• Katy Bowman: Katy’s presentation will “unlock a keg on the kegel.” Katy will also discuss diastasis recti, which Jill said is one of the biggest questions she gets about pregnancy.
• Kelly and Juliet Starrett: The founders of Mobility WOD will provide advice for the pregnant athlete and teach you how to re-activate your abs after pregnancy.
• Esther Gokhale: Esther Gokhale, author of 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, will discuss baby carrying from the ancestral health perspective.
• Eden Fromberg: An osteopathic OBGYN in NYC, you may remember Eden from her appearance in The Business of Being Born. Eden will compare and contrast labor, delivery, and cultural attitudes in first and third world countries.
• Sarah Fragoso: Sarah’s presentation is “for dessert,” according to Jill. Sarah will be discussing anti-inflammation diet for pregnancy and also doing a live cooking demo.

So in short, this event really does cover everything expecting moms and dads need to know. You can also email in questions to be answered live on the show. And it is absolutely free to attend. If you can’t make the webinar, it will be available for purchase at Creative Live for $79. That’s an amazing price for two full days of content from such a diverse team of experts. And – icing on the cake – there are giveaways during the webinar for everyone who enrolls.

I had the opportunity to discuss the webinar and the Yoga Tune Up approach with Jill last week. Yoga Tune Up is an innovative program that combines corrective exercise, massage, and yoga. “We focus on the three P’s: pain, posture, and performance.

We help people erase pain, improve posture, and enhance performance, no matter what it is they do. People sometimes get hung up on the word ‘yoga,’ but this is not a yoga program.

Really, this is a program about learning your own body, so that you can do it better in the context of any activity you choose.” Jill noted that her program is an effective way to fix people’s body blind spots and improve overall proprioception:

On the webinar, specifically, I’m going to be teaching about what I call the baby carriage within…particularly the soft tissue canister that are those soft tissue respiratory muscles, the relationship between the ribcage and the pelvis, and the interplay of all your joints of your coreso that help facilitate better breathing.

As Jill noted, these lessons are applicable for anyone, pregnant or not. “This is just a really big piece that I have to teach, whether I’m teaching pregnant women or I’m teaching an athlete. There is an unconscionable dysfunction in that respiratory mechanism.” However, it is especially applicable for prenatal clients, as there’s no better time to start practicing these techniques than during pregnancy.

Looking at the bigger picture, this webinar is also part of a deeper vision, which according to Jill stems from her desire to “take the fear out of pregnancy and put the trust back in it.”

Not only is this desire based on Jill’s experience with her current (second) pregnancy, but it’s also related to a previous loss. Last year, Jill experienced a tragic miscarriage that was caused by a genetic test. Although it is uncommon, miscarriage can occur after amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.

There’s nothing that touches this loss. So heavy, so horrible, so unnecessary…I never had any diseases or broken bones, and it happened to me. I was the 1.5%.” Jill’s experience has informed the overall goal of the upcoming webinar. “Bottom line is, too much information really shuts us down, in a way. So hopefully I’m providing information and also inspiration.”

As a mom of three, doula, and personal trainer specializing in pre- and post-natal health, I’m excited to see this paradigm shift in the field of prenatal wellness.

For many women out there, as Jill so aptly put it, “As soon as you’re implanted, it’s like ‘I’m just a medical oddity now!’” Pregnancy shouldn’t be a crippling experience that leaves women feeling helpless and at the mercy of their care providers, but unfortunately, this seems to be a common experience. Jill’s webinar will help women get in touch with, as she put it, “the baby carriage within.” Jill explained:

There’s no better time to learn how to be a better baby carriage than while you’re pregnant. At a minimum, you need to learn a few basic things like how to stand, how to sit, how to breathe, and how to lay…if you organize yourself well while you’re standing, that’s a really good workout too, especially if you have good form.

I’ve mentioned before how much of a difference this approach has made in my own pregnancies, so I am a big believer. Neverthleless, these ideas need reinforcement, and that’s what events like Jill’s webinar provide.

Whether you think women should back off on the weightlifting or not, there’s no question that pregnancy is a prime opportunity to get in touch with your body, your baby, and the intimate balance between the two. If you’re looking for an excellent resource to learn how to do that, make sure you don’t miss this unique event.

You can follow Jill on Twitter and visit her website to learn more about the Yoga Tune Up approach.

