Mother’s Day just around the corner! And for all the mummies who have sweated your way back into shape after having your bouncing bubbas, we salute you! It’s like you’ve done the impossible. We want to celebrate all the mums out there getting back into shape after having their new bundles of joy! We at Simply Gym have some tips for all the new mummies ready to bounce back into shape!
As a new mum, you’ll have a new routine for yourself and your new bundle of joy. It changes your daily routine and sleeping pattern in the early stages, and it also brings physical changes too. It may not be as easy as bouncing back into exercise, after having a bubba every new mum has a different recovery time. It’s important that you listen to your body and allow time for it to recover before you’re ready to get back into exercise.
Take Your Time
It’s not a race to get back into shape after such a big event on your body. For example, if you’ve had a cesarean, it’s advised you begin exercising after 8-12 of rest and once you’ve had a postnatal giving you the all-clear. It could benefit you to take your time before getting back into exercise, as it can be easier on your body stopping you from putting too much stress on it.
Working your Pelvic Floor
You can start doing pelvic floor exercises as soon as you feel comfortable. It might be the last thing you’re thinking about right now, but it will benefit you when you begin to feel more comfortable. It’s perfectly safe to start exercising your pelvic floor as soon as you feel can. Doing these exercises will strengthen the muscles, reduce stress incontinence and rebuild your pelvic floor. If you didn’t get into the habit of it before or during your pregnancy, it’s never too late to start. You can still get the benefits of exercising it today!
Restoring your core muscles
Your core changes during pregnancy and postpartum. As your belly expands, it stretches your abdominals and back muscles. Post-natal fitness experts at CARiFiT, suggest that after pregnancy, you should check for your “tummy gap” or Diastasis recti (the gap that is between the two muscles that cover the front section of your tummy area). By going to your GP and checking this gap, you can plan your core recovery exercises, this often begins with gentle breathing exercises and gentle walks. Once you can understand how to restore your core muscles, you can start doing more strength-based exercises to help build strength in those muscles. Pilates and Yoga can be a great and gentle way to restore strength to your core muscles.
Set realistic goals
It’s all about finding your feet and developing a routine that works for you and your baby. Like we said, it’s not a race. You can slowly get back into shape at a pace that suits you. You can start by monitoring your weight then look at toning later down the line. Setting S.M.A.R.T targets is a great way to get on track to achieving and setting realistic goals whilst you get back into exercise.
Exercise in groups
In the early days, having a baby can be quite isolating because of the sole care baby needs. To keep you motivated you should exercise with like-minded mums who understand the struggle. Socialising is also a fantastic way to combat postnatal depression which can be common for new mothers. Every mother is different and has a different exercise of choice, so it’ll bring a greater variety of activity and techniques. As you move through the recovery process you may find yourself wanting to join group fitness classes, and as long as you feel ready, it can also be an excellent idea!
The key thing to keep in mind when training after a pregnancy is that everything should be done at your pace and the advice of the medical professional. In the early stages, if you don’t feel like training, then don’t! Be sure to give yourself a relaxing and realistic recovery because you deserve it.
