We recently took the kids on their first Walt Disney World trip—and, though it’s been a couple weeks since we left the parks, I’m still all lit up about it!

First, the Stats:

• 3 parks in 3 days
• 65,000 total steps (~22,000 per day)
  • ~20,000 steps carrying a 48-lb 6-year-old
  • ~5,000 steps carrying a 52-lb 10-year-old
• 10+ snacks per day
• 2 sit-down restaurants
• 5 indoor shows
• 3 Lightning Lane reservations
• 3 ferry boat rides
• 2 Skyliner rides
• 20 child meltdowns
• 4–5 adult meltdowns
• Definitely not enough water
• 3 half-eaten ice cream treats, scraps eaten by parents, of course!
• 1 useless handheld fan
• 3 downpours
• 6 pairs of soaked socks
• And a lot of laughs, sweat, and (actual) tears

In all seriousness—we had a great time. But, man… I’m tired.

Why No Stroller?

Yes, my 6-year-old asked to be carried—A LOT. And yes, I complied. We made a decision early on: no strollers.

Not because we’re anti-stroller (no shade to the stroller crew—you do what’s best for your family), but because:

• We ditched our stroller years ago
• We didn’t feel like lugging one around (we attempt to be minimalists…sorta!)
• We’re a little stubborn, let’s be honest

So… How Did I Survive Disney Without a Stroller?

Simple: I’ve been training for It  for years.

Not for Disney specifically—but for the everyday physicality of motherhood. Because, let’s be honest: motherhood is a workout. From lifting babies to chasing toddlers, to carrying sleeping kids up the stairs—it never stops.

Whether you’re a stroller family or not, there are times you’ll end up carrying your kids anyway, such as…

• After a long car ride when they fall asleep
• Out of the waterpark, possibly kicking and screaming!
• Or when they Just. Can’t. Even!!

We chose to encourage walking early and often. Even when they were toddlers, we limited stroller use and leaned more on baby carriers or just plain walking.

How I Prepped for 22,000 Steps a Day with a 6 & 9-Year-Old

Here’s how I trained my body (and theirs) to handle the epic trek that is Disney World:

---

1. Take Long Walks With Your Kids

Start with the zoo. Seriously.

Every zoo trip became a workout for me and a walking challenge for them. When my youngest was under 3, he’d ride in a carrier and my older child would walk (or get carried… because, toddler life). As they got older, the stroller stayed home, and we just walked.

These frequent, long outings built up their endurance and mine.

Nowadays? I walk daily with a weighted vest and ankle weights and we enjoy family walks after dinner as a way to decompress after a long day!

---

2. Lift Heavy Stuff (Like Your Kids)

If you can carry your 40-lb child, you can train with a 40-lb weight.

Farmer’s Carries are your new best friend. Build your strength with progressive overload (add more weight over time) so carrying your kid or a packed backpack doesn’t wreck you on a long day at the park.

Note: If carrying this kind of weight takes a toll on your back – there’s a chance you have weakness in your core muscles. Reach out for a free assessment!

---

3. Improve Your Breathing Capacity

This might sound weird, but if you’re huffing and puffing after one flight of stairs—Disney will chew you up.

Dysfunctional breathing = less oxygen = low energy.
Functional breathing = more oxygen = more mom power.

Work on improving your VO2 max and breathing mechanics so you’re not drained halfway through the park.

Check out this corrective breath course!

---

4. Build Your Endurance

Walking and standing all day is exhausting.

A solid strength and cardio routine is a great way to prep for a long day of physical activities (Like hiking around a theme park with a heavy pack full of waters and snacks!).

Combine your cardio and strength with a consistent light weight, high repetition routine to help build strength, cardio, and endurance twice a week.

---

5. Train With Weight (aka Rucking)

Rucking is walking… with weight! Next time you take a walk, try out:

• A weighted vest
• Ankle/wrist weights
• A light backpack
• Holding dumbbells

This builds strength, stamina, and endurance. Plus, it’s great for bone density and fat loss.

