When you attend Kegels and Cocktails on March 2nd, you will get the amazing opportunity to listen to experts in women’s health. Today we are highlighting Wendy Miller. She will be speaking about Core Restore, an exercise and movement education program designed for the postpartum body.
Wendy will explain the different components of our core and discuss how posture, breath and muscle tension all affect how our core muscles fire and synchronize. Being aware of your alignment during everyday tasks like sitting, standing, walking and carrying will help to restore the natural way our core should be working. Seeing and feeling these changes in our body is the best way to learn.
Wendy Miller completed a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University in 2004 and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto in 2006. She completed her training in the Integrated Systems Model with Diane Lee and has advanced physiotherapy training in pelvic health and the treatment of diastasis, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and postpartum exercises.
Wendy completed the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute certification exam in 2007. She has postgraduate courses in Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN) and Manual Therapy.
Wendy is a certified Mat and Reformer Pilates instructor; her training is with the Body Harmonics Studio in Toronto. She completed a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University in 2004 and a Master of Science in Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto in 2006.
I got the chance to ask Wendy a few questions about what she does and here are her answers:
What do you do?
“I am a Physiotherapist in the west end of Ottawa. I treat general orthopaedic injuries and I have a special interest in treating postpartum women. A large component of my practice is teaching clients how to improve their alignment and motor patterns in order to help them move and live better.”
How do you help Women?
“Many women experience diastases, incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse after giving birth. These women often struggle with wanting to be more active but not knowing what exercises or activities are safe to do. They do not have the strength to get back into a community yoga, pilates or other fitness classes but are motivated to work on their bodies. I developed a Postnatal Core Restore exercise and movement education series that works alongside their pelvic floor rehabilitation. This series works on posture, breath, coordinating the different core muscles and working on the core in functional movement patterns like walking and squats. The goal of this class is to bridge the gap between pelvic floor rehabilitation and getting back into a community fitness class.”
What’s one thing you would like women to take away from hearing you speak at Kegels and Cocktails?
“Working on your body after having a baby does not mean getting back into running, joining a cross fit gym and doing hundreds of kegels at 6 weeks postpartum. It starts with being aware of your alignment. Ensuring that your feet are facing forwards, that your weight is back towards your heels, getting your bottom untucked and your thorax stacked and aligned over your pelvis. After you have this then we can start build in breath, pelvic floor activation and movement. START WITH THE BASICS AND BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION RATHER THEN TRAINING THE FAULTY MOVEMENT PATTERNS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR SYMPTOMS!”
When not practicing physiotherapy Wendy enjoys staying active with her partner and two children. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, swimming, cycling, Pilates and cross-country skiing.
More information about Wendy can be found at her website wendymillerpt.com, or her Facebook page.
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