This is an introduction to what is called Pregnancy Abdominal Bracing, with a short story about how one pregnant mum had less round ligament pain when walking once she learned how to do this exercise. One of the purposes of learning pregnancy abdominal bracing is to support the weight of the uterus as your baby or babies grow during your pregnancy.…

Studies have shown that not all women will do their pelvic floor exercises effectively, and in fact, sometimes the muscles have been shown to be going down, instead of up, for some women. As you can't see your pelvic floor muscles, it can be hard to tell, so when it is possible, seeking further advice from a pelvic health physiotherapist, especiall…

Often postnatal mums when asked to stand on one leg or test a lunge out for the first time, are surprised at how wobbly or unsteady they feel. As a starting point, gaining awareness, either during your pregnancy or after the birth, of your pelvis position is one step towards postnatal returning to fitness and running. One of my friends who returned…

In this solo podcast episode, Dianne talks about the term Preferential Recruitment. Preferential recruitment suggests that when you are lying down on your back to do a sit up or curl up, the rectus abdominis muscles, especially the upper segments, will work "preferentially" when you lift your head up. This is a term Dianne first heard over 20 years…

After a summer pause break, Dianne returns with some solo podcasts to give practical tips for instant use. Being a Mum often means that you need to be in a state of awareness and alertness on what's going on in your family with your children and / or baby, a lot of the day. Daily stressors can build up and last year in a podcast with Dr Cate Howell…

Angela North joins Dianne for a second podcast about Mindfulness at Play: Parenting healthy, happy children with old wisdom and new science, a book co-written with Dr Stephen McKenzie, published by Exisle Publishing in 2023. With 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families, Angela employs play therapy, and is passio…

In this podcast Kate Thomson from The Mamas Alchemist talks about how in her role as a Registered Midwife and a Chinese Medical Practitioner, she supports women holistically during their pregnancy and after the birth. In Chinese Medicine, the first 40 days after the birth are considered to impact the next 40 years of a mother’s life. Honoring the v…

Dr Cate Howell talks about her new book The Flourishing Woman - A mental health and well being guide, recently published by Exisle Publishing. Dr Cate Howell is a GP, therapist, researcher, educator and author with over 40 years of training and experience in the health sphere. She is passionate about the areas of mental health, wellbeing and counse…

Parenting affects every element of our lives, and in this podcast Psychologist and author Angela North, gives insights into how mindfulness can lighten the load of being a parent. Angela North and Dr Stephen McKenzie have written the book Mindfulness at Play: Parenting healthy, happy children with old wisdom and new science, recently published by E…

This is a podcast that takes a deviation from our usual focus, and explores the book Untethered, Living the digital nomad life in an uncertain world, as Dianne talks to the author Nathan James Thomas. Untethered was published earlier this year, by Exisle Publishing. Nathan James Thomas bought a ticket for 20,000 kilometres on the Greyhound Bus netw…

Dr Abby Halpin is a Physical Therapist and Coach, and runs Forte Performance and Physical Therapy. Abby helps musicians, instrumentalists and performers feel and sound their best. She also works with athletes. With a doctorate in physical therapy and 13 years of clinical experience as a PT and personal trainer, Abby has carved out her path to inclu…

In this Part 2 of the podcast with Carrie Hall, Carrie goes through the breathing cycle of inspiration and expiration, and how you can become aware of feeling your rib expansion in 360 degrees directions, to the front, sides and back parts of your ribs. She explains how the diaphragm moves downwards, and when the pelvic floor is functioning normall…

In this podcast Physiotherapist Rebecca Sabine talks about issues affecting postnatal return to running and how having a plan that targets the specific needs of your body helps as you return to running and exercise after having a baby or children. Rebecca (Beck) is a Women’s, Men’s and Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist (APA titled) with a special intere…

Carrie Hall has been a physical therapist since 1983, earning her undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University and graduate degree from Washington University in Saint Louis. Her philosophical approach toward physical therapy is founded in the movement system approach as developed by Dr Shirley Sahrmann, Pt, PhD, who became Carrie's long time me…

Paula Hindle Cofounded Unlocking Her Potential with Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Libby Trickett and joins Dianne to discuss their UP Mums Holistic Postnatal Program. Paula is an Holistic Physio and Women's Health coach and Yoga teacher. Through the UP Mums Program Libby and Paula aim to provide a supportive community through their facebook members…

Kelly Dean is the founder of The Tummy Team and a Physical Therapist with over 25 years of experience. Through finding out how to heal and recover from her own 6 finger diastasis (abdominal muscle separation), Kelly created functional core rehab programs as well as having one to one client appointments that are available internationally. In this po…

David Greenwalt is a Certified Health Coach, fitness expert and author. In 1997 he discovered an evidence-based approach for getting off his own 50 excess pounds and keeping it off for 25 years. Since 1999, through his company Leanness Lifestyle University, David has been helping student members, from every walk of life, lose excess fat and keep th…

