Movement skills for healthy aging and postpartum recovery with Andrea Smith
Andrea Smith is a Pilates instructor in Long Beach, CA. She helped Darya recover from several postnatal injuries and build the strength and balance she needs moving into middle age. Andrea also helped Darya's husband Kevin stop having constant back injuries.
Andrea's Pilates career began in 2006 when she was certified through Body Arts and Sciences International. In 2009 she was invited to become faculty for the company and spent the next 10 years traveling the world as a teacher trainer and workshop presenter. Andrea currently lives and works in Long Beach, California where she teaches private and small group classes. Her wide range of clientele includes athletes, dancers, pre- and postnatal women and those recovering from injury and surgery. Her intuitive and compassionate approach to teaching involves special attention to the breath, diving deep into the fundamentals, and holding space for the individual to find a meaningful connection to their body.
Instagram: @thepilatessmith
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[00:00:00] Dr. Darya Rose: I'm Dr. Darya Rose. And you're listening to The Darya Rose Show where we bring a fact-based perspective to answer all those confounding questions that come up in our day-to-day lives. From achieving optimal health, to making conscious choices about your purchases and raising kids that thrive. We are here to help you navigate your life with confidence.
Hello, and welcome to the Darya rose show. Today. I am delighted to have one of my oldest friends and movement mentors. Also my current Pilates instructor, Andrea Smith, as many of you know, I had two babies back to back, not too long ago. They are only 15 months apart. And this was really, really hard on my body.
I had diastasis recti, which is where your abdominal muscles sort of split apart. I had chronic pain in my right SI joint that it isn't helped by carrying babies and toddlers around all the time. And also somewhere in there I turned [00:01:00] 40. [laughs] So I'm also aging and not the 20-year-old that I used to be. So I thought I might never be able to run again, cause my SI hurt so bad.
And despite working out regularly, I felt weaker than I had ever been in my life. And at some point I got fed up with it and it was COVID. And so [laughs] I set up a virtual Pilates session with my best friend, Andrea, and six months later after then this is after like years of, of at least a year of pain and injury.
Uh, six months later I was running four plus miles a couple times a week. Um, my SI pain is totally under control and my posture is getting back to normal, I used to be a ballerina and. Used to have wonderful posture. And I felt like that was going away. And I feel like it's back again and I'm strong and it is so awesome.
So today I wanted to share her wisdom with you because say- staying strong and healthy and balanced through both pregnancy and [00:02:00] aging are some of the biggest issues that women will face in their lives. And she also helped my husband, Kevin, who had, who was like throwing out his back regularly, like [laughs] rolling toddlers around.
Um, so we will talk about that, too. So men you're not excluded, but we do spend a good amount of time talking about women's issues and the postpartum body and the aging body, because turning 40 is so much fun. [laughs]
Andrea's love of movement began when she was a very young child in dance class. Her ballet training soon turned in to an obsession, and she devoted over 20 years of her life to practicing the art.
She studied classical and contemporary dance at orange county high school for the arts and then modern dance and dance conditioning at Santa Ana College and Cal State University in Long Beach. Andrea's Pilates career began in 2006 when she was certified through Body Arts and Sciences International and in 2009 she was invited to become faculty for the company and spent the next 10 years traveling the world as a teacher/trainer, and workshop presenter.
Andrea [00:03:00] currently lives and works in Long Beach, California, where she teaches private and smaller group classes. Her wide range of clientele include athletes, dancers, pre and postnatal women. And those recovering from injury and surgery, her intuitive and compassionate approach to teaching involves special attention to the breath, diving deep into the fundamentals and holding space for the individual to find a meaningful connection to their body.
She's completely changed my life my physical life and I feel comfortable again, and couldn't be happier to share everything she knows. So enjoy Andrea and I hope you learn a lot.
Hey, Andrea. It is so nice to have you here. Welcome to the show.
Andrea Smith: Thank you. It's so nice to be here.
Dr. Darya Rose: So. I'll let you do the honors. um, explaining how we know each other.
You don't have to go into all the ugly details [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] But the, the, the beginning. [laughs] and Give us a little intro.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. So, um, when we met, we're eight years old [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: and we, um, didn't hit it off [00:04:00] right. At the beginning, it took a while to get to uh, a place where we wanted to be friends. And then once we did that, that was it. And that was a long time ago now.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs] And uh, it's been wonderful to maintain this friendship. And But it's so amazing that I get to be here in Portland with you right now. Yeah. I'm really looking forward to talking about what we've been up to together for the last year.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. So I think it starts back to when we were both. Well, you started a little before me, but in high school we both got really into ballet.
Andrea Smith: Yes.
Dr. Darya Rose: And we used to dance since... mostly dance [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And stretch and not eat [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: embarrassingly. And, but you took it farther, like the movement practice, you decided you were really interested in Pilates and started doing that training. And what, what, you... when did that? happen?
[00:05:00] Andrea Smith: So, yeah, so after high school, I continue to dance in college and I kinda took my time and I, I went to community college and, danced there, and that's where I was first introduced to Pilates.
And I really liked it. And I knew at that time that that was gonna be my career path, but I wasn't ready to give up dancing yet.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So I kept dancing and kept dancing and even pushing myself through. Pain and injuries and then it just became too much. And I I had to stop. I had some, some issues going on with my hip and I was in pain everyday. Finally, my chiropractor was like, well, if you want a hip replacement by 40, go ahead and keep dancing, [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: So...
Dr. Darya Rose: Ringing endorsement.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. So that's when I finally gave it up and started to pursue Pilates.
Dr. Darya Rose: Very cool. Were you always with BAS BASI? BASI? How do you say that?
Andrea Smith: BASI.
Dr. Darya Rose: BASI.
Andrea Smith: Right? It stands for body arts and sciences international.
Yeah. That's where I got my certification. And [00:06:00] shortly after that, a couple of years after that, I started teaching for them as a teacher/trainer. So I was faculty and I did that for about 10 years.
Dr. Darya Rose: How many people do you think you trained? How many amazing instructors are that, out there
Andrea Smith: Oh, gosh!
Dr. Darya Rose: ...because of you? [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: I don't know.
A hundred.
Dr. Darya Rose: hundreds.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. Mm-hmm [affirmative]. So you, you trained with the best of the best.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I mean, i- it's a, it's a whole different thing, training teachers, right. I really love diving into it from that mindset of, of breaking things down and you know, how we actually communicate the movements; That's, what's really interesting to me.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. So the thing, one of the things you focused on is teaching the teachers how to teach.
Andrea Smith: Yes.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. And it's hard because there are so much repertoire, There are so much material to get through. And there isn't a lot of time for that,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...honestly, for teaching how to teach. And it's honestly not something you can teach, but you can show them some things, you can show them your language, your, your body language, even [00:07:00] the way you stand and, and the way you sit with your clients, because even that can make a big difference in someone's experience.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And what other kind of things do teachers learn? Like I I remember you having like really intense muscle. Anatomy.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ... [laughs] stuff like...
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Yeah. Yeah. We learn a lot of anatomy. Definitely. It's really important. but We don't get as detailed as physical therapists or doctors would, but we learn a lot in the training. And then of course Pilates, teachers are kind of movement nerds, and we always are interested in learning more. So we end up taking workshops and reading books and always learning more about the body.
And as the science changes and evolves, we definitely make an effort to keep up with all of that.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. So at this point you've been, do you, you stopped doing the teacher/trainer, right?
Andrea Smith: I did. When COVID hit and I just haven't gone back to it
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: [laughs] 'Cause I was traveling quite a bit and I have a three-year-old now, and it just gets harder and [00:08:00] harder with kids to be away for any period of time.
Really. So
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. you're going all over the world. That was cool.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yup. So It was, it was good while it lasted, but it i- it's a lot of work.
Dr. Darya Rose: Well, you are my movement expert. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And so the other things, that... we always joked that we're in sync. We do
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...things
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...together
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...at the same [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: and we happen to get pregnant at the same time.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And gosh, that was hard. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs] Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. So I, but I did something a little different. We had our first babies two months apart and six months after Zelda was born, I got pregnant again.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And in pretty much immediately, I actually didn't even know I was pregnant yet,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: but the relaxin, Which is the hormone that your body releases, when you become pregnant to loosen up your joints, to prepare your body for opening up
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and having a, a birth.
Andrea Smith: Right.
[00:09:00] Dr. Darya Rose: It really hard at the second time. And I immediately started feeling pain. And what I now understand is my SI joint
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: back then, I thought it was just my lower back. I didn't really know anything about
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...that part of my body. And I
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...didn't even know that your pelvis had joints in it.
Andrea Smith: Right. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Because I just thought it was sort of a monolithic bone.
