There are two types of women – those who want to continue training
as soon as they’ve had their baby, and those who procrastinate and avoid
starting an exercise routine. The most important thing to realize is that it’s
not impossible to get back into shape after childbirth but that it requires
some persistence and creativity, mostly around the issue of having your baby
with you while you are training. The sooner you start, the faster your results
will come. Here are a few ideas.
Pelvic floor exercises
The most important thing after childbirth will be to recover your pelvic
floor – these are muscles, ligaments and tissues stretching from your
pubic bone at the front, to your spine at the back. Due to bearing heavy weight
for a long time, these will have overstretched and weakened and might cause you
to leek wee when coughing, sneezing, and exercising, so it is a priority to get
them in shape first. You should be able to do the pelvic floor exercises even
if you’ve had a caesarean.
Cycling
One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to get some exercise is
to cycle. If you have a newborn, you can get a baby carrier and have your baby
cuddled up either on your front or your back. There are also bike trailers
suitable for kids over one and they usually have enough space for two kids. For
bigger children, you can use front or back child seats.
Walking and jogging
It can be as simple as walking around your neighborhood with your
baby. After your sixth post natal week, you are ready to accelerate the walk
into a fast pace or even to start jogging. Nowadays, you can get a complete jogging stroller or just a jogging accessory for
your existing stroller. You can put the baby into a baby sleeping bag, turn the
seat to face you or the world, and off you go to jog together.
Yoga
Yoga is convenient as it can be done in your room, with your baby
close by. All you need is some space for a yoga mat. This ancient exercise
system works your muscles, bones, internal organs and energy centers. In
addition, it relieves depression and keeps you in good internal balance while
you are overcoming the post natal blues. You might have heard of Prenatal Yoga,
but there is also a thing called Postnatal
Yoga where both moms and their babies practice together, in yoga
classes! Yes, you’ve read it right, babies on yoga mats. It’s never too early
to start.
Training at home
You can do a lot at home if you organize yourself well. While the
baby is napping, you have plenty of time to warm up, do some squats (provided
you’ve fixed your pelvic floor), floor bridge, lunges, crunch beat, windmills
and so on. If you are strong enough, you can do push-ups and plank-pose. Get some dumbbells and start easy but increase
the difficulty – you will need strong arms for all those mommy duties, or you
can treat your baby as your weights, and let the kid have some fun flying up
and down.
Make sure it is safe for you to start an exercise regime and
always consult your doctor about that. There are plenty of exercises you can
start doing within weeks after childbirth, but most commonly women get back to
their regular training routine six weeks after having a baby.
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