Lead Articles - For Mums

Mummy baby belly massage

Dianna Henry — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Being pregnant is a time in a woman’s life when there is a whirlwind of changes occurring. Whether they are happening for the first time or not it is a massive time of change.

Pregnancy for anyone can be a stressful time, an enlightening experience, or a series of both. Fortunately, there are a multitude of services available to you at this time, including remedial massage.

We all know that a regular massage has its benefits; improved relaxation, decreased muscle tension, deceased pain in affected areas, as well as aiding in the removal of toxins through stimulation of the lymphatic system, just to name a few. Along with these benefits a pregnancy massage has its own special benefits.

A regular massage throughout your pregnancy has been shown to help decrease anxiety, lymphatic swelling, lower the neonatal stress hormones, help combat postural deviations brought about by carrying the extra weight, it can improve maternal mood, as well as neonatal health and development.

Because your health isn’t self-indulgence...
It’s self preservation.

At White Stone we use a special pregnancy table (allowing you to comfortably position yourself face down or on your tummy) to help to ensure Mum’s comfort at all times. The girls here take that little bit extra time to insure that all is well throughout the entire treatment. Expecting Mum’s are also able to enjoy the experience with the added bonus of naturally inducing the little one by using the relating trigger points found around the lower legs and feet (ends up to be an amazing foot massage). www.whitestonemassage.com.au

It is never too late to start being really fit

Dianna Henry — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

My Mum wasn't particularly athletic as a child. She spent her days running around the hills near where she grew up but didn't go out of her way to be involved in formal sport. In high-school she was a reserve for the netball team. She always enjoyed watching sport though, and actually met my dad in Holland because she was scoring for the cricket game he was playing in! She has been a mad keen spectator of any sport - live or on tv for most of her life. As a mother, she spent her days ferrying my sister and I to training and events for all the sports we were involved with. Like most working mums, there wasn't a lot of time left to pursue her own interests.

But now that my sister and I are older, she has discovered something that she absolutely loves. Bushwalking. And all the associated activities. Last year, Mum joined a bushwalking club and now all her waking hours (and probably the sleeping ones!) are spent training for, planning or doing an expedition. A few years back she took up running and did a few fun runs (including the Sydney City-to-surf) but that wasn't enough to keep her hooked. Bushwalking isn't just about exercise and endurance, it also involves learning about nature and learning survival (think WoMan vs Wild!).

Toddler treadmills - so wrong

Dianna Henry — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

As I was preparing dinner last night, something on the news caught my attention. Some opportunitic people out there have invented exercise equipment for children. And some gyms have now set up areas where children can work out.

Now I'm all for getting kids active but I don't agree this is the way to go about it. I don't have kids, so I admit that I may not fully appreciate the difficulties that parents have trying to encourage their children to be active. I don't want to be too judgmental but I feel that this is a bit of a lazy solution and doesn't really instill the right philosophies about being active. And it doesn't seem like it would be particularly good for a toddler's bone/muscle development.

One of the parents interviewed for the feature said that it was great being able to put them in front of cartoons on their treadmill. This just seems so wrong.

The show also spoke about baby bootcamp. Now don't even get me started on that!

Does anyone have equipment like this? Or would you consider it? I'm interested to know whether this is a trend that is going to stick.

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The belly and the yoga mat … a match made it heaven?

Dianna Henry — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever been pregnant you know too well the ridiculous situations you find yourself in, whether it’s bending down to pick up a tired toddler or trying to paint your toes. So to imagine contorting your pregnant self into impossible yoga poses might be a bit of a stretch! But if you can get your head (and your body) around it, could yoga mean a smooth pregnancy and natural childbirth? According to some professionals and mothers who have first-hand experience, the answer is yes…with exceptions.

Happy Mothers Day!

Dianna Henry — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Happy Mothers Day to all women! ‘All women?’, you ask. Yes, because all women have ‘mothered’ someone at sometime because of the fact that we are wonderfully caring creatures! Wishing everyone a beautiful day.

The following is a list of super duper ladies who have inspired their daughters (or friends) and were put forward in response to my call out for inspiring mothers:

Louise Pronk is inspired by her mother, Joanne Pronk from Redcliffe. Silver and bronze medallist for Shotput and Javelin at the Australian Masters Athletics in Perth 2010

Haley Williams is inspired by her mum, Dawn Johnson, a runner from Mooloolaba. “For as long as I can remember my mum gets up at the break of 'Dawn' for her hour long morning run. She's fitter than me and she's 20 years older!”

Lauren Murray is inspired by her mum, Annie Wilson. “Mum constantly inspires me with her active spirit. Not only did she move to Dubai at the age of 55 to be the principal of a rapidly developing primary school, but she is also making the most of her travel opportunities while she is over there. In the last two years she has explored Syria, Ireland, Oman, Jordan, Sicily and Russia. I have travelled with her through England, France and Italy and couldn't keep up! She has an incredible energy and has shown me that getting older doesn't mean you have to slow down.”

Megan Archer is inspired by her mum and her aunty. “My Mum is 87 and from Pullenvale. She is still driving and doing loads of social and voluntary activities. She's also booked for a 6th trip to Africa in September - game parks in Kenya this time - after 3 trips to Tierra del Fuego & the fjiords, glaciers, waterfalls & deserts of South America & Cape Horn, & the jungles of Sabah & Sarawak in the past 10 - 15 years. Her sister, 80, from Essendon, has just had her 3rd trip to the backblocks of China & Tibet with her Tai Chi teacher!”

Kasey Rowland is inspired by her friend Claire Cregan. “She lives in Bondi and swims in the ocean a lot... in the freezing cold. She has a little bub, a little girl named Ruby.”

Kiki Robinson is inspired by her Nan, Christine Jeffs from Hawthorne. “Nan is an ex triathlete, swimmer, masters olympiad, swimming record holder. She only started at 60 and is now 83!”

Liljana Bexley says “I'm a Fit mum to be! I’m a Personal Trainer and still training clients and doing own exercise at 6 months pregnant”

What an amazing bunch of ladies! x

What's this pelvic floor business all about anyway? By Colleen Burns

Dianna Henry — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Everyone’s heard the saying: “I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself!” But nothing rings closer to the truth than when you’re heavily pregnant. As I write this article, I myself am 38 weeks pregnant, and have had a few ‘close calls’ when I’ve decided this really is no laughing matter

The truth of the matter is, that urinary incontinence (or leakage) is very common during pregnancy, and that one in three women continue to suffer these symptoms for months or even years after the birth of their baby. So it is a VERY common problem, and we really need to talk about it!

Nicole Chester - open water swimmer, mother, wife and teacher

Dianna Henry — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Active Women Australia chats to 37 year old open water swimmer Nicole Chester. This crazy woman trains in the chilly waters off the Victorian coast!