I've seen diagrams and I've seen the, the sort of the fissures there,
Andrea Smith: They do. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: but I didn't really realize they were actually mobile.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I learned that the hard way.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And so at the time my hips are sort of, were hurting, just sitting around, like And i- it specially hurt when I was laying on my back with my knees up. That Those are really painful
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...on my right SI.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And then I found out I was pregnant. I was like, oh, but then I, I, I still had a baby.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And so I was. You know, she was six months old, so she still had to be carried a lot.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And I didn't have a lot of childcare at the time. So I was pregnant and dealing with her. And by the time Nova came, my second [00:10:00] baby, I was really, really hoping that that SI would get better because I know that the relaxin would sort of dry up.
And when, after my first birth, uh, I had a lot of pain in my hands. I don't know if you remember that.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like in my-
Andrea Smith: I I had the same thing.
Dr. Darya Rose: Oh God, it was
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...horrible. They were like numb and achy, and it was one of the worst things.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: It's Like the last month of pregnancy, and my hands are just killing me all
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...the time. I couldn't sleep and I didn't wanna take any drugs.
So It was really hard,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: But... So I... but they... I- I- it like went away immediately after I had a kid.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: So I was hoping that would happen with the SI And it, I thought that it did, or maybe it even did. It was like starting to feel better.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And then five weeks out after giving birth. I I don't know if you remember this. I slipped in my shower,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...like really badly.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Both my legs flew up in the air. I had two massive bruises on my shins, where they hit the little bench. I've a sh- little bench
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...in my shower. That's built in, and it, both. My shins hit that I land exactly on my SI joint.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I was [00:11:00] tilted a little bit landed right on my hip. My head flew back, my head crashed on the floor.
I was actually incredibly lucky. I was wearing a hair clip,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ... that was plastic, like butterfly-looking clips
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and it just shattered into a million pieces, but it took
Andrea Smith: Wow!
Dr. Darya Rose: ...the print of the fall
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...for me. It was, Oh, God! that was awful. And then I like just couldn't walk. [laughs] [inaudible 00:11:23] just like
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...in pain. And so I lived like that for a while.
And and when I wa-... oh, and I forgot when I was pregnant, you had me doing some exercises. I think you made me a little video
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...to do some Pilates movement. You called them clams. And I was
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...doing squats that actually helps me a lot.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: So I knew that. if I Did that everyday, I was fine. If I miss one day, I was fine.
But if miss two days, I couldn't walk again.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So I was very diligent about it.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And so I started doing that again after my fall and after I could like f- function
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...better. And, but it just wasn't enough.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I had gotten so hurt and I I know I was trying, I was doing [00:12:00] Oh, God, God, I did a lot of clams. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. But eventually I don't remember how long it took me maybe like a year or something.
And then finally I just called you. And I was like, oh, You... well, COVID hit.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And all of a sudden virtual Pilates was a thing.
Andrea Smith: Hm? Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: And it took me about, I think, six months to figure that that meant I could a see you every [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...week
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and get training from you. And I was really shocked because, so we don't live in the same city just to clarify.
[laughs]
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Andrea teaches in long beach, California and I live in Portland, Oregon.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: So I was really. Skeptical, I'd say that if you could see me
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...over an iPhone. Like literally I just used my iPhone
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...in my gym in a mat. And you were like, what do you have? I've got a mat. I've got a couple of these little blocks. I've got some-
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... of these stretchy bands.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And you had me buy a couple of other things like that evil magic circle, [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] but we just started working together
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...to help me with these issues. And it was [00:13:00] crazy because I remember feeling so weak. Like I've, I've always been strong. Like I've always been kind of athletic. I was a dancer
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I run marathons and, and I was just so out of balance because obviously when you get used to having an extra, like 40 pounds to keep in your abdomen, your muscles do weird things to, to to adjust to that.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I could definitely feel that I was like wonky and not right. Like off-kilter.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And I think I'm also used to having a really strong core, I was like... Pretty sure. I have the eight grade sit-up record at the San Diego middle school. [
Andrea Smith: laughs] I'm sure you do.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] So it was really weird to be wobbly. And I actually had a lot of abdomen pain Two, in my sternum, the
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...baby were like felt it was gonna rip out of my chest, like an alien.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Cause I'm just, that's just how I carry babies really high. And my
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...rib cage is really small it was just felt like it was being shredded at. once. And that one actually hurt for months after,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...after I had the baby, 'cause it was just shredded.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So you... I needed you. I needed you [00:14:00] badly-
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ... with all that stuff [laughs] and it was so, so awesome. So shortly after that, like I, I don't think it was that long where I was like, I need twice a week.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So we started working together twice a week. So I I had diastasis rectus. Was I saying that, right?
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Some people say
Dr. Darya Rose: Diastasis.
Andrea Smith: ...diastasis, diasthesis. either way.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay. Yeah. So that's when di- di- diastasis recti, where your abdomen sort of split apart, [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: feels as good as it sounds. [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: So I had that, so I had a big gap between my muscles in my, in my abdomen. And also, yeah, Now I had two ba- two babies to carry around one is much heavier and I turned 40 in there
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...somewhere,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: which that's a whole other situation.
Andrea Smith: Yup. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: So you were helping me work on this and within six months of working with you, I was running four plus miles, like a couple
Andrea Smith: So great.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...times a week,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: and I felt so much stronger. I m- mean still not like I'm still in this journey, but yeah, no, I'm like fit [00:15:00] again
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and it is freaking amazing. And I. am not in pain. I mean, I, I S I can... As I can get wonky and everytime we have a session you, you check in with me
Andrea Smith: Yes.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...about it and we we keep it in place.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: But because of you, I can function again. And I don't feel like, I mean, a decapitated lady, [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: It's kinda how I was feeling there
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...for a while, which was super weird for me.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I always used to being, feeling younger than I am, and this was the first time I like really felt my age. And I really felt what I've been putting my body through.
So
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: I wanted to share with everybody your wisdom, because [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...that's a freaking miracle to me. I mean, I just can't even, I can't even believe I can run and work out again and feel good. So, oh, and I should also mention that in, during this time, my husband, Kevin Rose, he also was having issues. So he did turn 40 a little bit before me, but he's Carrying the kids around and he's the type of dad who's "I've got a third-year-old shoulders and do silly things. And he's got maybe a [00:16:00] little less body awareness than a former dancer.
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I'd also... I've done a lot of Pilates before working with you. And he would try to pick up a baby and like leaning to the side and kinda try to squeeze in a backpack and not be able to walk for four days.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And he... And he he is throwing out on his back, what, like every three months,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: something ridiculous like that.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And so you started with him too.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And he, I don't remember. the Last time he threw out his back, it was like
Andrea Smith: That's great.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...around this time, last year,
Andrea Smith: That's awesome.
Dr. Darya Rose: maybe eight months ago, maybe ten months ago, something like that.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So awesome. Cause he would go down man.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I, I would hurt, but I could still move around. But he would like, He was like crawling
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... [laughs] into the bed. I was like poor guy
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: anyway. So we're gonna talk about him too, but first we're gonna start with me because what you worked on with me was. So amazing.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And I know there are a lot of women and, that have had babies or that are turning 40 and
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...would love to know how you did it.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: So when you're working with somebody like me, [00:17:00] who had a couple kids and isn't spring chicken, as she used to be [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: That's such a horrible thing to say. So what goes, what do you think? What, what is your immediate thoughts when you're thinking about somebody like me and what do you think needs to be worked on?
Andrea Smith: Yeah, I really try to take everyone as an individual and I don't necessarily come with a pre-prescribed program. It's not like necessarily like, oh, Your right. SI joint is out. Let's do a, B and C and it's gonna be perfect. It's a lot of trial and error at first really it's Pilates and Pilates it, as a system in itself is pretty like perfect in its approach to movement and how comprehensive it is.
We're not just working one area and getting that are strong. We're working that are in conjunction with the opposite side of the body. So for example, the pelvis, if we're looking at the the SI joint, of course, we need to [00:18:00] strengthen the glutes around it we need to work all of those hip muscles. But what about all the areas that aren't necessarily right there, but that contribute to it because everything in the body has a relationship.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: The front of the body has a relationship to the back of the body and vice versa, the upper body and the lower body have a relationship. And so for me, it's really all about finding the balance of those relationships.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: And like I said, of course there are certain movements that we do for certain issues, but it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of program.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So I always, we just start from the beginning, which is the breath. I always start with the breath. I always look at that as a way to. sort of Measure people's own connection to their own body because you can tell, I can actually tell a lot, by the way, someone breathes,
Dr. Darya Rose: tell me more [
Andrea Smith: laughs] because it's, it's so central to, to everything that we are not just in our movements, but in our, our mental wellbeing and out emotional [00:19:00] wellbeing But the breath is, is something that we easily forget about.