Taryn Watson is a Women's Health Physiotherapist and one of the Directors of Fitright HQ in Applecross, WA, which is a Centre for Women's Health and Exercise. In this podcast Taryn talks with Dianne about what got her thinking about postnatal checks with physiotherapists and the many benefits of these being earlier 6 weeks. She explores why it is t…

Alex Phillips is the co-Founder of Saint Belford and the Host of the Saint Belford podcast. She talks with Dianne about how self-care practices change with the different seasons of life, including during pregnancy and along the postnatal journey. What you put in your self-care toolkit can be adjusted over time, together with your habits and rituals…

Marietta Mehanni has had a passion for group fitness for over 30 years and has a range of aqua education and mentoring services for fitness professionals. In this podcast Marietta talks about the many benefits of exercising in the water for, both in a group fitness setting and when you are in the pool doing your own program. She talks about the var…

Calum Wilson is the co-owner of BUMP Health and Fitness, which offers mothers and expectant mothers a supportive fitness community which is purpose built to cater for the pre or postnatal fitness journey. Currently based in Sydney, BUMP offers carefully considered classes which can be tailored to any stage of pre or post pregnancy or indeed any fit…

Paula Hindle is the Cofounder of Unlocking Her Potential, an Integrative Women’s Health coach, Physiotherapist, trained in Exercise Science and a Yoga teacher. In this podcast Paula talks about how Unlocking Her Potential came from her following promptings to step up and play big. She shares parts of her story in the journey she has been on, before…

Marietta Mehanni has over 30 years of experience in teaching group fitness and is an international presenter, presenting at fitness conferences all over the globe. In this episode she talks with Dianne about elements of postnatal fitness when returning to Step in the postnatal months, usually after at least 6 - 8 weeks following the birth. Marietta…

Lara Jezeph is a Pre and Postnatal Trainer at Virtual PT based in South Australia who experienced a traumatic birth and a difficult postpartum journey. Lara sought out help and support from a range of professionals on her healing journey and she now empowers mums during and after pregnancy. Her mission is to give mums the support and care that they…

This solo episode with Dianne is a form of pregnancy relaxation with a focus on an easy breath out, gently moving the body away from a position of tension into what is called a "position of ease", where key phrases can be used in any position when you are in labour. By practicing during pregnancy it can be easier to use during labour. A "simple" co…

Clare Hozack from IntoYou in the northern beaches of Sydney, NSW, brings her athletic background into women’s training, where she and her team approach motherhood like a sport. Clare discusses how the repetitive tasks of parenthood are trainable. Training can be modified to empower women while considering the areas of the body that are recovering f…

Mags O’Leary runs Strong from the Inside Out Women's Fitness in Adelaide, SA. Mags works with women to inspire and empower them, having become a Personal Trainer in her quest to find out how to train in the ways she needed, after a difficult postnatal recovery journey. She talks about her story, and some of the unexpected complications that she exp…

Amy Mitchell and Laura Hill talk about the graded return to postnatal fitness and running. Amy is a women’s health and fitness coach from Goddess Outdoor Fitness and Laura is a women’s health physiotherapist at iMove Physiotherapy and The Running Room. Both work in Rozelle, in Sydney, NSW. Amy speaks about some of the lessons she learned from her o…

Chantal Traub is a top New York City birth facilitator, doula, childbirth educator and a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach with 20 plus years of practice. In this 5 Minute Moment with Chantal, you can practice several of the breathing and pelvic floor visualisations with her. In the full length episode 32, Optimize your Birth with Chantal T…

Chantal Traub is a top New York City birth facilitator, doula, childbirth educator and a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach with 20 plus years of practice. She discusses with Dianne some of the ways she helps pregnant people prepare for birth, through posture, alignment and body-based movement, developing mindfulness practices during pregnan…

This short clip is from the full length Episode 30 on the Parasympathetic Benefits of mSwing where Marietta Mehanni talks about how mSwing movement patterns can enhance and improve athletic movement patterns, so when a postnatal mum isn't back to her sport yet, she can still gain improvements. Dianne talks about how the patterns of movement in mSwi…

This episode explores how mSwing can help bring calming effects to the nervous system through a number of its benefits, some of which have been experienced by Dianne, podcast host. Marietta Mehanni is a fitness educator and international presenter and co-created mSwing with Physiotherapist Mark Davis. There are so many benefits to mSwing, using 1 d…

In this 5 Minute Matters episode Marietta Mehanni talks with Dianne Edmonds about her personal experience with mSwing and how it can help to restore the rhythm of breathing in our body. Marietta is a fitness educator and international presenter from Melbourne Australia and was Australian fitness presenter of the year in 2018 and 2016 NZ Educator of…

In the second of our 5 Minute Matters episodes, Marietta Mehanni outlines her thoughts on how movement needs to be higher up in our priorities. mSwing is a tool than be used in 1 or 2 minutes, 5 to 10 minutes through to 20 to 30 minutes to give powerful benefits. Marietta is a fitness educator and international presenter and co-created mSwing with …