Don’t have weights to hold? Try holding a couple of 1-gallon water jugs!

---

6. Train Your Feet

Foot training? YES.

Your feet are your foundation. Strengthen the arches and fascia of your feet to improve balance, posture, and core/pelvic floor function. Weak & imbalanced feet = poor movement patterns and poor posture.

The fascia in your feet gets dense and tight from lack of movement and wearing stiff shoes – so its important to free the feet and walk barefoot every now and then!

Speaking of fascia…

---

7. Stretch Your Fascia

Your myofascia (the continuous webbing connecting all of the tissues in your body) needs movement. Stiff fascia leads to aches, poor movement, and a harder time connecting to your muscles.

Learn fascia flossing techniques (I even did some in line at Disney!). Stretch before and after workouts, and during long days on your feet.

Try this Fascia Flossing workout to help improve your posture and breathing!

---

BONUS: Calm Mom = Strong Mom

Mental health is just as important. Try this mantra: I am calm. I am strong. I’ve got this. Use breathwork, music, or gentle stretching throughout the day to keep your nervous system regulated and stay tuned for my program, CALM MOM, coming out soon!

---

BONUS TIPS FOR DISNEY SURVIVAL

🍏 Pack Healthy Snacks
Saves money, keeps energy up, and avoids sugar crashes. We loaded up on beef sticks, Larabars, apple slices, nuts, and dried fruit.

🎒 Distribute the Load
Let kids carry their own mini-backpacks with a snack + water. Make sure they’re lightweight and adjustable. We still wound up holding their bags occasionally, but it saved me from being the family pack mule all day.

🛌 Plan Rest Days
If you can, space out your park days with rest or pool days in between. We didn’t (because, hotel points!), but we did relax at the beach after. Trust me—your body will need time to recover.

📱 Make A Flexible Plan – Ok, this requires a list within a list! Skip if you don’t care about Disney!

Ok, I’m not a Disney blogger nor an expert, so I’m not really going to do this justice. But, I’ll recommend a better resource at the end of this list!

• Get a good grasp on the layout of Disney so you can plan for each day at the park.
• Download the Disney World App – You will use this for your passes (unless you have a magic band), your map, lightning lanes, reservations, and so on! It is your guide to everything!
• Bring a portable charger! This saved me big time because the DisneyApp eats battery quickly!
  
• Make a plan, but be prepared to change it on a whim! Start with the basics, What ride are you starting with? Are you staying on Disney Property and do you have access to early entry/rope drop? Are you purchasing lightning lanes/multipasses? Ok, one thing I want to point out here… We did Disney on a budget. We didn’t want to spend a fortune… and I’m happy to say, we got away with it!
  
  Keep in mind, this did require a good amount of research, preparation, and an open mindset. My husband could care less what we did or where we spent our time. So this was up to me! I did the research, (I grew up going to these parks more than I care to admit so I had a bit of an idea of what we were getting ourselves into… mind you, it’s been well over a decade since I’ve been back and a LOT has changed!)
  
  Here is where I started: I picked my top 3 “must-do’s” and we worked around them. For planning purposes, I picked one ride I did not want to miss, one ride that I really wanted to kids to experience, and one other must-do (a show, food stop, or other experience).
  
  We were fortunately staying on property and had early park access, so we planned the start of our day around rope dropping specific rides. From there, we planned the next rides in or near that particular ride. and then made our plan based on the other priorities on our list, food needs, and rest breaks.
  
