Diastasis recti – how to get rid of it once and for all

Struggling with diastasis recti and not sure how to get rid of it for good? We’ll guide you step by step on the path to tackling diastasis recti once and for all.

Diastasis recti is the term for a separation of the rectus abdominis (the “six-pack” muscles). What this health issue involves, who it most commonly affects, how to do a self-check, when to start addressing it, and whether it’s more of a health or an aesthetic concern, you’ve already read in the article Diastasis recti – separation of the abdominal muscles can affect anyone, not just women after childbirth. Now we’ll focus on the steps that will help you tackle diastasis recti. For good. 

Three basic steps to success:

• being informed – I know how to work with my body,
• your approach to the issue – I love/respect my body because it gave me children,
• motivation – I treat rehab/exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle and weave it naturally into my daily routine.

It’s worth realising: 6 facts about diastasis recti that will cheer you up:

• working with diastasis recti is a long-term process – the muscles need to restore their primary function and the connective tissue needs time to regenerate, but with the right lifestyle and movement you can see results in as little as two months, 
• a severe diastasis probably won’t close 100%, but recovery can help prevent health complications,
• from an aesthetic point of view, if we create a natural “corset” around the torso with our muscles, your tummy will look beautifully flatter,
• even people who carry extra fat around the belly can tone their muscles and help close the gap,
• if we learn to activate the deep abdominal muscles, they work for us non-stop, day and night. And a great bonus is that to keep up that steady work, they need energy from our fat stores,
• in the long run, CORE work supports fat burning.

The absolute foundation is your all-day posture (standing, sitting, walking, lying down…). The optimal position is what’s often called “upright alignment”. For most of us, unhealthy movement patterns and poor posture have already developed. But it’s never too late to straighten up – you simply need to learn to engage the right core muscles so you can maintain good posture. In this position, your muscles stay active all the time – and that’s exactly what we want. 

Why train upright alignment:

• only then can your muscles (and other body structures) work properly and without pain,
• when your segments are aligned correctly, the body regenerates itself,
• without upright alignment, you can never fully close diastasis recti.

What position are you in as you read these lines? Notice where your back and pelvis are right now, remember that set-up, stand up and try walking. Can you keep it? If you’re sitting with your pelvis tucked under, a rounded back and your head dropped forward, it won’t be easy. Walking is a natural movement in which the muscles place (among other things) the spine into its most optimal position and upright alignment. So if you’re ever unsure about your body alignment, go for a walk.

You can learn it all with the book Diastáza.

Functional feet = a flatter tummy

Did you know that over a lifetime, a person with healthy feet will walk the equivalent of circling the entire globe? But hand on heart, most of us don’t know what our feet are meant to do, or how to use them properly. We usually only end up at a physio or a podiatrist (a specialist clinic for diagnosing and treating foot conditions) once there’s a problem – most often pain. Flat feet, high arches, heel spurs, bunions, hallux, hammer toes & the rest… that’s just a small selection of the most common issues (sound familiar?). 

But what do your feet have to do with flattening your tummy? Foot alignment is at the heart of good posture. Energy transfers through the ankles to the knees and hips. Their position affects the natural curves of the spine and the position of the shoulder blades. Your body simply works as one connected system. And now read carefully... Without stable feet, you can’t properly activate your abdominal muscles, you won’t address diastasis recti, and you won’t flatten your tummy the way you want to! Poor foot alignment is also often behind significant back and head pain that may be bothering you daily.

Do you remember the yoga cue: “Stand on three points of your foot – heel, big toe and little toe”? You probably did it automatically, but why? Those modest approx. 120 cm² can be used to their full potential. Learning the spiral principle and the wedge principle isn’t something we can cover in one post, but we’ll take a look together at the basics for mobilising your feet. Walking barefoot and its variations (with more flexible, roomier footwear) are the foundation for restoring awareness of our most essential support. A solid house needs strong foundations, and if you already have foot issues (see above), you need to start addressing them first and introduce barefoot walking gradually (taking different terrains into account). Let yourself be inspired.

Video

Active walking

Walking is the foundation for strengthening your core and reducing diastasis recti – there’s no better movement. However, it needs to be mindful walking. Walking with your full attention, focusing on your body, muscles, joints and breathing. 

Here are the basic recommendations for how to do it:

• slow down and shorten your stride,
• concentrate and feel the contact between your feet and the ground – are you stepping on the whole foot, or more on the heel or the forefoot? Are you using your toes? Can you feel the texture and terrain?). Notice which muscles you’re using as you walk, what your body position is (Are you leaning forwards, slouching, pulling your shoulders up towards your ears?), what are your hips doing? Look towards the horizon, not down at your feet. And can you still perceive your surroundings? To begin with, I recommend practising in a calm environment,
• break movement habits; using support is key – keep your knees slightly bent, press into the ground, roll through the whole foot, don’t place your feet passively in front of you, push off, lighten, lengthen upwards through the crown of your head. Don’t hang off the pushchair or be weighed down with bags/children. And relax,
• breathe – use the basic principles of breathing while walking too. Breathe smoothly, don’t breathe shallowly, don’t lift your shoulders, don’t get out of breath (slow down).

Sound is an excellent indicator of a correct foot strike – we shouldn’t be able to hear our footsteps.

Exercise – walking on your sitting bones

Wake up your hip joints, because if their mobility is limited, the first warning sign will be a protruding belly and an exaggerated arch in the lower back. Use a chair with a flat, firm surface for this exercise.

• Sit on the front third of the chair and set your body into upright alignment,
• place your hands on your pelvic crests and imagine you’re also holding oars,
• lift one sitting bone and slide that side of the pelvis backwards; lift the other sitting bone and move past the distance you’ve reached,
• “row” very slowly and smoothly – it’s a connection of vertical and horizontal movement into a figure of eight,
• be careful: eliminate any swaying of the torso side to side and lifting of the shoulders (imagine you’re a puppet with strings at your shoulders, held up by someone at the ceiling),
• once you reach the backrest, carefully move your pelvis back to the front edge,
• only move backwards (you don’t want to increase lumbar lordosis).

I want to learn more

This truly unique and comprehensive publication on the Czech market will teach you how to work with both body and mind, so diastasis recti starts to close and never widens again. What can you expect in the Diastáza book?

• the latest scientific research and insights from physiotherapy, sport and psychology,
• finding the root cause of the problem – and effectively addressing the consequences,
• plenty of AHA! moments, tips, tricks and clever hacks,
• an enjoyable reading style, detailed illustrations,
• a 6-week diary – adapted even for busy mums with children,
• space to write down ratings, sensations and feelings,
• inspiration from personal stories, weekly tasks and reflections,
• and above all: PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS!

You can find more information about the book on COREyoga.cz.

Even if you’re feeling desperate right now that your body isn’t “right”, that it doesn’t look nice, it’s always wonderful to start something new, try something new, and have hope for a healthy, fully functional body. Diastasis recti isn’t the result of an unavoidable genetic fate – it’s shaped by our lifestyle. Isn’t it amazing that our body signals in this way that something

isn’t quite right? You can find the root of the problem right now, we can start working on improvement today, and live fully for the rest of our lives without health problems.

This article was created in collaboration with Anna Nováková, founder of COREYOGA.CZ.

You might also be interested in:

• Why choose barefoot shoes, and how to pick and wear them
• How to measure your foot properly and why barefoot shoes need extra allowance
• Valgus ankles and knock knees