Exercising After Baby
Exercising in the postpartum period is a way to help you get back into shape and stay healthy for your baby and yourself.
Movement is perfect and should begin within hours after you give birth, even if you required surgery. We know that moms who move after birth do tend to heal more quickly and feel better sooner than their less active counterparts.
This doesn’t mean jog around the block, but it does mean getting up and moving around your hospital room or in your home. Even after surgery or after an epidural, you can begin to walk with assistance in just a few hours. Though the first few attempts may be painful – overall, the movement is good. A daily brief walk after the first week or two is perfect.
If you were exercising prior to pregnancy, you may feel more of a need to get out and get going. If you were active before and had a normal vaginal birth with no complications, you may be able to start walking and doing basic strengthening for the abs, back and pelvis as soon as you feel able to. The general advice from physicians and midwives when to start exercising after giving birth is to wait 6-8 weeks before really getting into a fitness routine. You may be asked to wait longer or hold back a bit if you have had a cesarean section. Remember that your body is still adjusting to its non-pregnant state.
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When you do get started with a workout routine, you should focus on three different areas: Core strength, cardio and strength training.
1. Core Strength
Pregnancy can weaken some areas of the abs, not surprising when you consider there was a baby squished in there for nine months.
You may be wondering which exercises to do, and how much of them, in order to help lose fat around the belly. It's important to remember that you can't spot reduce fat from certain areas of your body with specific exercises. Getting flatter abs involves losing overall body fat with a combination of cardio, strength training and a healthy diet. Even then, you may still have a little fat around the lower belly. This is an area many women store excess fat, particularly after pregnancy, so try not to put too much pressure on yourself to get a flat belly.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing ab exercises, because you do need to strengthen the muscles that have stretched and possibly weakened during pregnancy. Some basic exercises you may want to start with include: pelvic tilts, ball crunches, back extensions, core strength exercises, modified plank and dead bug.
Make sure you get your doctor's OK before you do these exercises, and start with one set of 10 to 16 reps of each exercise 2 to 3 times a week, adjusting that to fit what feels right to you. You can add sets or try more challenging exercises over time.
2. Cardio
Along with core strength, you'll need to incorporate cardio into your routine, but you may not be able to do the same activities you were doing before - at least, not for a while. High-impact exercises, such as running or aerobics, may not be comfortable as your body recovers.
Start slow and easy. Many new moms find they can tolerate walking, starting with about 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. If you can handle more, try getting some kind of activity in every day.
Stick with low-impact activities. Try walking, swimming, working out on the elliptical trainer or other activities that aren't jarring on the body and joints. Over time, you'll find it easier to transition into higher-impact activities. Allow your energy levels to guide you in your workouts, backing off if you feel tired or vice versa.
As you get stronger, you may want to up the intensity with interval training about once a week, which can help you burn more calories. You can also add a stroller to your walking routine, which is great for adding challenge while allowing you to exercise with the baby. Experts have found that you can burn 18 to 20% more calories if you walk while pushing a stroller. Pushing it up a hill will burn even more calories, and there are even baby-friendly exercise groups you can join.
3. Strength Training
Strength training is an important part of your weight loss program as well as your recovery. It can help you build lean muscle tissue, raise metabolism and give you the strength you need to take care of your baby.
Like the other activities, you have to start out slowly, even if you lifted weights before birth. Your body is still recovering, and it may be a little different than you remember. You might want to start with exercises to strengthen your core and stabilizer muscles while also working on your balance and flexibility.
When putting together a workout, choose exercises that work multiple muscles so that you strengthen your entire body while saving time. A simple routine might include: chair squats, assisted lunges, hip lifts, modified pushups, back extensions and overhead presses.
For each exercise, start with one set of 10 to 16 reps, using no weight or light weight, skipping any exercises that cause pain or discomfort. As you get stronger, you can add more sets, use heavier weights and/or try more challenging exercises.
So the rules of postpartum exercise are:
- wait until you’re given the go ahead
- start with small bits of exercise
- slowly work your way back into a fitness routine
- stop exercising if you have pain, increased bleeding or other negative signs
If fitting everything in seems impossible, remember to keep it simple and take your time. Do what you can when you can, and give yourself permission to enjoy your new baby and your new life.