Bad News: Mummy Tummy Is Serious. Good News is, You Can Fix It
Fixing mummy tummy is important for health reasons as well. Having excess abdominal fat can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. It can also lead to chronic back pain, sleep apnea, and poor posture. It is thus important to take steps to reduce excess abdominal fat for both cosmetic and health reasons. Furthermore, it can lead to poor posture, as the weakened muscles can impair the body’s ability to maintain its correct alignment. It can also cause weakened core muscles, which can lead to increased risk of injury during physical activity. Poor core strength can also negatively affect the digestive system, as the weakened muscles can impair the body’s ability to process food efficiently.
Often misunderstood as merely cosmetic, many women are unaware that they can correct their mom pooch, as well as lower back pain. Easily.
Abs crunches are not the answer!
The Mother’s Tummy Overhang: What Is It?
Overhanging mummy tummies are caused by subcutaneous fat in the abdomen that hangs over your waistline. Mummy Tummy is commonly seen in women after periods of weight loss or gain following childbirth.
Several other names have been given to mommy tummy because of its appearance, including:
- Apron belly
- Pannus stomach
- Hanging belly after pregnancy
- Mommy overhang
What Is The Difference Between The Stomach Overhang And The Mommy Tummy?
In order to determine whether you have a mommy tummy overhang or a mommy pouch, you must first differentiate between the two.
- As the name suggests, the overhang refers to overhanging abdominal fat that drapes over your waistline like an apron. For instance, the overhang will hang more when seated and can create an unsightly bulge when wearing tight clothing.
- As the name implies, a mummy tummy is a bulge in the middle of your abdomen, which may or may not be associated with an excess of abdominal fat. Some women may develop a mummy tummy due to weak core muscles, or due to the weight of the uterus during pregnancy, even if they don’t have an overhang of abdominal fat.
What Causes Mummy Tummy?
Diastasis recti causes mummy tummy. Diastasis recti is a condition that occurs when the abdominal muscles separate and weaken during pregnancy. It can cause the midsection to bulge, resulting in a mummy tummy. During pregnancy, the growing uterus stretches the abdominal muscles and can cause them to separate in the middle, resulting in weakened abdominal muscles. This can lead to a mummy tummy where the abdominal muscles appear to protrude outward. Over time, the weakened abdominal muscles can also cause the stomach to hang over the waistline, resulting in an overhanging mommy tummy.
How Do I Get Rid Of My Mummy Tummy?
The next question is, can you remove the mummy pooch without surgical intervention?
Yes, the answer is yes…
Performing hundreds of sit-ups will not get rid of your mummy tummy.
Only by reducing your overall body fat percentage will you be able to lose extra fat anywhere on your body. In order to create a calorie deficit, you can burn more calories (through physical activity) or consume fewer calories through your diet. Fat cells are concentrated in the belly as a result of excess body fat and weight gain.
What About Special Exercises That Can Get Rid of Mummy Tummy?
Sadly, there aren’t any exercises that are proven to effectively get rid of your mommy tummy.
Exercises alone cannot get rid of mummy tummy because they only target the abdominal muscles and do not address the excess fat that is concentrated in the belly.
Mummies have found that a sensible diet and right therapies are effective in tightening their tummies. The great news is, it does not matter how long it has been since you delivered your child. The following are three helpful tips that can assist you in reducing your Mummy-Tummy (or diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA), or diastasis recti).
How to Get Rid of Your Mummy Tummy #1: Strengthen Your Core Muscles
Separation of your abdominal muscles leads to a weakness in the core muscles, specifically in your transversus abdominis, or TA muscle.
The transversus abdominis muscle is a deep abdominal muscle that wraps around the entire abdominal area and acts as a corset, providing stability to the spine and abdominal organs. It is the deepest of the flat abdominal muscles and helps support the lower back and abdominal organs.
Retraining Transversus Abdominis Muscles to Get Rid of Mummy Tummy
You will be able to tighten your tummy by retraining your transversus abdominis muscle, since the TA muscle is essentially a corset that surrounds your abdomen. The science shows that it is not the “gap” between the muscles that causes the stomach pouches, but rather the lack of tension between them. Your belly will flatten regardless of whether you have a wide gap or a strong transversus abdominis muscle.
Imagine a line extending from your belly button to your pubic bone to engage your TA muscle. Using this imaginary line as a reference, gently pull your abdominal muscles towards your spine. Maintain a relaxed posture above your belly button. A feeling of tightening should be felt – these are the muscles of your transversus abdominis.
Repeat 5 times activating the transversus abdominis muscle during the full exhalation and relaxing it during the inhalation. In order to strengthen the transversus abdominis muscles effectively, you must engage the core during all your movements, especially lifting and carrying, as well as during exercise.
How to Get Rid of Your Mummy Tummy #2: Watch Your Posture
As a parent, it is difficult to think about your posture while chasing after and picking up your children.
Sadly, mothers often neglect their postural muscles while feeding and carrying their children. Your core stability muscles are activated when you stand, sit, and move with proper posture, and as we discussed earlier, your core plays an important role in the tightening of your abdomen.
If you sit slumped over, consider how much your belly hangs. As a result, the diaphragm, which is responsible for breathing, is squashed down. Your organs are also pushed against the abdomen. The muscles can support and tighten around your organs when you sit with your ribs stacked over your pelvis.
Make sure that your weight is supported by your sit bones, which are the two bony protrusions located at the bottom of your pelvis, roll your pelvis so that your front hip bones are pointing straight forward, and lengthen your ribs away from your hips as you sit. You will fbe able to eel some deep muscles being engaged immediately.
How to Get Rid of Your Mummy Tummy #3: Eat Right
Nutrition is of utmost importance.
A connective tissue called the linea alba connects the abdominal muscles in the middle. You will flatten your tummy by creating tension on the linea alba, which stretches during pregnancy.
Collagen is a protein that is found in connective tissue. Collagen is also a component of your digestive system. In order to support the linea alba, it is essential to consume foods rich in collagen and gelatin.
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