The Healthy Post Natal Body Podcast
The Healthy Post Natal Body Podcast
Get the basics right. About exercise, diet...and podcasting
This week I talk about the importance of getting the basics right.
After recieving an email from someone who said that one of the advanced exercises was "too easy" I thought I'd better address the importance of focusing on the right bits.
Quite often we can overcomplicate things and look for solutions that are rather elaborate rather than just making sure the basics are covered.
Much like with podcasting and diet, getting the basics right in exercise is essential. The basics, of course, being "working the right muscles at the right time".
So that's what I'm talking about today.
Get the basics right and results will follow, always.
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So this means that you not only get 3 months FREE access, no obligation!
BUT, if you decide you want to do the rest of the program, after only 5 months of paying $10/£8 a month you now get FREE LIFE TIME ACCESS! That's $50 max spend, in case you were wondering.
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Hey, welcome to the Healthy Postnatal Body Podcast with your postnatal expert, peter Lap. That, as always, will be me. This is a From the Vault episode for the 17th of August 2025. And today I am bringing back an episode talking about getting the basics right. This was based on an email I had from someone who said all the exercises are too easy and I don't feel anything, and all that sort of stuff. And you know, if you have the basics wrong, if you're not focusing on the right bits and if you're not activating the right muscles, then certain exercises that should be tough can feel very, very easy, and the same goes for weight management. So I also talk a bit about getting the basics right with regards to weight management, focusing on the right things first and having the right order of things.
Peter:Next week, by the way, I have an amazing, an amazing interview about um dyslexia with um, um the dyslexia how to teach, how to teach it, the failings of our um, our education system, the feelings of testing and all that type of stuff. So stick around for that. We'll have interviews with. What is it? Russell van Brocklin. You're going to love that guy. He's absolutely amazing when it comes to this stuff. Anyways, that's for next week. This week, back to basics. Here we go.
Peter:Hey, welcome to the Alfie Postnatal Buddy Podcast. This is the podcast for the 12th of June 2022. And I know, originally I had planned to get one of the interviews out that I had done, but unfortunately my little boy dog buddy, is still not 100% and it took up a bit more time Just taking care of him and my motivation had dipped to do loads of editing and all that sort of stuff. So we're doing something else Because you know, at the end of the day, my show and I get to do what I want to do. I just have a little kitty here. She's asleep, sound asleep, my very, very pretty little kitty, and we're talking. Basically, I think you might.
Peter:I had an email and I want to start this off because it all ties in a little bit. I had an email from someone today or this week, sorry, who has a podcast recording studio in Edinburgh, and they said yeah, Pete, I love your podcast, but your sound quality is terrible. And you know they're not wrong. They are not wrong at all, and especially the older episodes they were. They were all terrible. Uh, and then I bought a new mic and a new setup and a beam and all that sort of thing and it still wasn't great. It was better, but it still wasn't great.
Peter:So I started looking at some videos and you know the thing that I I was, I was looking at maybe I don't know, um, putting soundproofing on the wall and putting up screens around me and all that sort of stuff. And then I was looking at some stuff online on the old YouTube and I noticed something other podcast hosts were doing that I didn't do, and that is stay close to the microphone. So the shiny new microphone that I've got, I just had it lying hanging off a wall and I was leaning back, recording all these things or being on Zoom and wanting the microphone out of shot of the camera and all that sort of stuff. So it turned out the mic was too far away, or at least that's what I thought. That was my conclusion. So I got in touch with one of my friends who also podcast Apologies who also podcast in the States, and he explained to me that, yeah, no, if you don't stay close to the mic, then your sound quality will be shit, because it picks up loads of echo and it starts to pick up loads of sound that you just don't need. Loads of stuff gets in the way, and that is why the microphone is now substantially closer to my face. So I was going to spend thousands of pounds basically building a studio and all that sort of stuff and it still wouldn't have fixed my problem.
