Happy Clients

“Before the course, a shop assistant asked me ‘when the baby was due’ (my daughter was around 9m old!!) since then I’ve had numerous positive comments on my figure which has made me much happier about the way I look. The course has been an education in how to look after my body postnatally. I have noticed increased energy levels, abdominal strength and motivation to keep myself fit and healthy. I am a happier mum thanks to Kate and the programme!” – Diastasis client Nov ’18

“After baby no. 3 and 3 c-sections I had limited core strength, weakened pelvic core and a diastasis recti. After working with Kate over the past couple of months I am amazed at the results. I no longer have a diastasis, I feel so much more energised, my ‘mummy tummy’ is reduced and I have a much stronger core. I cannot recommend the lovely Kate Smart enough, her passion, knowledge and down-to-earth approach is amazing. ” Sarah TW2 Feb ’17

“After baby no. 3 I felt so weak, had poor posture and diastasis recti. 5 months postpartum and I still couldn’t start exercising properly, because of the diastasis, which I found frustrating. The ‘mummy tummy’ caused by the diastasis was getting me down too . So having Kate come to my home and ‘fix’ me was incredible. She explained about the pelvic floor and core strength in a way I could understand , each visit she gave me a set of exercises tailored to my needs.
My diastasis has gone from 3 fingers wide to less than half a finger, which means I can now get on with restoring my general fitness. I will also continue doing the exercises Kate taught me, as I understand how beneficial they are long term.” Sian TW16 May ’16                

“It’s been amazing. The separation between my stomach muscles has reduced by two thirds in 7 weeks and the pain and discomfort I was experiencing daily has gone. It is so wonderful to regain better posture and a stronger core.
A physiotherapist I saw previously gave me very little help and I really believed that I’d have to have an operation to rectify the diastasis. I am so happy that I was able to improve it through exercise alone.
I am so grateful to Kate for her warmth and professionalism, she really is excellent at what she does.” Ruth TW2  Jan – Feb’16

“The diastasis course has helped my  self confidence and improved my core strength. I have seen a massive difference in the shape and size of my stomach and am able to run and cycle regularly thanks to my improved strength.  I highly recommend the course to anyone with a diastasis. Mine was reduced to a negligible size within a few months resulting in a much flatter tummy and hugely improved core strength and self confidence!” Clare TW12 April-July 2015
This course, and Kate, increased my confidence by helping me understand what my body could do and how I could get back into fitness and back into shape. I have lost 12cm from my waist, have no diastasis and feel a lot stronger. I think this programme is an excellent foundation for getting back into fitness post pregnancy or indeed starting a new fit and healthy lifestyle post pregnancy. Regardless of fitness levels prior to pregnancy I think very few women fully understand the damage you can do to yourself by doing the wrong exercises after pregnancy. This programme not only helps you regain your pre pregnancy figure but also gives you a better understanding of your body overall. Kate – TW11, February – April 2015

My abdominal separation has decreased significantly and the connective tissue in between has strengthened. My pelvic floor feels much stronger and am now able to complete exercises such as pilates & yoga without abdominal doming and can even jog very gently! Working with Kate was always a pleasure, the sessions were enjoyable as well as being useful!I really enjoyed learning about the physiology behind what happens to a woman’s body over pregnancy & childbirth and how i could use the exercises to rehabilitate and rebuild my strength. I think any new mothers should be made aware of abdominal separation and pelvic floor exercise and how important it is to look after it through pregnancy and after having a baby. It is really scary how little information is out there and how things like this still go un-discussed so women feel it is just normal and suffer with it.  Kate – TW12

Working with Kate has done much more than just improve my diastasis. I feel stronger and more physically confident and aware. Although there has been a significant improvement in connective tissue and narrowing of the gap from over one finger to pretty minimal, what is more important to me is my lasting motivation to do more in the long term. The one-on-one aspect of the programme and its realistic, habit-forming expectation of nightly exercise has set me on course, I hope, for a post-pregnancy mid-life fitter and stronger than I was in my 20s and 30s. A bit of yoga, the odd swim and a lot of walking has always been my way so I’m far from the sporty type but this careful strength training and mindfulness about posture has put me in apposition to feel strong and energetic even with three young children and to relish this part of my life and work to come. The value for money is extraordinarily good and ensures the detailed one-on-one physical therapy all women could do with – and ideally, should have – post-natally. The whole-woman approach ensures a holistic, supported, and empowering physical transition in the months following delivery.  Ruth – TW1   By contacting Kate, it was my first real effort post 3 c-sections to deal with my diastasis and core issues. She was understanding, supportive and fun. She helped me to confront the issue and deal with it in an effective and healthy way. I gained confidence through working with Kate and learning practical, useful techniques to reduce my diastasis. Emotionally I feel stronger as I have taken a practical, positive step to controlling my future well being, but also physically I no longer ache as much or feel so out of shape. I can’t recommend the programme highly enough to other women suffering from diastasis. Before the programme I genuinely thought I had a serious health problem due to deep pain in my side, leading to scans and doctors’ appointments. After just one session with Kate and working on the programme the pain subsided and disappeared due to the work done on my core and breathing. Incredible results. J TW11