But it's it's so it could be so powerful. And so I always want to kind of like allow a lot of room for that to, to unfold in front of me so that I can know which direction to go in.
Dr. Darya Rose: Let's talk some specifics a little bit about So,
Andrea Smith: yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Well, we, you can use me as an example if you want.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I I do remember doing like some breath work
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...with you at the beginning and you We were going like really slow.
I... Gosh!
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And that's, that's something I should emphasize is that we are not moving fast.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like stuff with you is so subtle
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: and so. Nuanced
Andrea Smith: Yes.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and precise. So yeah, we'll sit there for 10 minutes. And make sure my ribs aren't splayed out while I'm breathing or something.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: But, But can you talk about like what let's, what did you see in me that made you think things?
What did you think? [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah. So i- it is, it is slow, like you said. And, And sometimes [00:20:00] depending on the person, that means that they're getting impatient and it's hard to get people to slow down and just breathe
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: and if it's really hard. And so what I see with a lot of people you included is that kind of that impatience and that I'm like, I'm ready to move on, come on.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...Andrea, can we do something else? But if we really take the time to do it, it's, i- i- it can be really, really impactful.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: And I knew that about you. I knew that I would need to slow you down
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: and what's, what's, I'm gonna say. Convenient [laughs] about people that are in pain is that they're willing to do anything, [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: right?
Dr. Darya Rose: Touché.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. So, so it's a lot of just like any dynamic i- i- you have to trust the person. Right? And so I I have to take the time to take you through those, those initial steps of going slow and being really precise and being really uh, attentive to every detail so that you will experience the benefit.
Dr. Darya Rose: Can you tell me what you were looking for
Andrea Smith: What do you mean
Dr. Darya Rose: Like [00:21:00] when you're wachi- watching me breath-
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...What are you looking for?
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah. So ideally when the breath is unrestricted in any way, there's this nice fullness to it, right? The, the, the abdomen expands, the rib expand the chest, expands. Everything is 3D-dimensionally kind of opening and widening with inhales. And then with the exhales, there's a sort of a recoiling and a drawing inward and, and the drawing inward.
part Is where we really work in Pilates because that's gonna get your, your diaphragm working properly It's gonna get your abdominal muscles firing properly. Those deeper core muscles are gonna be able to be accessed. And so if the breath is shallow and tight in the body, if I see what the ribs, aren't quite moving as much as I would like them to.
Or if I see that all of the breath is just going into the chest, then you know, I have to address that first. So, yeah. So with you, with the typical k- sort of postnatal body, [00:22:00] the, the front ribs are, are wider because of that, diastasis that causes the abdomen to um, splay out sideways and it doesn't immediately go back together.
In fact, It can be really challenging to, to heal that diastasis. and people do all sorts of wrong things and it makes it worse.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So
Dr. Darya Rose: like crunches, right.
Andrea Smith: Yeah, yeah. Like crunches
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...or any supine, abdominal work. None of that is, is great for
Dr. Darya Rose: What do you mean by supine
Andrea Smith: when you're laying on your back
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and curling up the head and chest in, and yeah.
Like a sit-up. So anytime you're laying on your back and lifting your torso, those muscles have no chance of being able to do what they need to do. If there's a diastasis. it's hard for people that don't have diastasis-
Dr. Darya Rose: right.
Andrea Smith: To do that So, yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And it's because it's a different muscle group, right. That does the, the upward flexion versus the inward pull from the sides.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. And if you have really good body awareness and you really know what you're doing, you can, you can [00:23:00] make it happen better, but it's just not the best position for that condition.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: We usually, instead of lying down on your back, we do things in quadrupeds or all fours and sideline.
Dr. Darya Rose: Oh yeah. We used to do a ton of all fours.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: I forgot about that.
Andrea Smith: And that's... And that can be really good for for SI joint stuff, too.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Some of those, the movements we do in that position.
Dr. Darya Rose: Cool. What is, the... What's another common sort of breath mistake Say mistake. Not a mistake, but
Andrea Smith: yeah, yeah. Breathing through the, [laughs] I can get as specific as you want, but breathing, we always breathe in through the nose and not through the mouth in Pilates.
And we breathe out through the mouth, a lot of times people blow the air our as if they're blowing out a candle. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So it's like a...
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: through the lips,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...which. That just come that comes from your, your chest and goes out to your mouth where the way I teach it, I really wanna encourage people to get that like fire-from-the-belly kind of feeling.
And [00:24:00] so we change that, blowing out the mouth to like, your, your fogging up a a mirror
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: and you make a a huh sound with your breath and it's... yeah, exactly, It's like-
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: It's almost like a breath of fire. You feel this like power in this contraction in your, in your center and it's deep. It's not those superficial muscles.
It's not the muscles that do the crunching. It's, it's not the, the rectus abdominis, which is your six-pack. Everybody wants a, still wants a six-pack. And it's like the least important abdominal muscle that there is [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs] Tell Brad Pitt. That,
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: yeah. So, yeah. So, so [inaudible 00:24:38] like looking at how deep that connection is with their breath, are they able to.
like Naturally feel that tensing and that tightening, that happens in the abdomen on the exhale.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Is it, is it even there,
Dr. Darya Rose: like how hard it is to get someone to breathe properly?
Andrea Smith: Oh. It depends.
Dr. Darya Rose: Or isn't Just like sh- sh- showing someone,
Andrea Smith: it depends on the person I I mean I have Clients that I've had for years that I [00:25:00] still have to remind.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Okay. So, and yeah, obviously the quicker you tune in to those, those deeper layers and the the deeper awareness you're able to have, you're gonna be able to incorporate that into every movement. And if every movement comes from a place of complete core control and stability. You're good. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Yeah. And can you talk a little about I... You've been explained this to me a couple of times, but I think it's very, very interesting. Can you talk about the relationship between the diaphragm and the breath and
Andrea Smith: yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: How it's a little counterintuitive.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. So the diaphragm is shaped like uh, like an umbrella and it sits underneath your ribs. And the, f-
Dr. Darya Rose: just like the top of the umbrella, right?
Andrea Smith: The top of the umbrella.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. And it's And like open right. An open umbrella. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: And, and it's sort of And so it's underneath the ribs and it like caps your organs. So it's kinda wrapped around the tops of your organs there. And as we inhale the diaphragm actually t- uh, contracts and pulled [00:26:00] down. And so it pulls the organs out of the way so that we can take more air into the lungs.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So it like allows more space for all of that air to expand into your lungs. And then when we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, pushes back up against the ribs and then the breath comes out of the body. So it seems counterintuitive because as we inhale, we feel the, the bones moving upward, right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative]
Andrea Smith: When you breathe in to your.
your Chest you feel the chest rising so you think, oh, the diaphragm's going up too, but it's the opposite.
Dr. Darya Rose: And then, yeah. So you really need to tap into that.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I mean, I don't have to explain that necessarily to my clients i- in that way. Sometimes it just confuses them more. So I focus more on, especially when I'm in person uh, with someone, I actually get my hands on them and I poke around and I [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: ...get them to, to feel things and I'm right there breathing with them.
So I'm I'm not just telling them what to do. I'm like I'm showing them and telling them and [00:27:00] feeling their body with my hands. Sometimes I'll have them feel my body so that they can get a better sense because when you're learning something new, it's all about using all, all the senses as many senses you can
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: ...to integrate it.
So, yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And that's uh, is interesting neuroscience tidbit, like the part of the brain that does muscle movement and things like as, are mem- memory. There It's just a totally different part of the brain like cerebellum,
Andrea Smith: Right. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] In like in order to learn muscles like you have to practice in it like a store... It's weird.
It's like, it's like a separate part.
Andrea Smith: To- totally.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: And, and also it's, it's separate from language, right?
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: Like The language part and the movement are totally different. And the movement part what's what was interesting to me is that that pert of the brain is so much stronger than the language part. So I can tell people all day what to do, but they may not understand it, but if they actually do it in their bodies over and over again, it becomes easier to learn.
Dr. Darya Rose: So [00:28:00] talk more about postnatal women, because I feel like obviously we are all different, but also all of our bodies go through sort of a similar trauma. And and I'm curious, what are, what are some of the common issues that. Women encounter after, after having babies that really n- do need to be addressed.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
There's a, there's a few key things and it's unfortunate that we don't have the education pre-pregnancy and pre-having a baby so that we're prepared for these things. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Right.
Andrea Smith: But yeah, obviously diastasis is a big one and by the way, diastasis can happen to anyone,
Dr. Darya Rose: right?
Andrea Smith: Not just pregnancy, you see it a lot in athletes.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. I've heard that
Andrea Smith: Yeah. because they over, they over do it with, with those muscles and they can tear easily. And so that's a big one E- pelvic floor and it's, it's not so simplistic 'cause you think, oh, the pelvic floor muscles, when you're pregnant, they need to be stretched so that you can have the baby. And then when you have the baby, they need to be [00:29:00] toned so that you can get it back.