Peter:And that is kind of what I want to talk about, because I had an email from somebody through this week that said to me Pete, I've been doing all the exercises but I can't tighten up the bit below my belly button. I'm paraphrasing here because I can't be bothered looking for the email because I didn't prepare that. I can't tighten up the bit below the belly button, it's still weak. So I said listen, these are the exercises that help. Things like TVA leg raises, wood choppers, bail-off presses or core presses, resistance band, core presses, that sort of stuff, and anti-rotational, that sort of anti-rotational stuff. So wood choppers with a hold, downward wood choppers with a hold and core presses with a hold and all that. They're all part of. You can find them all on the YouTube channel. They're all part of the program, right? All part of the healthy postnatal body program.
Peter:Now, the TVA leg raises I'm not sure they're in the first three months, because it's quite an advanced exercise. But this lady had been saying that she'd been working on this stuff for quite a while and her core was really, really strong, just, you know, just a bit below the belly button. It was not great. So that's what she wanted to work on. So I said, okay, these are the exercises you do. And she got back to me saying, yeah, I've done those exercises and they don't really help. I said how are you finding the TVA leg raises? Because that is the main one. Right, when we're talking postpartum recovery, you might have been on several websites and forums and all that. They always talk about the transverse abdominus, that middle layer, that deeper layer of the core, and that's what they're talking about engaging.
Peter:Now, the TVA leg raises that we do are specifically designed to target that. Like I said, you find them on our YouTube channel. I haven't seen other than Jeff Cavaliere. I haven't seen anyone else do them. They don't appear to be part of anybody else's postnatal program, which I think is odd. But you know what do I know? Yeah, so the point of the TVA leg raises is not necessarily that you're able to get the legs off the ground. So she said I can easily get my legs off the ground and all the way. Now, for anyone who's familiar with them through the program or you know, I'll link to them in the podcast description as well so you can have a look to the little YouTube video. Takes about 30 seconds or so.
Peter:The main thing about the TVA leg raises is that you're lying on your back and your top leg presses down into your bottom leg, so your legs cross apologies, straight legs. Legs cross the bottom leg presses down into your bottom leg, so your legs cross Apologies, straight legs. Legs cross the bottom leg presses down into your top, presses up into your top leg, and your top leg at the same time presses down into your bottom leg. Now, which leg is on top, which leg is at the bottom, really doesn't matter all that much for this, but that really then activates the TVI. And if you then combine that, then I talk about try to raise your legs, and you combine that with the core breath. So the core breath that is the basis of everything we do in the Healthy Postnatal Body Program and the basis of any good postpartum exercise program. That is just the way this gets your breathing right and then you will help your recovery if your breathing is wrong, then you won't be helping.
Peter:The exercises won't be as effective if your breathing, if your breathing, is incorrect. That is just the way it is and that is the way it is 100% of the time. But if you do that through the TVA leg raises, it makes your legs, it makes it really difficult to get your legs off the floor, and you definitely can't get them off the floor more than five to six inches, because that is when everything locks up right. It's physically impossible to do the TVA leg raise properly and get your legs all the way up in the air. That is just not how the body works, because for that you need to disengage the muscles that we're trying to engage right. So when someone says I can easily do this and my legs come all the way up, it means you're not quite doing them correctly and it's much the same.
Peter:If you then try to do loads of other stuff surgery, fancy exercises by exercise machines, pay a lot of money for different programs, whatever you do, work with personal trainers or physios and all that sort of stuff You're then doing what I was going to do with regards to redecorating the room You've ignored the basic thing. And if you ignore the basics, everything else, like I said, just falls apart. So you have to get the basics right. When there's an exercise in any postpartum program that feels ridiculously easy and that goes for glute bridges and and resistance band, glute kicks and all that sort of stuff, it means you're not doing them right. Apologies, as I go on my way through that little bit, you're not quite doing them right.
