When I started MUTU, I had recently paid nearly $6,000 dollars for the birth of my child, I was coming off very challenging weeks of breastfeeding a child with a painful tongue tie and was so freaking exhausted I can’t even describe it.
My diastasis symptoms were severe. If you want to know about how bad it was or if you are wondering if your symptoms are Diastasis Recti symptoms you can find out more in my article 7 Diastasis Recti Symptoms Every Mom Should Know.
The purpose of this article is not to complain and not to bash MUTU. If you know me, you know that MUTU was a lifesaver for me and so good overall. But it was not all rainbows and butterflies. It was challenging for me to get through the program. In fact, there were several times I was so overwhelmed with balancing my life I quit. I later had to come back and pick it back up. I believe many other women will face similar challenges.
This article is to help prepare you for the commitment you make when you decide to pursue diastasis healing at home on your own or help you feel confident with your decision NOT to take this path and to work with a physical therapist instead. It is also to help you foresee challenges that may come your way and provide you with strategies to overcome them.
If you are broke, time-deprived, tired, caring for young children and wondering if you can in fact be successful with MUTU, this article is for you.
What is the Mutu System?
MUTU is a medically tested and medically recommended 12-week exercise program to help moms heal their Diastasis Recti and Pelvic Floor issues after and during pregnancy.
As a Seattle doula, many of the women I speak with are pregnant or postpartum. I have found that diastasis recti and pelvic floor prolapse are some of the most commonly ignored ailments, which is why I’ve spent a considerable amount of time writing about them on this blog.
However, like any path to healing, MUTU is NOT a one size fits all program and not for everybody.
5 Problems with the Mutu System
Problem 1: There is No One-On-One Guidance
Obviously, with a pre-recorded class, you know the instructor won’t tailor her class to you specifically. This is a program that is designed to work with a vast amount of women at different stages of healing.
When working to heal Prolapse and Diastasis Recti, your body is in a unique place, and you may or may not be able to do certain things. For example, some women with Diastasis can do crunches and some cannot. Which exercises will work for you or not depends on the underlying forces of your dysfunction and how your movement is happening within your own body.
Being able to help you with your exact dysfunction is a strength that a physical therapist has over an exercise program like MUTU. As I have worked with clients and listened to their healing stories, I see that sometimes, they are much quicker at fixing their problems than I was at home. Watch for an upcoming guide to the best physical therapists in Seattle.
If you are not in Seattle, you can look up a PT that is qualified to help you with Diastasis Recti in your area here.
How MUTU Addresses the Lack of One-On-One Guidance:
The MUTU system addresses this problem in two ways. First, the program gives a lot of instructions on how to do things properly. There are separate videos to watch on form and posture. Second, instead of starting as a physically intense program, MUTU starts very, very gently.
In the first two weeks, you only do a twelve-minute series that helps you reconnect and begin to establish a foundation of functional movement. These exercises take you all the way back to the starting blocks of functional movement, the breath.
One benefit of a pre-recorded class is that you can go at your own pace and actually listen to your own body. A group class would keep going, even if you aren’t ready. Similarly, a physical therapist is not there to help guide you daily through the same exercise until you fully get it right. You can play Wendy’s instructions as many times as you like until her voice is in your head every time you move.
KEY SUCCESS TAKEAWAY: AS COACH JOHN WOODEN SAYS “CHAMPIONS ARE BRILLIANT AT THE BASICS” LET YOURSELF SPEND TIME AT THE VERY VERY BEGINNING OF FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT, THE BREATH. DO NO SKIP THIS PART.
2. You Need to Order the Exercise Kit or Have Several Different Workout Tools Available and Easy to Find at Your Home.
I debated if I should buy the exercise kit that is recommended with the program. I ended up getting it on a whim and I am glad I did. Honestly, I don’t know why there is an option to buy the program without the bands, ball, and straps because you do need them. Trying to makeshift those things on the fly is a giant PITA. Personally, I think most people won’t be successful with the program unless they have the equipment.
KEY SUCCESS TAKEAWAY: MAKE SURE YOUR ENVIRONMENT IS EQUIPPED WITH THE TOOLS THAT WILL EMPOWER YOU TO DO THE WORK.
3. Anyone Who Says “Your Young Children Will Love Working Out With You” is Lying.
Look, I have adorable kids and I think they are amazing. I still detest exercising when my kids are around. My kids love when I exercise with them because they think it’s the best time to exercise by climbing on me, crawling under me, or making mischief like dumping all their water on the floor and standing next to me yelling “moooooooom”.
Basically working out with kids is asking to be interrupted a thousand times. I could find a sitter. I could drop them at a friend’s house. I could be more dedicated at night.
Sometimes I just don’t want to do that. The regularity of a scheduled appointment with a therapist or class where I do not bring kids with me is very beneficial to me and a drawback of an at-home class.