It's it's not that simple. They need to be both [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: toned and flexible in order to support everything that's been going on. In the pelvis,
Dr. Darya Rose: let's talk about the pelvic floor. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Okay.
Dr. Darya Rose: Cause we talk about it all the time
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: and I always feel like it's our little secret.
Andrea Smith: So for women wo- men have them too, but we'll just talk about women.
We have the vagina in the front, we have the anus in the back. And for some reason we think about them as being like really far apart, but they're not, [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: they're really close together and they're connected through this little network of muscles called the pelvic floor. Which is, if you could visualize those two holes [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: ...and then a a figure eight wrapped around that's basically the structure of pelvic floor muscles
Dr. Darya Rose: and there's infinity.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: It's, it's where all life Springs from. [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs] Indeed.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: So it's, it's actually really beautiful if you look at it in a, in a anatomy book, It, it's really cool.
Andrea Smith: So yeah, so those muscles are [00:30:00] tied to everything down there. They're tied to our bladder. They're tied to our reproductive system, tied to our um, digestive system.
They're really important for pushing poop out of our body, [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs] pushing a baby out of your body. All those things. It's three different muscles.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: And like you have one in the back that actually goes around your, si- so your sit-ons as well.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Your ischial tuberosities and that one. And wa- there's one on each side,
Dr. Darya Rose: right?
Andrea Smith: You can think of it in in surface area. You have to think of inside your body.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. I was just wondering, just like how big of a muscle it is just
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...relative to you know-
Andrea Smith: Yeah. They're not big.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...my arm. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: They're not big.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Oh yeah. Like definitely smaller than your, like your bicep or
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. it's like a sponge almost
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Yeah. We want that to be healthy and, and balanced.
Wanna have a balanced relationship of strength and, and mobility, just like the rest of the body.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. So does it get damaged in birth? or-
Andrea Smith: It can. Oh yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: yeah,
Andrea Smith: mine dead. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah. It can tear [00:31:00] and
Dr. Darya Rose: Does it get stretched out?
Andrea Smith: It does.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: It does. it
Dr. Darya Rose: Is that why you, we do all the stuff? Like, [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs] yeah, it does get stretched out and so much.
sometimes to the point that it tears and it depends on the, the health and the tone of it from the beginning. So mine was really tight and I end up tearing pretty bad, but, and that's partly because I do so much Pilates.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: And when I, even, when I teach. And I'm queuing movement. My muscles are contracting too,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...as I'm doing it
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: and I've gone better about it, [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: but it's yeah, they were just so tight that that they tore.
Dr. Darya Rose: You also had a child with a massive head.
Andrea Smith: She did have a massive head.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Ninety fifth percentile. or something?
Andrea Smith: Yup. Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: Ouch!
Andrea Smith: Yup. Yup. I didn't feel, I didn't feel the pain. I felt the pressure. I felt the the movement of her. And I remem- I remember when, towards the end the the nurse was like putting her hand in and trying to like pry me open,
Dr. Darya Rose: Oh, man.
Andrea Smith: like trying to stretch it out a little bit and yeah.
But you can also have the opposite thing where if it's too loose, [00:32:00] you get something like a prolapse,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...which is where the stuff that's inside comes out.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Like It shouldn't be out.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: We, We all want that inside.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So what is the relationship which me and the pelvic floor and the rest of the core?
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Let's say, cause I feel like you're constantly queuing me.
to Remember my pelvic fl- I'm assuming you're not looking at it, but [laughs]
Andrea Smith: well, and it's not really something that you can see
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: ...happen anyways.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: I can see it because I just see the change in energy that happens not necessarily the actual muscle contracting.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. Right.
Andrea Smith: I can just tell like that there's a little extra stability there.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So if you think about your torso as being like, like a canister [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: ...and you actually have, you have your diaphragm in the middle and you have your, your pelvic diaphragm, which is your pelvic floor on the bottom, and then you actually have a diaphragm in your throat as well. And so through these three channels of diaphragms, you want to feel like there's tension there [00:33:00] sometimes like in yoga, they call it the bandhas. it's like a lock,
Dr. Darya Rose: right?
Andrea Smith: Uh, Like Mula Bandha is the pelvic floor lock. And I don't like the word lock 'cause it's like too much tension, But, but it actually does They have that sense of you're pulling, you're pulling those muscles and you feel like nothing's getting out, nothing's getting in. You're just held. there. And it... so it supports the torso in a really fundamental way because the base of that canister isn't open it's, it's pulled in and up, it's scrunched together and it's holding everything in
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. I'm trying to think about breathing and the diaphragm and the pelvic floor.
Is there some relationship there?
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Yeah. And you can, you can play with it. But I think what naturally happens is as we inhale and the diaphragm lowers, the pelvic floor actually lifts a little bit. So they go in opposition to each other.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Yeah. And, but, you know, you can, you can switch that around depending on, you know, what you need to do, but that, that pelvic floor contraction [00:34:00] during work, where you're trying to stabilize your pelvis and your lower back and, and your core is really, is really powerful as a stabilizer for those areas.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay. So it's part of the sort of stabili- stabilization
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... axis?
Andrea Smith: Yup. Yup. So you have... You have those muscles on the bottom, you have your obliques on the sides and you have your transverse abdominis, which wraps horizontally around your abdomen. And then the rectus on top of that. So there's layers and there's different angles The things are moving from and being pulled from.
And if, if we can kind of contract it all as one in one exhale, can you get that pelvic floor? And that deep transverse and those obliques to all think up together, that's what I'm looking for.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So it's like a coordination and then stability. so much progress I've made. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And so we've talked about diastasis. we've talked about the pelvic floor for other postpartum issues.
I mean, I remember I had like, [00:35:00] my back and shoulders were like always hurting
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and, and obviously you're just like carrying babies, carrying breastmilk in my body. like a... [laughs] like, Normally I'm 32C and I was like, a 34DD- [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...for three years. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: It's been like confusing, happy to be back to normal. And, but that pain has gone away as well.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And I assume that's something that comes up a lot.
Andrea Smith: Yeah, for sure. And a lot of that is, is, is the weight of the breasts, but a- also all the activities you have to do, you know, breastfeeding, bending down to change your baby, bending down, to put the baby in the crib. You know, all of those things really start to take its toll plus You're exhausted. So when you're tired, you naturally sort of hunched anyways, the body just re- wants to relax. So, and that's, a... that's a big thing for everyone, but definitely that, that upper back postural work is really important for moms hence, arm strengthening, should strengthening, shoulder, and arm mobility, all of that because the demands are, are [00:36:00] so intense, especially in the beginning.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. I felt like to, to really get that back. I mean, I don't feel like I have that problem at all anymore. I feel like,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: But was like we did a lot. of Like scapular work
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and which is the muscles sort of
Andrea Smith: The shoulder blades,
Dr. Darya Rose: shoulder blades.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And once it, when... What am I missing?
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Shoulder blades. So working the muscles between the shoulder blades to kind of pull them back towards each other o- r- on to your back so that your shoulders aren't rounding forward, working the back extensors in that upper area to support all of that shoulder, work
Dr. Darya Rose: That's, that's like the column
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...by the spine.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: So down your spine, you have layers and layers of back extensor muscles. They're small and deep and and some of them are more superficial, but they, they actually, some of them work on, let's say just the cervical spine and some just on the thoracic spine some just on the lumbar. They do fire all at once, but we can certainly focus on one area over another.
So it's really important to have that balance through [00:37:00] the the entire back.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. To support the spine during movement.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. I like, I that's one, one of the things I always tell women who are. Newly pregnant
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...is they... a lot of people ask me advice [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I'm like a baby expert right now.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And one of the things I tell them is start doing back exercises now,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: like rows and like lap pull downs so, because all of a sudden, like you won't realize it hit you, but like you'll be six, seven months.
And then you have this giant extra weight in front of your body and you need something to be able to hold it up.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And your glutes and hamstrings too. like, you have
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...to really strengthen that posterior
Andrea Smith: Double back line. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Chain.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And and then, yeah. And then even, and then after you have the baby, obviously, like you need it as well.
Cause you're still
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...carrying that weight around and they
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...just keep growing
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: and you still have to carry them around. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yup. Yup. And since you mention the, the glutes and hamstrings, I know you wanted to talk about the SI 'cause we didn't actually,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: we didn't actually talk about it, but
Dr. Darya Rose: is that a common thing?
Andrea Smith: Yes.
right.
Dr. Darya Rose: For [00:38:00] a postpartum woman? Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Yeah. So we, we said diastasis and then pelvic floor issues and then SI joint issues, because the SI joint is designed to be slightly mobile. Not really. mobile. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: So you need to be able to have that mobility, but,
Dr. Darya Rose: and let's just clarify. So the SI joint, is...