The post How to Be a Better Baby Carriage: Jill Miller’s “Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby” Webinar appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The same goes for food. The baby food industry brings in $1.25 billion dollars a year in the United States alone. The average American baby consumes almost three times as much baby food in one year as a baby born in western Europe. My first child was born in Belgium, and there was a striking difference between the food recommendations we received there and those we received when my second child was born in the U.S. The baby food aisle was also much smaller in Belgium.

If you follow a paleo diet, you’ve already eliminated processed foods from your own diet. If you have a little one, you probably want to start her off right as well. Baby food and baby cereal are processed foods that contain starchy fillers, added sugars, and high amounts of sodium. They’re also overpriced, especially the organic brands. You can easily make your own baby food with whole foods and without the undesirable ingredients. And in my experience, babies love simple, whole foods – especially if that’s what they’ve been eating from day one.

I started my baby food-making journey with the usual fruit and vegetable purees, and those foods have remained the primary staples of our childrens’ diets. But I’ve also gotten a bit more adventurous over the years, especially since I discovered the paleo diet and more traditional dietary theories. Here are five of my favorite paleo foods for babies and toddlers. If you’re currently pregnant, you can start feeding baby these foods now by adding them to your pregnancy diet:

1. Liver

“… liver has ranked above all other offal as one of the most prized culinary delights. Its heritage is illustrious – whether savored by young warriors after a kill or mixed with truffles and cognac for fine patés de foie gras.” -Margaret Gin and Jana Allen

Liver might sound unappetizing to many adults, but babies love it. I started feeding my daughter liver after I found out her iron levels were low, and within a few weeks they were back to normal. Liver is also an excellent source of vitamin A, and contains vitamin C and protein for an added benefit. Liver is especially beneficial during the weaning stages. Combine liver with healthy probiotic foods, like a bit of sauerkraut or kimchi, to make the liver more digestible.

2. Bone Marrow

“If you find yourself turning progressively more feral as the marrow disappears from the bone, don’t worry … When it comes to getting the last delicious bits of bone marrow, total paleo reenactment is the only justifiable course of action.” –Mark Sisson

One day I was attempting to finish up a batch of bone broth but my nine-month-old was making it difficult. I put her in her high chair and gave her one of the bones to chew on for awhile since she was teething. Five minutes later I turned around to find her literally sucking the marrow out of the center of the bone. If you make broth regularly, remove some of the marrow bones early and scoop out the marrow for your baby. Otherwise, you can roast the marrow bones in the oven and serve them fresh with a bit of butter.

3. Salmon

“I have been impressed with the superior quality of the human stock developed wherever a liberal source of sea foods existed.” -Weston A. Price

Salmon and salmon roe are considered to be sacred foods in many cultures. They are excellent sources of essential fatty acids like EPA and DHA, as well as vitamin D, which is hard to find in food sources. Mix up some salmon roe, flaked salmon, and avocado for a good dose of healthy fat.

4. Egg Yolks

“I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes … have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I’ve never tasted it.” -Alfred Hitchcock

Start your baby off young to avoid an egg yolk aversion. Egg yolks are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and are also easy to prepare. The white is harder for babies to digest, so I stick with egg yolk until my children are about a year old. If possible use eggs from free range chickens or find a local farm that provides fresh eggs.

5. Avocados

“In this single delectable fruit are combined the protein of meat, the fat of butter (but much more wholesome!), the vitamins and minerals of green vegetables, the flavor of nuts, a six course dinner.” -Gaylord Hauser

Avocados were both of my daughters’ favorite baby foods. They were also mine, since they’re so easy to prepare, and also a good source of healthy fat and protein. If you follow baby-led weaning practices, avocados are a perfect starter food. Just scoop it out, mash it up, and serve with a bit of salt or mixed with breastmilk or formula. Be warned: it does get messy. In my experience, the picture on the right is very realistic.

Try these foods out with your little one and see how she reacts. You may find she devours them with a voracity that would put any caveman to shame. Even better, she’ll grow up with a robust appreciation for liver and bone marrow, which in my book is a parenting win.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post 5 First Foods for Paleo Babies and Toddlers appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I find myself doing the same thing, particularly since I’ve become a parent. I don’t pore over the newest studies on what cavemen ate or didn’t eat, but I do have a similar obsession. I am fascinated with babies.