How MUTU Helps Busy Moms Fit This Program Into Their Schedule:
On the other hand, the MUTU creators did take into account that this is a program for moms with young kids. The exercises are made of 3 parts. First, an approximately 12-minute ab/breath exercise you do every day. Second, daily walking for only 15 minutes. Third, an approximately 25-minute strength training program they suggest you do 3 times a week.
In theory, even for me, this is doable. In reality, I don’t always do it.
There is also support via email and texts if you like reminders. There have definitely been times where an email from MuTu helped me remember to do the work.
KEY SUCCESS TAKEAWAY: BEING A PARENT IS CONSUMING. DON’T FORGET TO PUT ON YOUR OWN OXYGEN MASK FIRST. MAKE TIME FOR THE WORK IF YOU WANT THE WORK TO WORK FOR YOU.
4. MuTu is Effective, but Boring Before it Gets Good.
When you start the MuTu system, the first 2-weeks are a very simple (though very detailed) 12-minute breathing and ab exercise series. I expected each week to be different. I was excited when I finished the first week. I was ready for a new workout for the second week. I was wrong. The second week is the same as the first week, exactly.
As I moved through the program and saw how the weeks built on each other, I became grateful for this strong foundation. However, it was frustrating enough at the time that I quit and didn’t come back for several weeks.
KEY SUCCESS TAKEAWAY: JUST LIKE LEARNING A LANGUAGE OR AN INSTRUMENT, THE LESSONS, IN THE BEGINNING, ARE VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD. HAVE THE VISION THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING KNOW IS BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE, EVEN IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO ALREADY BE PAST THIS STAGE.
5. The Words 12-Week Program Seem a Bit Deceiving.
Overall, MUTU has been a blessing to me. Though I have not been able to follow the program from start to finish in a straight line. It is called a 12-week program, but honestly, it took me much more time than that.
In the early weeks, I had to spend a lot more than one week in each section. Initially, I did not really value the breath/core work in the first two weeks at first. My eyes were opened when I tried to move on and found that I really wasn’t ready for more.
I am grateful Wendy, the instructor, spends so much time helping you see and feel what exercises are right for your body. She makes it clear when to back off and when to move forward. It was hard to admit when healing was taking longer than I wanted. But it also felt good to move to more challenging work and actually do it correctly!
Now, I appreciate the simplicity of the initial core work, it was easy to learn, easy to fit in my day. But it was hard to value at the beginning. I love more intense classes. Part of the reason I wanted to heal my diastasis was to get back into more challenging yoga classes. It was very hard for me to be humble, admit this is what I needed and focus on the basics. But it was worth it.
One of the cool benefits I’ve had from this program is that I can get through a yoga class without quiffing loudly with each downward dog (which was very embarrassing). I can now get into poses I thought would never be accessible to me because of the new strength and core functionality I’ve developed from MUTU.
KEY SUCCESS TAKEAWAY: WORK WITH THE BODY YOU HAVE UNTIL IT CAN DO THE THINGS YOU WANT.
Did MUTU Help Me Meet My Goals?
Starting MUTU my top priorities were:
- Stop leaking pee.
- Get rid of my vaginal ache.
- Stop quiffing when I go to yoga classes (highly embarrassing).
Yes! All my initial goals were about physical diastasis recti and prolapse symptoms that were making me uncomfortable and impacting my everyday life. By the time a finished the first four weeks of the program I had met these goals and felt satisfied with my results. (Note this was done over several months of stopping and starting. I was not as consistent as I would have liked.)
When I hit week 5, I set new goals to focus on my posture, my mummy tummy and my strength. You can see from these photos the difference between my body when my muscles are strong and supporting my body and when I am being lazy and letting it all hang out. The second round of goals is about being consistently and comfortably straight and tall. Time will tell how this works out.
My MUTU System Negative Review Summary
Overall, I have benefitted from using the MUTU System. Enough that I still recommend it to my clients and friends who are looking for a home program to address their diastasis.
You can also see several diastasis recti before and after photos here.
Overall, I feel better, I look better and I simply enjoy being in my body again. But the most important thing to me is being able to enjoy my time with my family and not worry about my body aching. See this photo of my family out on a walk? If you read about the diastasis recti symptoms I experienced, you would know this wouldn’t have happened before MUTU because it would be too painful.
So yes, if you are considering MUTU, and have considered how you will fit it into your daily life, then I think it is a great program to try out. I hope these MUTU system problems gave you a clear idea of the challenges you will face if you embark on this program and a clear idea of if this program is right for you or not.
Much love,
Suzzie Vehrs
The post The Problems with MuTu System for Diastasis Recti Healing: A Mutu System Negative Review appeared first on She Births Bravely.
source https://shebirthsbravely.com/mutu-system-negative-review/