Peter:I've given this example before. I used to work with a bodybuilder type client. We were working mindset more than physique. That's why he came to me and we did a bit of core stuff and all that sort of thing. That guy could get more from a five kilogram dumbbell. A muscle engagement, just focusing on getting the basics right, could get more from a five kilogram dumbbell than I've seen most people get from a 30, 40 kilogram dumbbell or barbell. Because he gets the basics right. He really understood that everything to do with exercise and this is absolutely everything to do with exercise, when it comes to strength training at least is about maximum engagement of the muscles. It's not about being able to do something 100 times. It's about maximum engagement of the muscles every single repetition. So for postpartum exercise that means you have to start with the breathing, and every single time you do a repetition of an exercise, you have to breathe properly, you have to use the core breath If you want to get the maximum results from it. You can, of course, ignore it. You'll still get some benefit, but not necessarily the one you want.
Peter:Things like heel slides, which are in the very first four weeks of our postpartum program and a lot of postpartum programs, things like heel slides, are very, very simple and easy to do if you don't do them right. And this, this sounds annoying. I know that that because everyone can stick a leg in and stick a leg out and just go. Yeah, see, I can kick my legs straight in and out, but that is not the goal of the exercise. The goal of the exercise is to get maximum core activation, and that means that the exercise just became difficult Because you now have to make sure when you do that exercise and I got a link to it in the podcast description a bit as well is that you don't tilt your hips side to side, that you stay completely balanced as you move a leg out and in that your breathing is right, that your that your core, the side which of which the leg is kicking out that that has maximum engagement.
Peter:I have had people three, three, four or five years postpartum that are very experienced at exercise that cannot do the the heel slides properly, which is just insane right. Their body physically is incapable of doing that exercise because it's actually too advanced for them. The problem with not getting the basics right, the problem with things like if you can't do a heel slide properly or a TVA leg raise properly, is that your body will find a way to do something resembling that move and when that happens, your body cheats its way through the exercise. It will use the wrong muscles at the wrong time, or the wrong muscles at the right time, depending how you want to look at it. It focuses on getting the legs in and out 10 times and if you do that, you're going to struggle, because that's not the point of the exercise.
Peter:The point of any exercise with regards to strength training at least, and I would say any sort of athletic training as well the point of any exercise is to get you a bit closer to your goal, and your goal should never really be to just get through the exercise session. It can feel like that sometimes, I get it, but that should never be the the complete intent of of the exercise session. Right, the exercise sessions goals should be, I don't know, for postpartum recovery to recover postpartum, to heal your diastasis recti if you have neck pain. To heal neck pain, to recover from back pain or whatever it is. If you're an athlete, a runner, the goal is to get from A to B faster and more efficient so that you can perform again sooner afterwards. Right, some of the more athletic clients. They have several competitions in a short space of time, so that means your recovery has to be on point. So that means you need to be efficient in your exercise and it means looking at weaknesses and training the weaknesses out. And that could well be core training.
Peter:A lot of people come to me. There is nothing inherently wrong with them, they have no injuries, but they want to improve xyz balance, stability, core strength, their balance and all that sort of stuff. Or in the flexibility they want to improve their balance in a dynamic fashion. So I'm not talking about old man walking a tightrope or anything like that. I'm talking about a footballer being able to turn and twist and turn a bit quicker, while staying balanced, so that he can gain half a yard on his competitor. Um, we're talking people learning to do. Uh. Postpartum, we're talking about staying balanced whilst doing lunges and all that sort of stuff. Staying balanced through life, that you don't have to hold on to loads of stuff when you do things. A lot of postpartum women really struggle with their balance, you know, with their core stability, because, well, you've been pregnant for nine months and therefore your core is less stable, it disengages a little bit, it doesn't know how to do stability anymore because your alignment has changed and your posture has changed and all that sort of stuff. So retraining, that is very important, especially if you then combine that with athletic performance. So when an athlete comes to me prenatal when they're pregnant, and says what do we work on? That's what we work on Core activation, core stability, so that postpartum the recovery journey is a lot easier.