  For example, if there was another ride across the park that I wanted to do, I purchased a Lightning Lane for it (not all rides are available for LL… so heads up!) I recommend heading over to DFB for a more thorough explanation of this. I’m not even going to try to explain LL or MultiPass! DFB will give you all of the Disney info you can imagine!
• PARENT SWAP!
  Be sure to take advantage of PARENT SWAP! I think so many parents don’t even know this is a thing and oh my gosh, you are missing out! For example, I REALLY wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot. I also wanted to make my husband ride it because I know if I didn’t push him to enjoy himself even just a little, I’d be annoyed by it (again, he couldn’t care less!). So I took it upon myself to buy TWO Lightning Lanes for this ride. Well, with two kids who aren’t big fans of thrill rides – what are we to do!? Parent Swap! We made our way into the line by letting them know at the front that the kids are not riding and we’ll be swapping. We made our way to the front through the LL and let the next checkpoint know. From there, they took my husband and our two kids to a side area to wait while I rode. Then, we swapped! The kids got to experience the fun queue but didn’t have to ride. It was a win-win!
• Have a mental list of “I don’t care if we miss this” items… We really wanted the kids to see the MK fireworks, but I wasn’t too worried about them seeing Epcot fireworks since we could see them from our hotel… so we left a bit early and could see the fireworks from the Skyliner – which we rode for fun! Our hotel was nearby, it was within walking distance from Epcot, but leaving early allowed us to go on an adventure and still see the fireworks!
• I’ll add more to this as I think of other tips!

💦 Hydrate!!!
I mean, this is obvious, but, hydrate! You’re walking a lot of steps, you’re sweating a lot, your body is working hard… Proper hydration is a must. And if you don’t want to spend a fortune on water bottles at the park, bring your own water bottle. Trust me on this! It adds up quickly!

---

2 Sample Workouts To Prepare for Disney (or Mom Life!)

Here’s one of my go-to routines that builds strength + endurance:

💪 SUPERSET 1

30 reps each, 2x 10-lb dumbbells. Repeat 2–3 rounds, rest 30 sec between sets

• Glute Bridge Chest Press (To strengthen your glute muscles for walking/standing and chest for pushing a stroller!)
  • Hold a glute bridge while performing a chest press. Use your exhale breath to push.
  • Where To Feel This: Glutes, Core, Chest
• Bent-Over Row (To strengthen your back muscles when holding a heavy pack or child!)
  • Hold a bend position while rowing weights toward your belly. Use your exhale breath to row.
  • Where to Feel This: Shoulder blades/lats, Glutes/Hamstrings, & Core,
• Mama-Get-Ups (aka Surrenders) (To build full body strength and endurance!)
  • Start in a kneeling position. Hold weights by your side, at your shoulders, or overhead. Step through to a kneeling lunge with one foot, step through with the other foot to come up to standing. Drive through the heel to rise and use your exhale breath to trigger your core for more support.
  • Glutes, quads, core, & arms (depending on weight placement).

💪 SUPERSET 2:

30 reps each, 2x 10-lb dumbbells. Repeat 2–3 rounds, rest 30 sec between sets

• Squat to Overhead Press (To build your lower and upper body strength for various activities like getting in and out of rides with a heavy pack or child!)
  • Start by holding weights at shoulder height. Sit hips back and down to squat, drive up through the legs to stand up while simultaneously pushing weights overhead, just in front of the face.
  • Where To Feel: Glutes, Core, Upper Chest, & Shoulders
• Renegade Rows (to strengthen your postural muscles and core to keep you in better alignment when holding kids or a heavy back)
  • Come onto all-fours, weights under each hand. Using your exhale breath, row each weight toward your chest. Return to start and alternate sides. Be sure to keep shoulders and hips square to the floor. Minimize hip-shifting.
  • Where To Feel: Shoulder Blades/Lats & Core
• Alternating Lunges (To prepare you for going up and down stairs and sidewalks with agility, strength, coordination, and balance when you are fatigued from walking all day!)
  • Start with feet hip-width apart. Hold weights by your sides or at shoulder height. Step one foot back and drop knee toward 90º into a lunge. Push through the front heel to come back up and return to start. Alternate sides.
  • Where To Feel: Glutes and some Quad.

---

Final Thoughts

Disney was magical—and physically exhausting. But I felt prepared. Not because I trained for Disney, but because I train for life as a mom.