Andrea Smith: Sacroiliac joint. So it's where the sacrum and the um, ilium of the pelvis meet.
So it's your sacrum is the, the end of your spine on your pelvis. It's like this flat area of fused bones and where the side of the pelvis kinda wraps into that is that SI joint.
Dr. Darya Rose: So basically I feel like if you look at Like a skeleton,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: You know just kinda... like the pelvis kinda looks like a heart or something
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...like that.
And then it's almost like there's two little fissures, like down the middle of the heart.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like when we had those friendship necklaces for three people
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: and it was like [laughs] broken down.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: It was like one heart broken into three pieces.
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: That's what it looks like, [00:39:00] right?
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Yeah. Yeah. There's the column of the spine down the middle and then yeah, the two sides of the pelvis that
Dr. Darya Rose: Yup.
Andrea Smith: ...hook on it.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And then mine only one side was messed up and let's talk about symmetry
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...a little bit because I, I I kinda knew I was supposed, supposed to pay attention to it, but like I never worried about it. But now that I have kids, I'm so conscious of
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...making sure cause you know, if you're right-handed
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...You tend to always carry the kid on one side
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and like on that hip
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... for... or maybe you do the opposite.
So you can use that right hand while you're holding the baby.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And I have noticed that, like Gosh! I recently was on vacation
Andrea Smith: hallelujah
Dr. Darya Rose: without my kids. Hallelujah!
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And I was like zero SI joint pain the
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...entire time
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: You knew I wasn't working out.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I mean, I was like, "I was just not carrying babies around
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and my oldest now is, I don't know, 35 pounds or something, and
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...that's a lot of weight to put on a injured joint.
[laughs] So I have to be really careful to
Andrea Smith: It is.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... and try to keep them on the left side as
[00:40:00] Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...much as possible to, to keep that weight off.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah. It's really important. I mean, ideally we would hold them in the front or in the back,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: but that's. just not How we do it, it's usually on one hip or the other, but, so yean. switching sides. I talk about my, about symmetry a lot with my clients, because everybody has this issue,
Dr. Darya Rose: I was just gonna ask that it it seems like we'd be a super [crosstalk 00:40:23]
Andrea Smith: Oh yeah. I mean,
Dr. Darya Rose: Even... not just for women or
Andrea Smith: no, no.
Dr. Darya Rose: just, just-
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Everybody And we all kind of have a dominant side and it of course depends on kind of what you've done movement-wise in your life. How strong that dominance is. A lot of people that haven't done any, or that do a lot of one-sided sports like golf and tennis and things like that.
They have to do a lot of cross training because
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...they are really imbalanced in their strength.
Dr. Darya Rose: Is that what cross training means? [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] It's what cross training means.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. so they trained for tennis
Dr. Darya Rose: Uh-huh [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and then they have to do things that are not specifically for tennis.
Dr. Darya Rose: I see.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Just to be balanced.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: Right. Basketball players.
[00:41:00] Now
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...they, they do their basketball skills. Right. But then they also do their Pilates
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ... [laughs] because, you know, they need that extra skill that isn't necessarily built in to the sport itself.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. Right.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I imagine there's a lot of jobs as well, where I remember we do our-
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...barista, and that is... 'Cause that like really messed your one hand
Andrea Smith: Yes.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and your wrist [crosstalk 00:41:20]
Andrea Smith: Yeah. my wrist Uh-huh [affirmative]. repetitive motion.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Yeah. For sure. And the biggest ones that I see now, or even just driving right. Sitting in your car
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and you have to push the pedal with one foot,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...which you know, is so unhealthy.
Dr. Darya Rose: I have issues because of it. Cause I commuted for work for a long time in my car for 40 minutes each way.
Andrea Smith: And so a lot of people have that issue sitting in a [inaudible 00:41:45]. any type of sitting.
Is never good for prolonged periods.
Dr. Darya Rose: Well, Moms don't have to worry about that. [
Andrea Smith: laughs] Yeah. Not so much. Yeah. [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs] My my aunt is basically like a mom when she comes and visits and she's like, I'm so tired just watching you." She's like, [00:42:00] do you ever sit down? I'm like,
Andrea Smith: yeah,
Dr. Darya Rose: I'm sorry. What?"
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Sit. Eat? What are you talking about?
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...Those things don't happen to me.
Andrea Smith: [laughs] Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: But, But the one thing I do is I go to the gym and I work out.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Because if I don't, then I can't do any of these things.
Andrea Smith: Right. And, but also in a way, even just being, doing those busy mom activities, that makes you strong in a way too. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Because you are on your feet and you are being physical.
So, but it's not, a, you're not thinking about your body. You're not thinking about how can I do these movements successfully without causing more imbalance? No. Yeah. You're busy. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: And that's the thing like real life isn't symmetrical,
Andrea Smith: right? [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So It's something I feel like we it's like important to think about a lot.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I've just become so much more aware of it.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. And, and Pilates is, is always looking at symmetry. That's a huge piece of it, symmetry and alignment,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and the way that the things line up, because not that the body is supposed to be perfectly symmetrical like a machine, but as close to it as we can get so that we can [00:43:00] get that balanced musculature throughout the whole body so that we don't have these injuries that, that creep in from overuse on a one side.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. actually I was thinking about this interview and I was realizing that I, I really do four kinds of workouts like I do. So I did cardio HIIT workouts to be cardiovascularly fit.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I do strength training to, uh, Be strong
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and raise my metabolism, frankly, and look good 'cause I think nothing makes your body like look as good as having like lean,
Andrea Smith: Nice, toned [
Dr. Darya Rose: inaudible 00:43:36] toned muscles.
Andrea Smith: ... muscles. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So there's a little bit of vanity there, but so there's... that's like an aerobic, an aerobic
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...exercise. And then I do, I forgot the fourth [inaudible 00:43:47]. maybe it's three [laughs] anyway.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And then I do just, this, this Pilates for a stability and I just, I feel like Maybe we can call it stability, but I mean, really I do it so that I'm not in pain.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs] It's like
Andrea Smith: injury prevention, Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... I do it so that, yeah, [00:44:00] injury prevention, right? Yeah, 'Cause when you're young, and... Well, I think anybody can relate to this when you are older, like think... you just get hurt. Like you're not as flexible.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: You're not as nimble. Your joints s- don't have quite the padding they used to have.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So it's just so easy for the little asymmetries in your daily lives to just screw you.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And, And I just have zero tolerance for that, which is why I'm such a... I became a
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... Pilates fan.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I mean, joint health is so important for, for anyone over 40. So these working these small muscles that actually strengthen the muscles that keep the joint in place versus just the la- larger, more superficial, more dynamic muscles.
It's those, those little ones that, that really count now.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. So, we... did I miss anything for? Did we miss anything for postpartum women?
Andrea Smith: The only thing, the other thing I, you know, always try to remind women is [00:45:00] that you're not gonna have the same body that you did when you were in your 20s and didn't have any babies.
[laughs] So let's just stop putting the pressure on to get the body back.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah I know, for me this is 100% about not being in pain. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Oh, no,
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: I know. Yeah. But in general,
Dr. Darya Rose: Yup.
Andrea Smith: ...that's the messaging
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: and that's unfortunate because
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: ...like I said, we just literally produced life from our bodies and everyone is just worried about having flat abs [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: and it's, there's so much, more.
Dr. Darya Rose: What can I tell you is you're... there's gonna be a big hole in them.
Andrea Smith: Yeah! [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...And also they're gonna be like wrinkly and melted-looking.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And it has nothing to do with fat or muscle [laughs]
Andrea Smith: right. It's this... Yup. All that tissue that got spread apart. and-
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. I'd rather what happens is when you, when you're skin get stretched, It, You're actually growing your skin cells
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and then they don't ever go away.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: So it's not like you know when you have body fat,
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...you, the fat cells get bigger, but then they can shrink.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: If they Don't shrink,
Andrea Smith: I know.
Dr. Darya Rose: Maybe they shrink a little bit, but they they're still there.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...And so you just have extra skin and it's like never going away.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: yeah.
Andrea Smith: Just deal with that. [00:46:00] And and that's okay,
Dr. Darya Rose: It's okay.
Andrea Smith: 'Cause now you have a, a beautiful child.
Dr. Darya Rose: I don't need tank to- I don't need crop tops. [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Those are gone.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Okay. Well, let's talk, So we, we've been talking a little bit about it, but let's. Is there anything in addition that you would say f- t- for aging
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: that is, is important?
Andrea Smith: Yeah, I think, like we said, maybe slowing down a little bit and not that you can't do more intense workouts or anything.
