An Interview with Beth Learn of Fit2B Studio

Since finding Fit2B Online fitness studio in January 2013, I’ve been working out more consistently than I ever have in my life. I started to actually have fitness-related questions pop into an area in my mind that used to just have dust and silence. Then, in spring 2013, I got pregnant, and though her site is all about ‘tummy safe’ fitness, I really wanted the low down on what was safe for me as my belly grows. So, I fired off a bunch of my burning fitness questions to Bethany and she came back with these great answers!

Bethany–thanks for all the great videos! Now that I’m preggo, I’m wondering which of your workouts are best for pregnant moms?

Beth Learn of Fit2B: As a fitness instructor, I taught pilates and yoga and step and cycling all through my pregnancies, but it wasn’t until later when I realized I had a diastasis recti that wouldn’t go away that I also realized I may have hurt myself. My births were strong, and my body was strong, but my belly was blown apart. Armed with the information and research that I’ve been tracking down for the past 2 1/2 years, I’ve created a whole section of maternity workouts called the “Fit2B New Mama” pathway. Several of them contain vivid “mama-focused” imagery during the routines, while others are simply upright or side-lying moves that are wonderfully safe yet effective for keeping your core healthy and TOGETHER during pregnancy! Click here to view the Fit2B pathway for moms.

What is the best time of day to exercise, especially in relation to meals?

Beth Learn of Fit2B: If you define exercise as 30 minutes of moderate to strenuous activity, then my personal favorite time to “exercise” is in the evening about an hour after dinner. The husband has got the kids, and I’ve got my chores done, and I can head out. Some argue for early morning before breakfast. Some argue for 30 minutes after meals or an hour… But what if we define exercise as healthy movement? Because – face it – as moms, when do we have 30 minutes all at once to jump around and breathe hard? So how about we look at squatting down to pick up 47 socks, legos, pencils and bits of potted plant as exercise? How about we look at incorporating our transverse abdominus into doing dishes as exercise? How about we shift our perspective and see wrestling with our kids and taking short walks and gardening as exercise? Can I get an amen? Oh, if you don’t know what a “transverse abdominus” is, well, you have one, and it’s important, and you can find it with this video’s help >> CLICK!

How do you feel diet and fitness work together for weight loss?

Beth Learn of Fit2B: Fitness won’t work at all for weight loss if you just eat more because you’re more hungry because your’e working out more… make sense? Weight loss happens mostly in the kitchen and with your nutrition. That said, I didn’t lose the last of my baby weight until after I put my core back together and healed my diastasis because my digestion and energy levels were massively affected by that injury. If we heal our bodies, then I think nutrition gets a bit easier to manage.

What are some of the health concerns related to diastisis?

Beth Learn of Fit2B: As I just mentioned, diastasis recti – which is when the right and left sides of your six pack file for legal separation from each other (little joke) – can be the culprit behind digestive issues, but it’s also held responsible for bladder issues, prolapse, incontinence, bloating, constipation… basically anything related to your belly! Because if the muscles that are suppose to hold your core together are having a fight, there will be serious fallout. But it doesn’t have to lead to divorce {sticking with that image} because there can be healing and restoration. The two sides were DESIGNED to come back together. It’s just an issue of determining what is happening in your life that is keeping them apart: your alignment? your current exercise plan? your lack of rehabilitative core exercise? Check yourself for diastasis via this link and take our research survey today!

Which exercises are best for weight loss?

Beth Learn of Fit2B: Total body movements are the best weight loss because the more muscles you use, the more calories you burn, right? And the more natural the movement, the more naturally you’ll let go of excess weight and naturally stick to your plan. Walking is THE BEST exercise ever because, according to biomechanist Katy Bowman of Aligned and Well, it facilitates all the mechanisms necessary for life. Wow! It stretches and flexes everything, inside and out. But if you live in a rainy, snowy climate like I do, walking isn’t always a possibility, and that where Fit2B’s totaly body programming comes in 😉