Hernia Corrective Exercise Specialist

My name is Gina Paulhus, and I'd like to tell you about my own personal recovery story from having an umbilical hernia and being able to resolve that without surgery. It's possible - I can teach you how to do the exact same thing, but first, let's talk about where I was and then where I got to, and then how I might be able to help you as well. So this story started in 2008 when I had a bowel obstruction and I ended up needing emergency surgery to resolve that. I went ahead and got my emergency surgery, but then I developed adhesions and what ended up happening with those is I had to get another surgery due to yet another bowel obstruction, I had additional obstructions that actually didn't require surgery. But long story short, there were two that did, and those two surgeries both ended up getting infected. Part of why they got infected was because I had emergency surgery and my body had not been prepped properly beforehand. So a little bit of a special circumstance, but that's not the only way you can get hernias. There's many other ways that you can, and I'll get to that in a second. But back to my story. I went through, I was told that it would take about two years to get to the point where I could even have a repair surgery, which I was told I would need because my abs would've been so ripped apart and so dysfunctional. What ended up happening though, is I actually didn't ever have to get that surgery. The reason I didn't is because I was able to regain my strength to the point that the surgeon said, wow, you're fine. There's no problem. I actually even competed in adult gymnastics for several years, clearly indicating that my abs were working pretty well - until one day they weren't. So it was a day in 2018 I was performing situps in my basement like I did every week for the most part. I did go ahead and increase my weight a little bit on the weighted setups I was doing, but it was a small increase. I had done that before, no big deal - or so I thought. So what happened to me is I felt this kind of ripping sensation right above my belly button, and I immediately knew something was really wrong. I was smart enough to take it easy after that and just kind of let my body be. But then as things weren't improving, I decided to go to my doctor. My doctor did some tests and he also did some imaging, and he was able to confirm that I had two large hernias as well as a diastasis. He said that I should get surgery according to his viewpoint, but the problem with that would be that because of how active I was as a personal trainer and a gymnast as well as just my general lifestyle, he was aware that the surgery wouldn't necessarily last me for that long and that I might have to get another surgery. So obviously none of that sounded good. I'd already had two abdominal surgeries, and the more you have, the more risks you pile up. I decided to seek what was out there. I went on YouTube. I mean, what else would you do, social media, YouTube, any of that? I found some exercises and gave them a try, all free stuff, stuff I could just find by Google searching, and I did see repeatedly over and over this Sarah Duval. Sarah's showing me this, Sarah's showing me that, and there are other people too. I'm watching this and I'm thinking, I don't know. I feel like Sarah, what she's teaching is speaking to me. What she's teaching is something that makes sense to me, especially as a personal trainer. So I went ahead and purchased her program, Core Exercise Solutions, and it was the best thing I ever could have done for myself. I was able to heal my hernia in six months. I went back for imaging and they were able to clear me of hernias as well as diastasis, and I was given the green light to just do whatever I wanted in terms of exercise, sports, or whatever else I wanted to do. So that was super happy and fun and something I never thought would happen. Honestly, I believe in positive thinking, but I also am a realist, and I feel like I have a good grasp on what's possible. I surprised myself. I really did. I immediately thought, I need to teach this to other people. I need to help other people with their own hernias or their other issues that they might have involving their core. I went ahead and got certified in my pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise. That was super helpful to just give me a bigger grasp on how to help others besides just myself. Of course, I'm certified in personal training as well, so I have that knowledge, and I also went ahead and took Sarah's Pelvis Pro course. That course was really wonderful with hernias because our pelvis actually has a lot to do with how our core functions and for certain people where I just wasn't quite able to bring them to the level I wanted. This Pelvis Pro course was definitely what helped me to have just a more comprehensive grasp on the body and why hernias are impacted from what is going on between our head all the way down to our feet. So I take the principles I learned from Dr. Sarah and I teach them to people. I focus now on my one-to-one personal training. I also do have a course that helps bridge the gap between rehab world in towards getting back into regular workouts. You can see that on my courses tab on my website, but like I said, my main focus is the one-to-one. So if you feel like you need somebody to take a look at you, please reach out. Just talk to me. I can at the very least, give you some ideas. So please don't be shy. I look forward to hearing from you and helping you.