Not at all, but. you know, There has to be some balance. There has to be something that you're integrating that is actually teaching you how to move your body successfully and is actually kind of keeping your joints in good health and in a good place.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah,
Dr. Darya Rose: I should mention, and I don't think I've actually told you this, that when you queue me on things like, so for instance, one of the things I do that we talked about briefly earlier is I have a tendency to, I have a very flexible, lower back
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and I [00:47:00] have like ballet training posture.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: So I have a tendency to kind of like stick my butt back
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and pull my shoulders back. And so my ribs
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...stick up and it took... Kinda took up two months before I even know what you're talking about You were like "Pull your ribs. in." I'm like, what? [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs] Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: "Pull your... Into what? But I was just kinda had this like tilt.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And it... so it's something we've been working on.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And. I... Now I notice it all the time,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...which is amazing. And it's it's something that I, because we work on this little things,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...I can incorporate more into my real life and avoid the injuries even more.
Andrea Smith: Right. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: 'Til like, I'll know [inaudible 00:47:36] when I'm meditating and anybody who's tried to do some like serious meditation, like when you first start sitting on the pillow, it's like impossible to get comfortable.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And part of that is because you don't know yet how to stack your spine and sit aligned. And so. Your body starts feeling all that imbalance and it hurts
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and they're not supposed to move. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: That's not fun. But I noticed when I like sitting on the cushion [00:48:00] that I was doing this sort of, I'm showing you right now,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And like sticking out like this.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. And I would do that. I would
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: 'Cause that's something you learned, you learned how to sort of like rock back and forth in the cushion. So you find like a center
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... so you can sort of stop.
Andrea Smith: Uh-huh [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: But I know it's my ribs are out and I was like, oh, and I'm like "Tuck them in. I was like, oh my God, it was so much more comfortable.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I could sit for so much longer. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah. It's actually an abdominal queue.
Dr. Darya Rose: really.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I mean, we say, I say ribs, but it's the muscles that pull the ribs towards each other. And like also back into your body,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: that's gonna give you that the relief from the back, because it's your back overworking that causes that.
And so, yeah, balancing it up. balancing that out with. you know, The abdomen in the front working just as much as your back to- and they're supporting each other.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. I just so... I just think that was cool that like I can translate kind of what I do into my normal life. And I was gonna tell
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...you that since we've just been working on the reformer, so everybody, I just got a reformer.
Yey! I'm so excited
Andrea Smith: Yey! [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: The Reformer... the Reformer is the really cool Pilates machine with the ropes in-
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...with the carriage that slides back and forth, and we were doing some rope [00:49:00] thing. I forgot if We've fully done it on the, on the reformer like
Andrea Smith: a few times now, Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... four times or something like that. but I, I like do something weird with my wrist-
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... while I'm holding the rope.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: I like Lot of like, hang back
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: and you queued me to like pull it forward.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I was like, oh. And I realize I do that all the time.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: I don't wanna sleep.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I do it like I do... But when I... So I'm also obsessed with this game on the Oculus called supernatural.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And when I play that game, I noticed, I was like, you you have this like light saber things you use.
them.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: I had my wrist in this like uncomfortable position.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And then I noticed it kinda hurt. I don't... Like I'd ever Actually realized that before [laughs] and I've fixed it
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: just 'cause... just the awareness
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...of working with you and the fact that I do something that you pointed something out to me that I do, that I had no idea that I did and was probably screaming.
at me in like- [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: More ways than I knew.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. When it seems maybe insignificant, but when you're trying to, I think we were probably, I think we were doing like a, like a a chest expansion exercises like a straight arm pull back. Right. So if you're trying to to target the [00:50:00] triceps and the back of the shoulder to pull the arm up and you're turning your hand weird and you're pulling up with like your hand then you're gonna feel different muscles engaged, and you're gonna miss the tricep work or at least partially.
And so, Yeah, that alignment is, is really important. And that goes for for the whole. body.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. I just never would have thought, like my wrists aren't aligned
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: You just... You think you know how to use your hands
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ... and they don't, they didn't hurt necessarily that I-
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: not to the point where I was conscious of it.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: But I'm sure eventually if I kept doing it would eventually become like a thing,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like a chronic thing
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... which I don't want.
Andrea Smith: And as we age, that's, that's one thing that happens a lot is we get arthritic hands and wrists, because there's so many demands on those little joints and we don't do anything for them
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: ...specifically. Right. So they're really vulnerable.
Dr. Darya Rose: Let's talk, about men.
Andrea Smith: Okay.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I to- like we mentioned earlier, you've been working with Kevin,
Andrea Smith: Yup.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...which is amazing.
Thank you [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: my God. And I think-
Andrea Smith: I love working with Kevin.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: He's great.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I think that [00:51:00] I hate seeing him in pain and it's
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...something I worry about a lot. And Well, I used to.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Not anymore, But I know he's also like one of those guys that like, wants to. He, He's such a bad follower.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like Kevin is the type, anybody who knows follows him.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: I'm sure knows this, but he gets really, really excited about things.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Super excited And tells everybody and makes everybody buy the thing he's excited
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...about. And then three months later he bails at them.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: I always joke at him. I'm like, I'm glad you kept me.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] I'm like was the only thing in his life.
he wasn't like discarded in six months.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And and I was just like hoping and hoping and hoping and hoping
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...that he would stick with this.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I think And he, he's, he's the type of guy that He's not super like flashy, or it's not like a sexy workout. You're not gonna get crazy. Abs you're just gonna stop hurting.
And I think that was what got him to stick with it.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: It's just the fact that he realized, like I haven't thrown my back out in almost a year,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...which is insane. So I I just, love to hear your thoughts on men. I know in general, men [00:52:00] don't quite have the body awareness
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...women often have, and
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...they have, seem to have their own set of problems.
Like I never throw my back out, like my girlfriends never... even though we we're the ones who's carrying babies and stuff.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Like we've, Don't get that as often. And why is it that men just like,
Andrea Smith: yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Disintegrate.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. [
Dr. Darya Rose: laughs]
Andrea Smith: Um,
Dr. Darya Rose: When they turn 40.
Andrea Smith: yeah, there's, there's a few reasons for it. And I just wanna say too, that Pilates Can be flashy. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: That's the stuff you see on Instagram.
right?
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. Right. That's true.
Andrea Smith: Um, and it's definitely alluring in that way. Like, Ooh, look at that cool thing, you know, cause it's like full body integration and they're super controlled and they're in this weird position on this weird machine and it, it definitely can be sexy.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: it's not just like this like geriatric thing that we're doing.
[laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Well, I should say, I should say that until three weeks ago when we got the reformer and we didn't have any equipment to do
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...anything that crazy on. So part of it was that we were just working at our home gym with just rubber bands-
Andrea Smith: right.
Dr. Darya Rose: and stuff. So...
Andrea Smith: Right, right. Totally. Yeah. So, so yeah. So the reasons that men [00:53:00] seem to have this issue and women do too, but yeah, I think there's a a few reasons.
So one is is that men are taught to go for the more intense. Types of workouts, The, the, the, the more extreme sports that are definitely gonna put you at a higher risk for injury. They're told to the messaging is, is a little hard,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: destroy the abs. and shred. So I think they they bring this like
Dr. Darya Rose: And so obviously bad [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] Like when you when you put it that way.
like, that sou- sounds bad.
Andrea Smith: Well, and especially if, if you're, if it's new for you, right? Like you can't just jump in to something like that. You have to build the muscles, you have to build the skills.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So And they tend to be drawn to that type of, of workout with that mentality. And it just, it's, it's not healthy.
And I can't tell you exactly why this is, but I have yet to meet a male client who is not super tight in his hamstrings. And that's part of that posterior chain, that we need to be able to have the mobility in, to be able to bend [00:54:00] forward.
Dr. Darya Rose: Maybe they need to wear high heels. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Ah, I don't think that would help.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: That actually would make it worse, [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: but again, I think it just goes back to what the messaging and the culture kind of tells men, they don't, they're not encouraged to go to yoga and lay down and relax and stretch and breathe. They're they're more encouraged to do more high intensity stuff. And so,
Dr. Darya Rose: except in Dolores park in San Francisco, [
Andrea Smith: laughs] right.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: There are exceptions of course, but I think that's a huge, a huge part of it It's that They, they just don't have that. m- It's a different mental attitude.
Dr. Darya Rose: Isn't it that a lot of men don't stretch.
Andrea Smith: Right? Yeah. I don't-
Dr. Darya Rose: I never, yeah. I never, I think in my entire career of dating, [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I don't And you... like everyone I ever dated worked out,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: but they never stretched.
I don't
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...think I saw anybody stretched ever,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...which is super weird.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Yeah. And you need the balance
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and the flexibility to go with all of that strength or things are gonna start breaking [00:55:00] down.