It’s never too early to start building your physical capacity for the demands of motherhood. Whether you’re headed to a theme park or just trying to get through a long day—your body is your best tool.

Train it. Love it. And don’t forget to breathe. 💪

---

*This post contains affiliate links that may provide me with commissions.

Did you know that June is both Fertility Awareness Month and  Men’s Health Month? Coincidence? I don’t think so!

It’s the perfect opportunity to zoom out and take a full-body, full-family look at reproductive health.

Whether you’re thinking about growing your family now or just keeping the door open for the future, this is a great time to check in with your body — and give it the love and support it needs.

There’s so much women can do to support fertility naturally: from hormone balance and pelvic health to stress reduction and movement that supports your cycle.

And it’s not just about your body, mama — your partner’s health matters 👏  just 👏 as 👏 much!

Men’s Role In Fertility

Men’s health plays a huge role in fertility, and it doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. Let’s take care of ourselves and support the guys in our lives — because fertility is a team sport!

And, let’s not forget, Father’s Day is Sunday, June 15!

How Movement Supports Fertility for ALL BODIES!

For Women:

• Increases pelvic blood flow and supports egg quality
• Regulates stress and cortisol (a major player in hormone health!)
• Improves mobility of reproductive organs via breath and alignment
• Reduces inflammation that can impact ovulation

For Men:

• Moderate exercise improves testosterone and sperm quality
• Strength training reduces visceral fat and supports hormone balance
• Mobility work and circulation = better function… you know, down below 😉
• Supports sleep, metabolism, and reduces inflammation

What Can NEGATIVELY Impact Fertility

For Women:

• Chronic stress and under-eating (yes — even “healthy” dieting!)
• Over-exercising or high-intensity training without recovery — especially during certain phases of your cycle — can spike cortisol
• Inflammation and poor gut health disrupt hormone signaling

For Men:

• Sitting too long and poor circulation (think: tight boxers + laptops on laps = 📵)
• Alcohol, smoking, and insulin resistance can lower sperm count and motility
• Excess body fat and poor metabolic health can reduce testosterone

Try This Fertility-Friendly Couples Workout With Your Partner

1. Partner Breathing

• Sit back-to-back, cross-legged.
• Breathe slowly into the low ribs and back. Feel your partner’s breathing sync with yours. 
• Try for 2-5 minutes.
• Why? Diaphragm-focused breathing regulates the nervous system.

2. Seated Pelvic Tilting 

• Sit back-to-back, cross-legged.
• Tuck your tailbone forward and back.
• Feel your low backs touch when you scoop your tailbone forward. 
• Practice for 2 minutes. 
• Why? Pelvic tilting improves circulation and alignment.

3. Bodyweight Squats (3 Sets of 12)

• Stand facing each other, feet wider than hip-width, hands holding.
• Squat down together as you sit your hips back and down.
• Drive out of your heels to rise.
• Breathe to move.
• Why? Squatting builds joint and muscle strength for both men and women and improves hip mobility and pelvic floor health. 

4. High-Five Planks (3 sets of 10, each side)

• Get into a plank (knees or toes) facing each other.
• Alternate reaching forward to high-five your partner.
• Keep hips level and in-line.
• Brace your core, but don’t hold your breath!
• Why? Planks build core strength, shoulder stability, and coordination. 

5. Seated Forward Fold + Back Massage

• While one partner hinges into a seated forward fold, the other can massage the muscles of the neck, back, and shoulders for a nourishing recovery.
• The person in the seated forward fold should play around with flexing and pointing the foot to also target the myofascia.
• Switch after 2-5 minutes and repeat.
• Why? Stretching encourages longer, leaner, muscles. Massaging encourages connection and relaxation – vital for hormone balance.

Need a little more guidance? Book a FREE Fertility-Focused mini session for the month of June to get you and your partner on track for better health ahead of your fertility journey!

