Shakira was right. Your hips don’t lie.

Last week I started my 5 part series on reasons why Mamas can’t seem to get rid of that little Mummy Tummy post birth (CLICK HERE FOR PART 1).  Today I am tackling Part 2.

Sometimes, no matter how many abdominal exercises Mamas do, they still have that little belly pouch.  There are so many things that factor into that small bulge that never seems to budge (diet, excess skin, dysfunctional lower abdominals, posture) so I am going to address a big one.  Stretching!

Over time, from sitting all day long and picking up our little bubs over and over again, our hips tighten.  That shortens the muscles in our hips and what with our abdominal muscles being all stretched out, it throws our alignment off.  The picture below is a great representation of what happens to our bodies with tight hips.  The first picture is a perfectly aligned body and the second is of a skeleton that is off-balance because of tight hips.

Here is a photo of one of my Mamas (who agreed to share her sway back) to show you where Mamas typically start from when they have tight hips.

So the next step in the process of working on our Mummy Tummies’ is stretching those hips out.  When you start to lengthen those muscles, and work on shortening your abdominal muscles, your body starts to fall in alignment.  And, a major bonus, you will notice significantly less back pain!

If you look in the mirror and recognize this sway or if you find you have constant lower back pain, I recommend you add some of the stretches below on a daily basis.  They don’t take more than 5 minutes and you can do them right before bed.

If you are looking for some one on one help with aligning your body and getting your fitness back check out my WORK{OUT} WITH ME section on my site.  I love helping Mamas feel like themselves again.

Happy Stretching!

Baby Mama and Body Boss,
Jenn