Dr. Darya Rose: And is there something specific with their backs? Like why do they throw their backs out so much?
Andrea Smith: Yeah, so and.. I, I think, like I said, it has to do, um, with them focusing on like building muscles, especially in the front, right.
The pecs, the biceps, So those like Thor-type muscles that [laughs] are really attractive, but not very functional.
Dr. Darya Rose: I mean Kevin does not look like Thor.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: What's that
Dr. Darya Rose: Kevin does not look like. Thor. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: No, no, but you know, he's always interested in that kind of work. But He always He even Even with, with me he's like, "Hi. I just want to smash the abs today. "Okay. we'll do it.
But we're gonna do it Pilates style He's so yeah, I don't, I don't really know. I don't know if it's anything specific or if it's just a... if it's a combination of the types of activities that they tend to do, and they're not as body aware, like you said, and they tend to be tighter because they don't stretch because that's not part of what they're encouraged to do.
Dr. Darya Rose: And so... Is it usually like the same area in the back That's always being [00:56:00] injured.
Andrea Smith: Not always, but the lower back is always the most vulnerable. It's the most mobile area. And so it's, A- a- and we also bend forward a lot in our daily life. We need that mobility. So it ends up being more mobile and not so stable.
Dr. Darya Rose: Oh, I see.
I think I just figured out what you're saying, So they do a lot of upper body work. So they... Like they have They can have like stronger arms,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...but their backs aren't strong enough in the right places to support what they're trying to do.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And then that's get... that's what gets injured.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: The imbalance.
Dr. Darya Rose: Okay.
Andrea Smith: I think, yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Got it.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Also, you know, men naturally have a higher center of gravity, so they carry their weight higher on their body where women carry our weight lower in our hips. So we have that, that more, I guess, heaviness in that area to sort of like ground us
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and and keep us like really more stable, where they have more weight up top to kind of.
like Deal with.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So if there are f- 40-something men out there listening to this right [00:57:00] now [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and starting to notice that they, every once in a while mess up their back, what advice would you have for them to think about in terms of movement and prevention? Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I think getting into start doing some Pilates.
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs] E- it's, it's really accessible.
Pilates instructors are really well trained for the most part, depending on where you go, but, and especially if you can get into a private situation you have someone really looking at your body and telling you, you know exactly what you need and guiding you through, it that's ideal.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: That would be the best.
But yeah, Evan just integrating more, really specific core work, core work and flexibility, I think they're-
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...the biggest, the two biggest things
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...for everyone, but especially
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: ...for men,
Dr. Darya Rose: yeah. So core work, flexibility, balance alignment, making your body work it's supposed to work.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: That sounds pretty straightforward.
It's really hard to do that.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I know.
Dr. Darya Rose: Ease- easier said than done.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. It's not, it's not that simple, [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. [laughs]
[00:58:00] Andrea Smith: but I have a client right now who was a competitive body builder. It means super extreme to the point where. His, his deltoids are so big and his upper traps are so big. That's the top of the shoulder that goes into the neck. And then the top of the shoulder on your arm, there's this a little joint in there called the AC joint.
And you need to be able to have that mobility in the joint to lift your arm. And he was so restricted that in order to lift his arm above 90 degrees, he had to side bend his entire body [laughs] to the opposite side. In order to lift that arm,
Dr. Darya Rose: Oh, man.
Andrea Smith: It could be AC joint that's stuck because the muscle mass was so huge.
Dr. Darya Rose: Oh, wow. [
Andrea Smith: laughs] So like,
Dr. Darya Rose: like what do you tell him
Andrea Smith: zero function-
Dr. Darya Rose: "Sorry. You have to stop doing trap work?
[laughs]
Andrea Smith: Zero functionality. And That's what's so sad about that
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: It's like he was taught nothing
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: ... you know, about movement mechanics
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: ...in all those years.
Dr. Darya Rose: Just how to make muscles look very bulky.
Andrea Smith: just how to make muscles bigger.
Dr. Darya Rose: Wow.
Andrea Smith: That's it. In the front, he has zero core. He has zero back. He doesn't even have triceps,
Dr. Darya Rose: Wow.
Andrea Smith: He just have [00:59:00] biceps and pecs and quads [laughs] pretty much.
Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right. Cause if you're a professional. It's always about kind of how you look forward for the most part, right
Andrea Smith: They're Just the easier muscles to work.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah,
Andrea Smith: yeah,
Dr. Darya Rose: yeah. You're not, yeah, [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: that is insane.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. It's it's, it's not cool. I'm not cool with it. So yeah, for me, less ego, right. Less of the ego-driven experience and more of a health-driven experience would be super beneficial.
Dr. Darya Rose: One can hope.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Do you Hear that boys. Is it normally just the back that causes problem? I mean, that was a very specific weightlifter bodybuilder thing.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: But I'm just wondering if there's anything else that men in particular. since they don't have babies, but they do age and
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...I'm wondering if there are things that they tend to do that would make it more likely or do or not do, I guess That would make them more likely they'll be injured or,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: I... God! I just tell Kevin, be careful picking up your darn kids.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Like he just... Yeah. He's so reckless I'm like, "'Cause you're [01:00:00] going to hurt yourself. If you don't know how to use that little backpack hiking thing with the kid in it, read the instruction manual
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... before you just put in your body in there. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, even just like the skill of bending at the hips and knees to squat down on the floor is something that we lose as we age.
And if you're someone who is just gonna like try to grab your kid and fling them up on your shoulders, you're not thinking about, okay, I'm gonna stand balanced on my feet and I'm gonna bend my knees and I'm gonna hinge at my hip joint and keep my back straight and then
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...pick up the child.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Right. You're thinking you're just, you're not even thinking at all.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: And so part of what we do in Pilates is practice. those Simple skills. I mean, squatting it's, it's so simple. It's it's not to build your quads and it's not to build your glutes. I mean, it is, but it's also just to be able to bend at that hip joint successfully.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So, and that's a flexibility thing too.
Dr. Darya Rose: I remember once you complimented me for the way I like sat on the floor
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: something, You're like [01:01:00] did this movement to sit down and you're like,
Andrea Smith: nice [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And I was like, what did I do, [laughs]
Andrea Smith: it's not easy.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: I mean? People do all kinds of funky things when they're getting up and down off the floor.
And that's something I teach a lot
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...is getting up and down off the floor. It seems silly, but I break it down. We do repetitions of one piece of it, whatever piece of it kind of needs more attention and more strength. And then it's really fun because it, you can actually it to your life and you can actually see real results, like pretty quickly.
Cause you're like, oh, instead of bending forward from my spine, like this, I can actually bend at my hips, and it's much easier and better.
Dr. Darya Rose: So on on some level part of this is, you need to just know the skills to do it, j- the mechanical skills. So get a movement. Right. So that you're not doing it wrong.
Andrea Smith: Right. '
Dr. Darya Rose: Cause even if you're balanced in some way or whatever,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...if you're doing a movement wrong, like that's how you get hurt.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. Makes a lot of sense.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Totally.
Dr. Darya Rose: I mean, And then... You... I... I- it's tough 'cause you can get away with that when you're younger.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And You can get away and you don't have the kids. [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: You can get away. with [01:02:00] Moving in weird positions are my kids are like made out of They're like Gumby.
Andrea Smith: Oh yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I was like
Andrea Smith: And if you watch them squat and get down on the floor. Granted, they weigh nothing and they're pretty close to the floor. [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: They don't have as far to go as we do, but, and that... and also hormones have a lot to do with it too. They just naturally have more mobility, but And they haven't built the muscles yet.
And they haven't sat in a S in a classroom yet for years and years, all the things that contribute to that stiffness that we end up having as adults, but watch a child move around and bend and squat and get up and down off the floor. they're... it's effortless and
Dr. Darya Rose: They're amazing.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I, I watched Nova move around Her, her, especially Zelda had a little bit of, of movement issues that we had to work on, but Nova is just like, I wa- I'm like, you are impossible.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: You're like tiny little thing.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ... that just Flies around
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and like balances and
Andrea Smith: yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: The u- And I'm like, how are you not falling on your feet?" [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: She doesn't, she's just perfectly
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: should they should they know [01:03:00] to fall
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: well they're like kinda like roll and they don't. It's amazing. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Gosh, lucky.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. And
Dr. Darya Rose: I'm so jealous of my kids. [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Yeah. I mean, it's, it's great.
And yeah, it just happens as we age, we lose that again, the sitting,
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: if we were more physically active more of the time throughout the day, we wouldn't have as many issues.
Dr. Darya Rose: I think that's the number one thing people can do. for a better health in general, I mean, I'm, I'm obviously a huge nutrition person and that's huge,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: but not being sedentary or being sedentary is probably the worst thing you can do.
Andrea Smith: Absolutely.