Peter:As I just turned away from the mic, so if that was softer I apologize. I'm trying to figure out how to keep my head still. I'm quite animated when I talk usually, which you can probably hear in the tone right, so getting the basics right is important. So when we look at the basics of postpartum recovery other than muscle activation and breathing and all that sort of stuff. Rest is key. Rest is so important and we get that wrong an awful lot because we're kind of not set up for rest, at least in the West. And if you recall an interview I did a long time ago with gm whitley uh guangming whitley about uh saoyezu, the chinese have it's a custom of sitting the month but, um, basically they give birth in there for 30 days. Um, someone else is in your house doing everything for you other than you know looking after the baby, you after the baby. The rest is taken care of and it comes with a special diet and eating well and all that sort of stuff. I'm not going to go too deep into it. I will link to the episode if I can find it. It'll be in there somewhere. They realize that rest is important and recovery is important. So that's a biggie.
Peter:Looking after yourself is important. That's one of the basics of postpartum recovery Looking after yourself, self-care, not constantly putting yourself last Right, like I said, eating well. I'm not talking about not eating any certain things, I'm talking about eating well, eating for health, eating for recovery. If you don't do those things, you tend to really struggle. Asking for help is a big one. If you need help, ask for it. It's important.
Peter:And with regards to physical recovery postpartum, start doing your Kegel exercises and do them properly about two to three weeks after you've given birth, as soon as you feel ready for them. And then, when you pick a postpartum program, a postpartum exercise routine, just make sure that you focus on the basics. Get the technique right In the beginning. That really really matters. Get your muscle activation properly. Get your muscle activation right. And again, whether you choose Mutu or Healthy Postnatal Body or something like that, it doesn't really matter. That is what the focus is anyways. Right, muscle activation is absolutely everything. That interview I did with jessica marie rose legio about uh, about running, postpartum and all that sort of stuff, running technique and all that sort of thing um, that was all about. You know, get your muscle activation right.
Peter:That is what we're talking about, about the muscle needs to contract properly and needs to release properly as well. So you're not just training muscles to get tight and tighter and tighter and tighter, you also want them to be able to relax. A lot of people find this problem with their pelvic floor right. A lot of people I mean men and women, but predominantly postpartum women have issues with their pelvic floor, that it's almost too tight and that it just doesn't release anymore. A muscle needs to be able to relax as well as contract. It needs to be able to lengthen as well as get shorter. That is the way of the world. So stretching then becomes a thing, right?
Peter:Uh, postpartum for recovery, you need to supplement with one or two things. You know, everybody knows how you take your folic acid and all that sort of stuff, but there are a lot of benefits of zinc and magnesium, as several of the dieticians that have been on the podcast will tell you. So taking a good multivitamin is not a bad thing to do. Anyways, those are the basics. When you do the exercise program, just make sure that you focus on getting the basics of the exercise right. So when you're squatting, you're not just going up and down. You think I'm dropping down, exhaling on the way up, engaging my glutes on the way up Right For TVA leg raises. You know, if an exercise feels easy, it probably means that you're not quite getting it right. So think about that. Are you getting the most from the exercise? Are you getting what you should be getting from the exercise as you're doing it? All right?
Peter:Speaking of getting the basics right, I've got a little like behind the label or read the label. Remember the behind the label thing that I used to do? Well, now it's read the label of this week. So I shop at Tesco regularly. It's my supermarket of choice because it's nearby and and I buy bread and I buy brown bread, and usually what I buy is high fiber malted loaf. Right, it's just brown bread, it's just small, small brown bread thing. The other day I didn't, I bought something else, the other brown bread, seeded loaf or something like that, and Tesco on the side of their little thing, on the side of the label, it says calories per slice.