Resources:

https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1477-7827-10-115¹

https://www.fertstertreports.org/article/S2666-3341(23)00044-2/fulltext

Do You Have Fitness Goals in the New Year?

If I were to head back to the beginning of my fitness journey (around age 14 or 15) – knowing the things I know no – here are 5 things I would do differently:

1) First and foremost, I would improve and master my BREATHING MECHANICS.

How we breathe impacts our movement in every way. 

Our diaphragm is not only our primary respiratory muscle – designed to open our lungs, it also stabilizes movement in our spine and is involved in managing our “intra-abdominal pressure”.

When you inhale,  your diaphragm opens outward and contracts while, simultaneously, the pelvic floor and core muscles release tone. When you exhale, your pelvic floor and core muscles engage and your diaphragm releases… Unless, however, you are mismanaging intra-abdominal pressure due to poor breathing mechanics. Which, in turn, can trigger a whole bunch of potentially dysfunctional movement patterns. 

And following an inhale, your exhale, triggers deep core activation.

Your core activation is influenced from your exhale breath. Try activating your pelvic floor and core engagement while exhaling. Then try activating these muscles while exhaling. Feel the difference?

This is why it is so important to use your exhale breath when lifting weights, heavy bags, or your kids!

When performing a movement that you are feeling in your low back or hips – try using an exhale to trigger a deep activation of your pelvic floor and core muscles and you might notice a little relief for your back and hips! Or, does a movement feel especially difficult? Try playing around with your exhale breath during the movement and see how much stronger the exhale during the movemement makes you feel! 

Simply put: Poor breathing = poor movement quality or, rather, pain and dysfunction!

2) I’d treat my FEET with more love and attention!

Our feet are the foundation for our body. They have influence over posture, movement, muscle connection, and so much more!

They connect us to the earth and help us walk around all day. Our feet are our shock absorbers for our movement and they share the same neural pathways as our pelvic floor.

We can better connect with, strengthen, and relax the muscles of our pelvic floor when our feet (and the fascia surrounding the feet) are activated appropriately.

Instead of squeezing your feet into narrow or tight shoes – free your toes! Give them movement and range. If you have stiff arches, release the fascia. Weak ankles? Build ankle strength and mobility!

When lifting weights, try making contact to the floor through the base of your big toe and pinky toe along with your heel. Consider what type of shoes you are wearing. Running shoes aren’t great for lifting weights. Lifting shoes aren’t great for running. Get with a shoe or foot expert and see if you are wearing shoes that are helping or hindering your workouts.

Activate your arches, stretch your toes, and connect to the earth!

The entirety of your body will thank you for it!

3) Instead of focusing solely on cardio, I would focus on lifting weights. 

Strength training is one of the most important things you can do for yourself as you get older. Our muscle mass starts to decline as we hit our late-twenties to early-thirties. In order to be able to carry your grocery bags or open jars when you are in your 70s, 80s and 90s, you should be lifting – and lifting heavy – in your 30s and 40s. 

I encourage all of my clients not only to lift weights, but to lift weights that challenge their muscles. This will look different for EVERYONE!

NOTE: Before you can start lifting heavy, it is important that you are lifting properly. Start light and gradually build your strength. Going to heavy too soon can be disastrous! You need to first build up your connective tissue to withstand heavy loads. You also need to make sure you are moving with good stability, proper breathing mechanics, and good core activation.

Trust me, if you are not used to lifting, a bodyweight workout or a session with light weights is going to feel challenging enough! The time investment of gradually increasing your load will pay off 10-fold.

I went too hard too soon when I was younger… and my body paid for it! I have since done the work to reset my lifting foundation and it has made all the difference in my strength gains and my recovery!

Start small, be consistent, and stick with it. Watch and FEEL your muscles change!

Need some guidance? Reach out for an assessment to see what areas you might need to work on. All movement and pelvic floor assessments are free for the month of January.

