sure to get them fed and to bed with time to spare. But I can’t imagine being able to properly converse with Kelly if my children were running around.
The Skype session was a great experience and I recommend it, if only for the help with alignment. Obviously seeing a specialist in person is ideal, but if Kelly or another core specialist is not available in your area, the Skype session is a good alternative.
Tummy Team Week 4: Pelvic Floor
Repairing My Core: Reviewing the Core Foundations 8-week Online Training Program with the Tummy Team
Tummy Team Week 3: Neutral Pelvis and Core Strength
I have been provided with complimentary access to this training program in order to review it. All opinions expressed are my own and I am not compensated for my reviews. However, all posts may contain affiliate links.