Have you ever seen an infant move? The first efforts to lift that heavy head off Papa’s chest? Have you ever witnessed the rise and fall of a sleeping infant’s belly? Maybe it’s just the oxytocin speaking, but I can’t get enough of it. Babies are little primitives. If you want to know how we should move, look at these little beings. They are amazing, and they have a lot to teach us.

After my first daughter’s birth, I felt like I was observing a different plane of existence. This little infant was so radically dependent, but underneath that façade of vulnerability was a strength and a will to survive that I had never witnessed. So often we look at babies as helpless and fragile, and in some ways this is true. But they’re also little fighters. They want to move forward, to roll over, to crawl, stand, walk, squat. Assuming they are properly fed and allowed to stretch their legs, nothing will stand in their way. Babies are resilient.

As our daughter grew, I continued to be amazed at her strength and her natural drive to move. My husband and I were poor college students, so we didn’t have any fancy “developmental” baby equipment. Sometimes social pressure kicked in and I worried about that. But the truth is, babies don’t need walkers and push toys to help them develop. Those things are much more of a convenience for mom and dad. Just like our hunter-gatherer ancestors, these little creatures are always on the move, no exercise program needed.

So what can babies teach us about our bodies? I propose that babies are masters of three particular movements that present difficulty for many adults:

1. Babies know how to breathe.

In the book Becoming Bulletproof, Tim Anderson discusses the transition from “belly breathing” to “emergency breathing:”

Watch a new born baby, or an infant. Their little bellies go up and down when they breathe. They are taking full advantage of their lung volume by effortlessly breathing with their diaphragm (let’s call that our “breathing muscle”). The diaphragm pulls a vacuum in the lungs allowing them to fill themselves full of life-giving air…this is how we are born breathing – with our diaphragm.

As life goes on, this primal reflex is diminished and many adults start to breathe with their “emergency muscles.” These are the muscles in the chest, neck, and shoulders, which also happen to be the muscles that babies use to breathe when they are in distress. “Constantly breathing with our emergency muscles can cause a forward head carriage, neck pain, poor thoracic mobility, hunched forward posture, early fatigue when exercising, poor digestion, maybe even loss of our reflexive stability in our core muscles. If we are always breathing with our accessory muscles, our bodies are always in stress mode, which is a very inefficient, unhealthy mode to be stuck in for a long period of time.”

Next time you find yourself alone with a sleeping infant, watch her belly and learn.

2. Babies know how to squat.

Yesterday, my 3-year-old ballerina was trying to teach our 1 ½ year old how to take a bow before the curtain closes. After she demonstrated her very dramatic and elegant bow from the waist, it was the toddler’s turn. With a quizzical look on her face, the little one squatted until her diaper touched the floor, then stood up with a little grin on her face. It struck me that many adults could not complete that movement at all, let alone with such ease.

Squatting is a primitive movement, and babies are pros. My toddler probably spends hours in the squatting position every day, playing with toys and drawing on whatever important paperwork she can get her hands on. It’s the casual play position. What’s more, her form is perfect. Neutral spine and neck, knees tracking over toes, and all the other cues that we adults have to follow. They’re all natural to her.

Next time you find a baby squatting and playing with blocks, check out her form and follow her example.

3. Babies know how to crawl.

Crawling isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. For example, consider that there are many baby variations of crawling. You have the traditional hands and knees crawl, the Spiderman crawl (or the hobgoblin as my husband and I call it), belly crawling, and the crab crawl, to name a few. Crawling is a fundamental movement. As Tim Anderson and Mike McNiff point out:

You can fake walking and running. You can walk and run without using your shoulders and arms properly. You can even do it without using them at all. You cannot fake crawling. It is deliberate. Your shoulders and hips have to work together. With crawling, they are both working together under load. Crawling sets things right, the way they were meant to be. It is the foundation, the template, for our gait pattern.

Next time you come across a crawling baby whizzing around the room, get down and try to keep up with them. You might have a hard time.

We don’t have to go back to the Stone Age to witness our primal origins. As noted by Stuart Brown in the excellent book Play, “We are designed to start moving when we are in the womb. When a grinning and gleeful little infant pulls himself up on his feet you can see in his face the pure pleasure of this little triumph…We are alive when we are physically moving.”

The post Primal Origins – What Babies Can Teach Us About Movement appeared first on Breaking Muscle.