Request an assessment here: mombellyfitness@gmail.com

OR join my MOMS WHO LIFT Fitness Challenge starting January 4 via Zoom! Register here.

Note: It’s important to both strengthen your muscles and train your cardiovascular system. Dedicate time for strength training at least 3-4 days a week and try to get in 30 minutes of cardio daily, or at least 5-6 days per week. A brisk 20-30 minute walk outside can do wonders for your health!

4) I’d tend to my fascia!

Fascia is the tissue that connects all other tissue in the body.

Think of your fascia like scaffolding. It weaves in and out of our muscles, bones, organs, and joints.

Fascia is a continuous web that needs to be treated like an important organ and not like packing material!

Fascia thrives on movement. It dislikes long periods of stillness. Lack of movement tends to harden, densify, and stiffen our fascia… Which leads to aches, pains, and compromised mobility and flexibility. Hardened fascia muffles the communication network from mind to muscle.

The health of your fascia not only influences how you move, but also how your body holds onto and carries water, electrical communication, the integrity of your immune system, your posture, and so much more!

Move your fascia. Hydrate your fascia. Treat your fascia with love!

Try this free fascia workout below and experience how much better your body feels after!

5) I’d exercise my mind!

Being more mindful is something most of the population can benefit from.

We live in such a go, go, go society – often influencing us to run on autopilot. Being a mom doesn’t make this any easier. We spend so much of our energy caring for others that we often forget to care for ourselves.

Find things to do that challenge your way of thinking. Gain control of your thoughts and reactions. Meditate, slow down, and be still in your mind. Easier said than done, I know! That’s why I created Calm Mom. It’s a program that combines mindfulness practices with movement to leave both your body and mind feeling refreshed.

It’s currently being revamped and will be re-launching soon! Pre-order it here.

If you are looking to get started on your fitness journey, reach out today to see how I might be able to help you reach your goals!

As a breath-work coach and personal trainer, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative proper breathing techniques can be for overall health and well-being.

Breathing is something we do automatically, but doing it correctly, or optimally, is not always intuitive.

One of the most critical aspects of effective breathing is the role of the diaphragm. When this powerful muscle is restricted due to stress, overactive traps, and tight ribs, it can lead to a host of health issues and postural dysfunction.

This is why I prioritize helping clients to improve their diaphragmatic range.

Here’s how you can optimize your breathing mechanics for better health:

The Diaphragm: Your Breathing Powerhouse

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that sits at the base of your lungs, originating at the xiphoid process, weaving through the ribs and along the spine, and inserting into the central tendon of the diaphragm.

It’s the primary muscle used in breathing. When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward creating space for your lungs to expand.

When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, helping to push air out of your lungs.

This process is known as diaphragmatic breathing and is essential for efficient oxygen exchange. Sometimes, this is also referred to as “belly breathing”, since the goal of this pattern of breathing is to get the breath out of your neck and shoulders and deeper into the lungs.

I prefer to call it “rib breathing” since this cue promotes more movement of the diaphragm.

Why Your Diaphragm May Be Limited

Several factors can restrict the diaphragm’s movement, leading to shallow, inefficient breathing patterns:

1. Stressed Breathing: Chronic stress and anxiety often cause rapid, shallow chest breathing. This bypasses the diaphragm and overworks accessory muscles, like the trapezius and Scalenes.
2. Overactive Trapezius Muscles: When these muscles are overused, they create neck and shoulder tension and poor posture, further limiting diaphragm movement.
3. Tight Rib Cage: Restrictions around the ribs, often due to poor posture or muscle tightness, can hinder the diaphragm’s ability to move freely, reducing lung capacity and limited thoracic mobility.