I started Kate’s programme after 2 children who were then 3 and 1 years old. I had suffered bad diastasis recti with both and had pretty much given up hope of ever returning to a figure anywhere similar to my pre pregnancy shape. They were both born by caesarean which meant recovery was slow to begin with but I did walk lots and attended Pilates classes but nothing was helping to close the gap between my muscles and stop me looking 3 months pregnant well over a year after having had my last baby! Kate came to my house and was really friendly and easy to talk to and immediately put me at ease. With 2 toddlers, doing any fitness is really hard as you have to juggle child care but Kate was really flexible and coming to the house made things so much easier. The programme was really easy to follow, is so simple and really makes sense. You have to stay hydrated and look after your nutrition (I was just starting to get into juicing) and take some supplements to help the muscles, digestive system and skin (these I think really made a difference as I am veggie and so am prone to deficiencies). Then there are the exercises which I was to do every day.  These I slotted into my normal family routine and so would do them when the baby was napping or in the bathroom when they were having a bath! Kate also gave me all the equipment I would need (ball, band etc). I had two follow up visits to monitor my progress plus constant correspondence to check how I was doing and share articles / recipes or just offer advice. It really is great value for money and having tried all the books and DVDs on the market I can honestly say it’s the only programme that I have a) stuck to and b) really does work! I now feel so much happier with my body and it’s only been 6 weeks and I would thoroughly recommend Kate to everyone. – Laura TW1

Ever since having my 2nd child 3 years ago, I have struggled with my stomach and core strength. I had gone to many a Pilates class and done loads of old school (ie. stomach crunches etc) exercises, along with lots of running, but nothing seemed to make a difference. I had little or no stomach muscle control (if I ‘relaxed’ I would easily look 6 months pregnant!) After getting really fed up with the lack of progress I did a bit of internet research and very quickly managed to diagnose myself as suffering diastasis. A physio recommended I talked to Kate and it’s the best thing I could have done. Kate came around to ‘assess’ me and confirmed that I had a 2 finger width diastasis. She explained that all the things I had been doing to try and get a flat tummy were actually only going to make it worse – but also that it was perfectly possible to correct. She gave me some really good advice on simple day to day do’s and don’t (ie. breathe out when lifting, don’t sit straight up in bed), nutritional advice and some simple core exercises that done on a daily basis would soon make a difference. She also told me to stop running as that was putting unnecessary strain on my stomach. I took on board everything she said and after following her advice for a month, my diastastis had reduced to 1 finger and the connective tissue was much stronger. For the first time in years, I felt like I had some real natural stomach control. Kate has been brilliant in her positivity, support and advice and has made me feel like she is really committed to my cause! She has continued to monitor my progress on a regular basis, constantly changing and mixing up the exercises to keep me motivated and further my progress. I can’t recommend her highly enough.  – Katie, TW11

I began the programme five months after giving birth to my second child. I was amazed by how quickly I began to see results. After two weeks my tummy was visibly smaller and after three months I am delighted with the results. My core and pelvic floor are both much stronger and I am thrilled with the improvement in the way that my waist and tummy both look. The exercises that Kate selected for me have been very straightforward and quick to complete each day so that I have been able to incorporate the programme very easily into my busy life as a Mum of two young children. It is remarkable how effective this programme has been and a wonderful surprise to get my old figure back! – Liz TW12

Over three sessions Kate devised a plan to restore my abdominal and pelvic floor strength through a range of simple exercises. She was aware that with a newborn baby I had very little time to myself, so as well as a 15-minute daily routine she had lots of suggestions for incorporating strengthening activities into my daily chores. I was very satisfied to find that the gap in my abdominals had almost completely gone by my third session with Kate. It’s given me confidence to return to the sporting activities I love without straining my body. I’d highly recommend the programme to any woman who has given birth and would like to resume exercising. I think there’s a temptation for active women to rush back into sport after having a baby but there’s a lot you can do to help your body finish healing itself first! Hazel – TW1