In the first of our 5 Minute Matters episodes, Marietta Mehanni highlights some powerful benefits of mSwing, which she co-created with Physiotherapist Mark Davis. Marietta is a fitness educator and international presenter and in the full first episode (24) she discusses the many benefits of mSwing which uses a single dumbbell and replicates a lot o…

Sophie Villeneuve from Beyond Birthing talks with Dianne about taking a pro- active approach during pregnancy to help with postnatal recovery. Sophie is a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist from Canada and shares her insights and expertise including what she is doing during her own pregnancy as she prepares for the birth of her first baby. She is passio…

Marianne Ryan is a Physical Therapist from New York and the author of the Baby Bod book and creator of Baby Bod program for Postpartum women. She talks to Dianne about some of her early advice for postpartum mums after having a caesarean or C section, including ways to move comfortably, getting support and scar tissue massage techniques. Find Maria…

Marietta Mehanni is a fitness educator, international presenter, and the co creator of mSwing and is from Melbourne, Australia. Marietta and Dianne discuss the many benefits of mSwing for postnatal mums, including how using it for even 2 – 3 minutes helps you to feel calmer, more alert and move with more fluidity and flow. mSwing uses a single dumb…

Fiona Rogers from Pelvic Floor Exercise talks with Dianne about pelvic floor equipment that could enhance the recovery of the pelvic floor for some postnatal mums. She highlights taking the time needed to “let yourself heal” following pregnancy and childbirth and gives advice on getting back to activity during this special time. Using her recent pe…

Sam Kirker from Iron Sistas Personal Training in Newman WA, talks with Dianne about some of the things postnatal mums can focus on during their recovery, to help them prepare for returning to boxing. She talks about pelvic floor and postnatal core training tips plus covers some stretches and foam rolling ideas to help regain movement patterns ready…

To launch Season 3 Dianne talks to Michelle Kenway from Brisbane in Queensland about postnatal fitness, where Michelle shares her return to running advice. Michelle is a Physiotherapist and author of the international bestselling Inside Out series of books and DVDs. She founded Pelvic Exercises to help women access quality information about exercis…

Marietta Mehanni from Melbourne Victoria talks with Dianne about using the Gymstick as a tool for postnatal training and strengthening in returning to fitness and running. Resistance through the bands can be altered allowing levels of exercise challenge to fit the stage of recovery that a postnatal mum is at. The feeling of pull through the bands g…

Recorded at the time where the restrictions start to ease in Australia, this podcast gives pregnant mums specific advice to help during this unusual time in our lives. Dianne Edmonds speaks with Angelina Lee from PhysioForward in Tasmania, and together they go through 9 Pregnancy tips. For more information visit The Pregnancy Centre. For online Phy…

During this time, stress and challenges facing postnatal Mums, means sometimes it's not easy to fit in aspects of fitness into your 'routine'. Dianne speaks again with Angelina Lee from PhysioForward in Tasmania, and together they have 9 Postnatal tips for mums at this time. For more information on early postnatal fitness options visit The Pregnanc…

Simone Kay from Cairns, PT at Train for Life, talks with Dianne back in January about fitness and returning with focus for postnatal mums. Interoception is an area to explore further, with quieting down required to tune into and connect to what your body is saying to you at that moment of time. Simone talks about her own running and journey with Sp…

Dianne talks to Theresa Prior, PT from Westmeadows in Melbourne, Victoria about motherhood guilt. She advocates snippets of movement throughout the day and Theresa shares aspects of her personal story in changing professions from being a teacher to becoming a PT and some insights she gained through her own postnatal return to fitness. Pearls of wis…

Mags O’Leary became a Personal Trainer to help her own postnatal recovery, looking for the skills to modify her training to protect her pelvic floor. Mags talks about how her body was affected by the birth of her son, and some of the unexpected complications that came following an “easy” pregnancy. After her 6 week check she started running again, …

Angelina Lee from PhysioForward in Penguin Tasmania joins podcast host Dianne again to continue the discussion about postnatal return to fitness and running. Incidental exercise ie fitting in fitness during activities involving babies and young children is one thing Angelina found very helpful in her own postnatal fitness recovery. She also dives d…

Kylianne Farrell is the founder of Move for Mental Health and shares her background with Dianne in this podcast, and how it has influenced her work in fitness and mental health advocacy. Kylianne is an Ambassador for the Gidget Foundation raising funds through Cape to Cape Hikes and fundraising events to help provide counselling services for famili…

Angelina Lee, Physiotherapist and owner of PhysioForward in Penguin Tasmania, talks to host Dianne on aspects of postnatal fitness and return to running strategies. She harnesses the time Mum's have to enhance the benefits of incidental exercises during the day, and optimizes pelvic floor recovery choosing positions to focus on the front aspect of …