Recognizing the Symptoms

When the diaphragm is restricted, you might experience a variety of symptoms:

• Neck and Shoulder Tension: Overusing accessory muscles can lead to chronic pain and stiffness.
• Fatigue: Shallow breathing reduces oxygen intake, leading to tiredness.
• Anxiety and Stress: Inefficient breathing can worsen feelings of anxiety and place you in a chronic state of “fight or flight”.
• Headaches: Tension from poor breathing mechanics can contribute to headaches.
• Poor Posture: Limited diaphragmatic movement can lead to poor posture, exacerbating musculoskeletal issues and limited mobility.
• Digestive Problems: The diaphragm not only helps us open our lungs, it also acts like a pump for fluid transfer and internal organ massage. Restricted diaphragmatic movement can affect abdominal organs, leading to digestive discomfort.

Long-term Consequences

If left unchecked, limitations in diaphragmatic range can contribute to several chronic conditions:

• Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome: Persistent shallow, rapid breathing can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and breathlessness.
• Musculoskeletal Pain: Chronic tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back from overuse of accessory muscles.
• Postural Dysfunction: Poor breathing mechanics can worsen postural imbalances.
• Anxiety Disorders: Chronic stress and anxiety can perpetuate shallow breathing patterns.
• Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Chronic muscle tension can lead to restricted connective tissue, which can lead to feelings of stiffness and myofascial pain.
• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Bad breathing mechanics can also put pressure on the core and pelvic floor, leading to things like urinary incontinence, pelvic pressure, and prolapse.
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Tension can compress nerves and blood vessels, causing pain, numbness, and tingling in the arms and hands.

Strategies to Improve Diaphragmatic Range

To overcome these limitations, here are some effective strategies:

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises: Practice deep, diaphragmatic breathing to fully engage the diaphragm. Lie on your back with one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Inhale deeply – long and slow – through your nose, letting your ribs expand. Think: Inhale to fill belly, ribs, and back. Let the exhales spill out naturally and fully to reset the diaphragm.
2. Direct the Breath: When you inhale, try inhaling through your nose, directly to the back of your through – rather than up and in.
3. Strengthen the Roof of Your Mouth: Try practicing tongue push-ups! Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Hold for 10 seconds. Repat 2-3 times. Try inhaling with a relaxed tongue vs tongue to the roof of the mouth. Feel the difference! For better breathing, try lightly pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth when inhaling for a more efficient breath.
4. Stretching and Mobility Exercises: Focus on stretches that target the chest, ribs, neck, and shoulders to relieve tightness and improve flexibility.
   
   Yoga poses like child’s pose, cat-cow stretches, and thoracic spine rotations can be particularly beneficial.
   
   My personal favorite is fascia flossing (or resistance stretching) to break up any stiff connective tissue. Try this workout to improve rib movement and thoracic mobility.
5. Postural Training: Improve your overall posture to reduce strain on the neck and shoulder muscles. Incorporate exercises that promote good posture, such as wall angels and scapular push-ups, and consider ergonomic adjustments in your workspace.
6. Relaxation Techniques: Reduce stress and promote better breathing patterns with relaxation practices like mindfulness meditation and breath-work.
7. Physical Therapy: Work with a physical therapist to address specific musculoskeletal issues and improve your breathing mechanics. They can provide personalized exercises and manual therapy techniques to enhance diaphragm function.
8. Corrective Breath-Work: Work with a corrective breath-work coach (like me!) to improve your breathing mechanics.
9. Biofeedback: Use biofeedback techniques to increase awareness and control over your breathing patterns and muscle tension. This can help retrain your breathing habits and reduce reliance on accessory muscles.
10. Corrective Exercise: Learning to connect your breath to your movement can help you realign your posture, however, corrective exercise can take this a step further to improve your overall muscle balance.

Optimizing your breathing by unlocking the full potential of your diaphragm is essential for overall health

As a breath-work coach and personal trainer, I can attest to the profound impact that efficient breathing can have on your physical and mental well-being. By incorporating diaphragmatic breathing exercises, corrective breath-work, resistance stretching, postural training, and mindfulness practices into your routine, you can enhance your breathing mechanics and improve your quality of life.

Prioritizing your breath not only supports your physical health but also promotes a sense of calm and relaxation in your daily life.

