LAURA WARREN The Lacrosse Champion Plays at international Level For Wales and GB. Her Fourth World Cup Took Place When her First-Born son Was Just Eight Months Old!
Got home, I announced I was quitting. But my coaches and teammates were amazing and persuaded me to keep going. Everyone rallied to help look after Louis and we made it to the World Cup in Canada. It was tough and you miss out on team spirit when you have other priorities – but I’m glad I did it.’
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LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
After the World Cup, I retired, and I had my son Toby in April 2015. But eight months on, I decided I wanted to play lacrosse again and I came out of retirement in early 2016. After Louis, I’d been plagued by injuries – issues with my ankles, shoulders, a ruptured foot ligament. The same niggles returned, so it was time to rethink post-partum fitness. I saw a women’s-health physiotherapist who introduced me to Holistic Core Restore, a fitness and wellbeing programme for women returning to exercise after kids. It’s all about rebuilding your core, your pelvic floor. With Louis I’d not been told any of this and, looking back, I realise I had c ouis, now five years old, was unplanned, and it never occurred to me to stop training with the Welsh lacrosse squad. I gave up the contact side of the sport for safety reasons, but I carriec. on training until the day before he was born. My goal was to maintain fitness, not gain it, and I adapted my exercise according to how I felt – when running felt uncomfortable as my bump grew for example, I moved to the cross trainer.’
PEOPLES’ OPINIONS
I got some disapproving comments when I was out exercising while pregnant, such as, “shouldn’t you be resting?” but tor the most part people were supportive and said, “good tor you”. I’ve always been active – I started my career as a PE teacher, so those who knew me would have expected nothing less.’
GET A GOOD TEAM BEHIND YOU
‘Three months after I had Louis, we had to travel to America for a tournament. I found it exhausting – the travel, the sleepless nights, fitting in breastfeeding and expressing in between training sessions. When we diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles) and a prolapse. Yet I’d started running at six weeks, while I should have concentrated on restoring my core. I’m sure my injuries were a result of that.’
HELP OTHERS
‘I’ve since trained as a Holistic Core Restore teacher and I offer that as part of Fitmuma, my fitness classes in south Wales and online (titmuma.uk). I want to help women learn to look after their wellbeing because a happy mum makes a happy home.’ Dos and don’ts for post-baby fitness Fitmuma Laura Warren, on the healthy way to return to exercise get the OK from your GP and health visitor to exercise asktor a referral to a women’s health physiotherapist if you’re worried about diastasis recti, prolapse, incontinence or any other pelvic-floor issue let people around you know how important sport and exercise is to you, so they can support you in getting back to it find a community of mums like you, whether online, at a post-partum fitness class or by starting a group yourself. .. .look tor a Holistic Core Restore programme to rebuild strong foundations (holisticcorerestore.com) rush into it. You may have been a fast runner pre-pregancy but there’s no shame in starting off with brisk walking feel guilty tor exercising. Self-care isn’t selfish try to fit in workouts where you can – you’ll end up skipping them. Schedule them and put them on the calendar as appointments you won’t miss. …worry it you don’t have childcare. There are lots of mum-and-baby classes, gyms with. creche facilities or workouts you can do with a buggy – and your child will grow up seeing exercise as something normal and enjoyable. 58 Health & Fitness // coachmag.co.uk
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