Benefits Of Exercise For POST-Natal Woman

Post partum return to exercise

For new mums, starting (or getting back into) exercise can be a daunting prospect. Every new mother will have a different set of goals, concerns, and abilities. After all, the body has just been through a serious challenge, and it needs time to heal – but there’s nothing to stop mothers from rebuilding their fitness, provided they start with some strong foundations.

Perhaps you want to look and feel like you did before your pregnancy. The first step, however, adapting to your body potentially feeling different from before. A lot has changed, things can feel new or strange. Even for the mums who feel strong and ready to pick up where they left off, It might be a little journey of discovery.

You will have get used to not being pregnant, for one thing – your sense of balance and control without your pregnancy tummy will take fine tuning! We’ll want to connect your mind to those core muscles that help you move, stretch, balance and breathe. This step is all about listening to the signals that your body is sending you.

For most women, the best place to start is with gentle stretching of those tight parts of your body, commonly across the chest and parts of your back (late night feeding posture!), firing up the muscles down the back of the body including the glutes and reconnecting with your breath and pelvic floor function. It is important is to go at a pace that feels safe and comfortable.

Those are the basics – now lets talk about Diastasis: that’s separation of your abdominal muscles, to make room for your growing baby. Assessing diastasis is part of our process, as it varies from woman to woman. The goal here is less about “closing the gap”, surprisingly, and more about the functionality and understanding of your core. 

 Your activity levels prior to pregnancy and giving birth will also impact on your fitness journey post partum. For those returning to exercise a staged progression to your previous activity is key. For the women who decide that it is time to start their fitness journey, the same applies to you! Speaking to a qualified post partum fitness professional will help give you the extra boost in confidence and arm you will the knowledge you need.

Other factors to consider is time and enjoyment. It isn’t always easy to fit in time for training when children show up, so it is even more important than ever that your training is enjoyable, that you have space and time to focus on yourself. Happy mum, happy baby, after all.

Having a coach who understands – and can adapt to the fact – that you’re going to be sleep deprived and dealing with a whole host of strange new life changes is important.

With a good coach and a bit of patience, the prospect of exercise after pregnancy does not have to be intimidating or overwhelming.