For better access to your diaphragm, try the following workout to target the myofascia around your ribcage:

For More Assistance, book a breath-work consultation below:

Fascia Flossing: A workout for your fascia!

What is Fascia Flossing?!

Fascia Flossing – also known as “resistance stretching” – is a way to change your tissues from the inside out! The process of engaging your muscles while adding length and elongation is what makes the stretch a “floss” or resistance stretch. This directly impacts your connective tissue (myofascia) – providing an internal exfoliation of this tissue. It is a strength and flexibility workout that leaves you feeling like you just received a deep tissue massage – while also providing you with energy, strength, and flow!

What is Fascia?

Fascia is our body’s scaffolding. It’s the tissue that connects all other tissues – bones, ligaments, tendons, fat, skin, blood vessels, gray brain matter, and so on. There are several types of fascia, including myofascia, scar tissue, deep fascia, fuzzy fascia, lymph, gray matter, and adipose tissue. Fascia is made up primarily of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin.

Fascia provides us with structure, tensegrity, and transfer.

It is the “formless form”. Like a webbing throughout our body, it forms the scaffolding for our organs and tissues, giving us our structure. It is continuous and ubiquitous, taking on the shape of whatever it is enveloping.

Much like the principle of tensegrity in architecture, fascia uses compression and tension to help us move our muscles, stabilize, and maintain our posture.

Fascia provides transfer of energy, fluid, and piezoelectric communication.

“Connective tissue wraps virtually every other tissue formation in our bodies. If everything else were removed, the network of empty connective tissue compartments would preserve our physical form in detail…

…In the tendons and ligaments, its tensile strength is superior to steel wire; In the cornea of the eye, it is transparent as glass; it accounts for the toughness of leather, the tenacity of glue, the viscosity of gelatin. Invest it to various degrees with hyaline…it becomes various grades of cartilage; invest it with mineral salts, and it becomes bone.”

– Deane Juhan  – Job’s Body, a Handbook for Bodywork

Fascia Flossing Vs. Conventional Stretching

Conventional stretching, as holding a stretch without activating a targeted muscle group, can lead to over-stretching. This can cause tears in connective tissue by exceeding the tissue’s natural range of motion and elastic limits, causing the collagen fibers to elongate and potentially rupture.

Collagen fibers have some elasticity, but when they are stretched too far beyond their limit, they can break, leading to tears in the connective tissue and pain in the joints.

Fascia Flossing equals “strength plus length”. Rather, engaging your muscles while elongating. This combination applies a greater tensile force to the fascial fibers than a passive stretch does. This in repetition begins to reorganize the fascial fibers – creating more flow and space in the muscles and joints.

Dynamically adding resistance while pulling the tissues into an elongation phase means we can impact the fascia at higher intensity than traditional methods.

A Workout For All!

Fascia Flossing, resistance stretching, and dynamic stretching can be customized to meet each individual where they are at. We all feel tension and tightness throughout the day… from the moment we wake up, from sitting for too long, and from built up scar tissue.

Learning how to engage and add length is handy tool in your wellness kit. These stretches can be small, targeted, assisted, and can be performed right from your desk. Or, if you’re looking for a full workout experience, you can learn to flow and combine various resistance stretches to give you a full fascia overhaul, leaving your feeling spacious and strong, fluid and free!

Book a Private Session

If you are looking for a deeper stretch and a more customized approach, you can book a private session online or in-person (Louisville, KY residents), Five-Packs also available.

Floss With Your Friends!

Host your friends for a blissful gathering including a self-flossing fascia workout, optional partner flossing for deeper experience, healthy-bites, games, and relaxing beverages for a feel-good time! Book a PamperedStretch event today!

Minimum 3 guests, Maximum 10 guests

Starts at $350.

For Booking, email Melissa at mombellyfitness@gmail.com

Melissa is a certified Fascia Flossing Trainer through her Level II certification at thefloss.com.