Dr. Darya Rose: So not being sedentary is a huge step and it doesn't have to be, you don't have to be in the gym,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: but you just be. a- un- Be mobile [crosstalk 01:03:44] Move around
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: and do it try to make it something you that you enjoy doing.
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like I love taking the stairs. [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: I mean, if I'm wearing nice clothes and I don't want to be sweaty, maybe I won't, but
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... if I have the chance Well, I also once got trapped in an elevator for three hours [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...with a very flatulent [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...thesis committee [
[01:04:00] Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: that will forever haunt me.
So [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...whenever I have the opportunity to not take an elevator, I usually,
Andrea Smith: Oh, well,
Dr. Darya Rose: take it. I mean, obviously I don't usually walk more than 10 floors
Andrea Smith: That's sweaty.
Dr. Darya Rose: ... unless I have a lot of time, but yeah, I do those terrible.
[laughs]
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs] My gosh! I almost forgot about that. until just now.
Andrea Smith: But, Yeah. Moving around more.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. But Even even when we... when we are sitting, like why don't we stretch? Why don't we just lift our arms and move around a little bit? or We just kinda get stuck.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: So
Dr. Darya Rose: I mean it's good advice. So uh, if you like wrap up questions w- you. Obviously this is all been like a ringing endorsement for Pilates.
I can't say enough Goodness about it, [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: but you specifically work at BASI or you have worked at BASI, right?
Andrea Smith: I have
Dr. Darya Rose: There are other like There's school of Pilates? What separates them, What's the difference.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. So there's lot now there's lot of schools. There's lots of education programs. This one was right in my backyard and it was a a [01:05:00] program that I had, I had heard about.
And I had, I had learned from people that have been through that program. So it was just sort of natural for me to, to end up there and it's super comprehensive and there's a you know, a lot of anatomy and it takes you through the movements form fundamental all the way to like high advanced I mean it's, it's a three-month program, but then there's observation hours and student teaching hours that you have to do.
So you end up taking about a year to go through the whole to finish. And But there are other programs like that. There are shorter programs. There are programs specifically for uh, a chain of studios. There there's all kinds of things and all kinds of different approaches.
Dr. Darya Rose: So if somebody were to wanna look into finding an instructor, or even if it's just like a group class, what would you advise to be looking out for?
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: Or, Or does it not matter or is it all kind of good? [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [laughs]
Andrea Smith: It does matter.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Yeah, absolutely. What kinds of things to look for? I mean, ev- everybody's different. Some people really like the group classes and some people need the privates or the, the smaller [01:06:00] group classes.
Dr. Darya Rose: I mean, in terms of, if I'm like looking at a teacher's credentials or background or
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...the brand, is there anything that you really would say that you're gonna get a lot more bang for your buck?
If you, somebody went through the BASI program for example, or what do you, what do you, do you have any thoughts? on that?
Andrea Smith: Yeah, I mean, that, that can be true, there's sort of like the, the big names, right? There's BASI. there's balanced body. and There's, Polestar. there's sort of a, a few keen, more famous. If you wanna say.
schools Than others, but what I always i- i- think it's, it's really up to the instructor or down to the instructor.
Dr. Darya Rose: Right?
Andrea Smith: I think you can, you can walk in to any Pilates studio and learn Pilates. It's just a matter of, to me, I think experience is huge
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...for instructors because you can't really help someone unless you've seen lots and lots of mo- bodies move.
Um...
Dr. Darya Rose: I can't, e- I still [01:07:00] cannot believe that I'll be wearing like baggy pants and a baggy T-shirt, And you're watching me through my iPhone camera sitting on the floor.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: And you're like, "Omp."
Andrea Smith: yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: I'm like, what did you just see? [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: you're like, oh, Well, you have to like tighten. take your head and move it up one inch and then tuck your chin in and then [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: ...now tuck in your ribs.
And then, and then, and then you're like, okay there. And then everything changes
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: So suddenly I'm stable. and I'm not falling over.
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: And I'm like, how, how did you How did You even see me
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: And you were just like, I've just done this a zillion times.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. Yeah. You start to see the body as if you're seeing them against the grid
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: Like you can really see those lines really clearly.
And it's, so it's all about the lines really when you're looking at alignment. No kidding. And it it does, it makes a huge difference in the way that everything clicks together. So yeah, I think you're gonna come across all kinds of instructors at all kinds of schools. Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: But the, the longer the program
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...and the longer someone's been teaching usually equates to a better experience.
Dr. Darya Rose: Got it.
Andrea Smith: for the client.
Dr. Darya Rose: Got it. So it doesn't have to be necessarily super expensive. [01:08:00] [laughs]
Andrea Smith: No, it doesn't have to be, but the time, the time that you put in matters, so
Dr. Darya Rose: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Andrea Smith: ...you definitely don't. wanna be, uh, taking class from someone who got a weekend certification, You wanna have a legitimate year-long process type certification.
Dr. Darya Rose: They just do a little research.
Don't just go to your corner. Pilates studio, look around your area and find a couple different places and and read the, maybe the histories
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ... of the teachers and check out what the credentials are and how long they've been doing it.
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative]. Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: And then I'm I'm assuming there's got to be like a rapport as well,
Andrea Smith: a rapport.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. Like you have to like the person.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. For sure. You have to like Them, you have to trust them. trust is a huge, a huge one. And you know, a lot of times too, especially, in your time of aging Pilates is really great for the aging population, especially as they get into 60, 50s, 60s, and 70s, and older.
And so we tend to see a lot of that population in the studio and a lot of them have not been active.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah.
Andrea Smith: Because it it wasn't a thing back then there wasn't [01:09:00] exercise there wasn't like structured work it... Even for women, it wasn't something that people really did,
Dr. Darya Rose: especially for women. Yeah.
Andrea Smith: You know, it didn't uh, become a thing until the 70s and 80s, and anyways, so, so they have a spent a lifetime without any movement experience and with developing bad habits and becoming more sedentary and the, the problems just, just start to add up.
And so of course, we're not gonna fix it overnight. We're not gonna fix it in a year. It's gonna take time and it's gonna take commitment.
Dr. Darya Rose: Yeah. For me, that's been kind of one of the cool parts, like I said earlier, is, being able to take those lessons and realize that, oh, I'm doing this.
Yeah, I'm doing this myself. I mean, it's not obviously intentional
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...and you have to bring awareness to it before you can fix it. But I just notice some many other things that And I, and then we've talked about I think when you go through something like pregnancy,
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...you don't realize that you developed new habits
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...to accommodate that new body
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: ...because we don't, uh, we're not [01:10:00] usually.
aware of Things like that. Yeah. We developed a little, this little physical habits
Andrea Smith: Mm-hmm [affirmative].
Dr. Darya Rose: and you know you have them. And then But then, it can become, maybe it helps you when you're pregnant,
Andrea Smith: Yeah.
Dr. Darya Rose: but when you're not pregnant anymore and you're not... you're, you're now you no longer need that weird bal-
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: Like your balance is different and everything's different.
So you actually have to correct all that. And, and then, yeah, and the only way to know is if somebody points it out to you.
Andrea Smith: Yeah. '
Dr. Darya Rose: Cause you must... Unless, unless you have training
Andrea Smith: Right.
Dr. Darya Rose: ...on stuff like that.
Andrea Smith: Right. And even for myself, I obviously know what I'm doing when it comes to movement. And I have a lot of body awareness, And I cannot see myself like someone else can,
Dr. Darya Rose: Right.
Andrea Smith: But you need that extra pair of eyes on you to, to give you that at that extra level of awareness.
Dr. Darya Rose: Amazing. Well, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom.
Andrea Smith: You're welcome. Thank you.
Dr. Darya Rose: Where Can people follow you?
Andrea Smith: Yeah. On Instagram, I'm at the . Pilates Smith. And, and then I work at Vero Pilates in long beach, California. So you can all check that out.
Dr. Darya Rose: You would be so lucky to work with Andrea. [
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: [01:11:00] [laughs]
Andrea Smith: Thank you so much.
Dr. Darya Rose: But her, her virtual spots are all taken guys
Andrea Smith: laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: You need to go to Long Beach.
Andrea Smith: [laughs]
Dr. Darya Rose: So... Awesome. Well, thank you so much.
Andrea Smith: Thank you, Darya. This is great.
Dr. Darya Rose: Thank you so much for joining us today. If you enjoyed today's episode, it would mean a lot to me. If you would share it with a friend that you think could benefit from it, any new moms or coming upcoming moms or men who throw their backs out a lot.
[laughs] They would all benefit a lot from hearing this episode, or you can leave a review over in iTunes that also really helps us a lot over here at the show. As usual, you can find show notes and the transcript of this episode at daryaroseshow.com. Thank you so much. And I will see you next time.
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