QuestionHi,
My son is now 32 months old. I am not back to my pre-pregnancy weight ( was 50kg and now 55kg standing at 5ft 2 inch). My biggest concern is on my ribcage. I am sure it has expanded during my pregnancy. I can zip all my dresses all the way till the mid-back of my spine. Is there exercise that I can do to bring it back to before or is it too late?
AnswerThe lower ribs expand a lot during pregnancy, especially with petite women who have less length in the torso than taller women.
Yes, you can re-bevel your ribs with exercise.
First, you should start building strength in your deepest abdominal muscle, your Transverse Abdominis, or TvA. This muscle compresses the abdomen, and since it connects into the lower ribs too, helps narrow the rib cage. Then after the TvA has gotten stronger, you can perform exercises that challenge the ribs to stay compressed and small as you move your arms. These types of moves should be learned without weights or resistance, then once you learn how to do the moves properly, you can add free weights or resistance bands.
To learn how to contract your TvA, go to page: http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html and look at the 3rd and 4th videos. The model is pregnant, but the basic moves are the same.