Peter:Now I'd like you to guess, just top of my head, as you're listening to this, what the difference in calories are for brown bread, high-fiber malted loaf on one hand and seeded loaf on the other. There's no difference in size of the slice, anything like that. It's not like the slice is bigger or whatever, and it's not like it's covered in seeds. Now, we know the seeded one is going to be higher, right, because it's seeds, and seeds, by definition, are relatively calorific. We know this, same as peanuts and all that sort of stuff, nuts and all that sort of thing. I'm not saying they're bad for you, I'm saying they're more calorific. Bad for you. I'm saying they're more calorific. But guess what? The difference is? Just top of my head. I'm going on top of your head.
Peter:Nice, high fiber malted loaf is 84 calories per slice. Right, it's reasonable, it's pretty good going. The seeded loaf is 160 odd calories per slice. So that is double. That is double. That is double what the other loaf is, what the other bread is. And that just shows you that if I don't pay attention to reading the label and I regularly don't because I bought it already I just thought, well, wait a minute, this has a different effect. It's, if I have four pieces of bread with whatever I have on them, of the high-fiber malted loaf, I'll consume 320, 330 calories. If I consume four slices of the other one, I'm at 600 calories, 600 plus. And I've not even put anything on the bread yet. And that is kind of the problem, because all of a sudden, my healthy meal, which is not too filling, or my healthy snack, if I just want a slice of bread with something on it peanut butter or something like that my healthy snack becomes a heavy snack.
Peter:Okay, I'm not saying it's unhealthy, I'm just saying I can eat significantly less of one than I can of the other. And for weight management that really matters. You know, I've said my weight management is always the same. If I feel my belt getting a bit tight, I tighten up a little bit. That is the way it goes. I refuse to buy bigger clothes. That's never going to happen. So I tighten things up a little bit.
Peter:But does mean just being aware of of what you're buying and, like I said, I used to do this all the time. Just being aware of what you're buying really, really matters. Getting the basics right. If I eat my high fiber malt loaf and it's it's it tastes nicer than it sounds. By the the way, I know that anything that says high fiber can taste a little bit wonky sometimes it sounds a bit wonky at least, but it's genuinely nice bread that I enjoy eating. I just also enjoy the other one and I don't care that much between the two.
Peter:What I do care about is being aware of what I'm putting into my body, and a chunk of that is, you know, being aware of the effect will have on me with regards to weight management or fat management, or whatever you want to call it. I don't want to get fat, that's all I'm saying. So I choose to stay. So I need to make sure I get the basics right and check the label every now and again when I buy stuff, so how bread can make you fat. Well, that's a good way to do it buying the wrong kind of bread without you noticing anything, without you gaining anything extra from it. All of a sudden, you're just gaining the extra pounds because you know, an extra slice of bread, extra 160 calories, right? For if you just have two slices of bread extra 160 calories a day, it does add up right. If you have bread every day especially, then you're looking at roughly 500, 600 grams of weight gain a month, which, you know, times seven is your stony year, and that is where all those extra bits of weight come from. The sneaky stone we call it right. Anyways, the basics are important. That's all I'm trying to say. That's all I'm trying to say. Anyways, that's the podcast done for yet another week.
Peter:Peter at HealthyPostnatalBodycom. If you have any questions, I promise you I'm doing the intros and outros for the next couple of interviews, today and tomorrow. I've got another interview coming up tomorrow. So the next few weeks you'll get hopefully better sound quality because I'll be closer to the microphone and I'll get the basics right. You get the basics right, you get your exercises done and focus on the right things and you will get results every single time. Obviously healthy postnatal bodycom, if you have, if you wanta three month free postnatal uh program and all that sort of stuff. Like I always say cancel on day one, I genuinely don't care, it's fine. It's say cancel on day one, I genuinely don't care, it's fine, it's completely fine. Cancel on day one if you have no intention of keeping it going past the three months, and that means you get three months completely free access without anything, any sales pitches or anything like that. I don't send follow-up emails saying why did you leave me Right? Anyways, new bit of music. You take care of yourself.
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