Site navigation and social media links
Postpartum Exercise
Fitness | July 24, 2019
For today’s topic, I’ll be going over some tips for returning to exercise after having a baby (postpartum). As a disclaimer, please understand that none of what I say should be taken as medical advice, and to always consult a doctor and/or physical therapist post-baby to ensure you’re clear to go back to exercise. (And if you’re not yet post-partum but are looking for exercise and pregnancy tips, read my post here for all of the details on that.) So, without further ado, let’s go over exercise and post-partum.
Reality Check
First of all, it’s important to be realistic. After dedicating 40 weeks of growing a tiny human being in your womb, there’s obviously going to be a lot of changes after it’s born. Your body has experienced a number of changes and isn’t going to bounce back straight away. For one thing, your exercise regimen had already changed during pregnancy. Chances are, your strength, stamina, and flexibility will be different. You may or may not have lost progress in one or more of those areas.
Second, your core muscles will have undergone the most dramatic of alterations. Research from 2015 shows that almost all women will have what is known as diastasis recti (the separation of the right and left abdominal muscles postpartum), with nearly 39% still having a degree of DR for as long as six months. [1]
Thirdly, there’s the pelvic floor, which stretches between the tail and pubic bone and acts as a sort of “cradle” to your uterus, bowels, and bladder. Examples of pelvic floor activation include holding and releasing urine (aka, holding things in when you have to pee or poop) and contracting and relaxing your vagina during sex. [2] Since pregnancy and delivery can both alter the muscles of the pelvic floor, it’s very common for new moms to start having difficulty with gas, incontinence, bowel movements, and lower back pain. [2]
Then you’ve got stretch marks, possible scars (depending on whether or not the birth was a C-section), hormonal changes, challenges with sleep (as all parents like to jokingly say, you will never sleep again), dealing with pregnancy weight gain, and mood imbalances (i.e., postpartum depression). To put it mildly, you’re not the same person you were before the baby.
And that’s perfectly OK! Give yourself a pat on the back. You literally just welcomed a new person into this world, a person whose entire world is going to be yours, too. Look outside of yourself for a moment and remember that no matter what shape or size you are, to that little person, you mean the most to them. Finally, consider this awesome piece of insight. According to a recent study, pregnancy stands toe-to-toe with extreme endurance athletes. Both push the body to its limits, burn extreme amounts of calories, and require a ton of willpower. Ladies, could we not be even more badass? [3]
In conclusion, it’s important to have a healthy perspective on the realities of pregnancy and postpartum recovery. Most women do not bounce back perfectly, whether that’s physically or emotionally. Some women may be able to recover quicker than others, but there’s no denying that significant changes have been made. Just because a woman appears different on the outside does not mean everything on the inside is the same, either. Don’t forget the internal issues relating to diastasis recti, pelvic floor dysfunction, and hormonal imbalances.
Red Light… Green Light
Exercise and postpartum come in stages. For the most part, it’s pretty safe to say that the most exercise you can do post-delivery is a bit of light walking. Until then, you’ll have to work closely with your doctor and wait until he or she gives you permission to resume exercise.
Women recovering from a C-section will definitely have to be careful not to overexert themselves in order to allow the skin to properly close. In cases of natural birth, you’ll have to give your uterus time to heal and recover from delivery. Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging or straining it, which can lead to further complications down the line and cause a ton of discomfort in the short term. [4] And even then, you’ll have to know what is and isn’t appropriate for your body depending on what happened to your body during and after pregnancy.
For instance, if you have a significant degree of diastasis recti, then you’ll have to be careful with the core exercises you perform. In some cases, planks are not approved, whereas in others, they are. You, your doctor, and a physical therapist will have to determine the right ones for you. (As for my thoughts, I wrote a brief post about this a long time ago, which you can read if you’re interested.)
Once you have permission to resume exercise, you’ll still want to transition subtly into a regular exercise schedule. Instead of working out intensely for long durations every single day, go slow. Maybe plan three ZGYM workouts a week either at a beginner or intermediate level. This is just as a precaution as well as a means for your body to refamiliarize itself with its old exercise ways. It also helps you to nail your form and prevent both injury and overexertion. The fact that my routines are between 15-20 minutes is great since they’re not too long and efficient at getting the job done and freeing up more time for you to take care of yourself and the new baby. Do this for at least a month before ramping up the frequency to 4-6 days a week. In between, be sure to get plenty of NEAT through regular walks, chores, and any sports or recreational activities you enjoy.
Think of exercise and postpartum as a game of red-light green-light. Red light is most definitely after you’ve given birth. Keep it to walking and wait for the doctor to give you the YELLOW light to incorporate postpartum physical therapy to help your core and pelvic floor, in addition to low impact activity such as long walks and swimming. Afterward, get the green light and start doing more regular workouts. Don’t go balls-to-the-wall and overdo things, though. Otherwise, it’s one step back. Start with the minimum effective dose of a few days a week when it comes to your workouts, then add one more day until you’ve found your groove. You can then maintain a normal fitness schedule provided you’ve made the full recovery from labor.
Closing Thoughts…
There you have it, everyone! My thoughts on postpartum exercise. I myself have yet to experience this, so when that time comes, I’ll definitely have more to offer on that subject. That being said, many women in the ZGYM have worked out with me during and after pregnancy, so if you happen to be one those superwomen, PLEASE share your experience down in the comments! From what I’ve read and researched, a lot of it depends on the individual, as well as how we choose to listen to our body. I know and sympathize when it comes to all of the social media posts highlighting these beautiful, perfect post-pregnancy bodies, and why in many cases it’s anything but. As women, there’s no need to compete or pressure each other to have the same exact experience and be perfect through and through. Just know that you are not alone and that just because your postpartum is different than what’s paraded about on social media does not mean you are broken or any less an incredible woman.
Here at the ZGYM, I, as well as hundreds of women, have your back. If you need to vent or reach out to someone, leave a comment, and we’ll be there to lift you up!
Until next time, thanks for stopping by- hope these tips helped!
Sources:
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1356689X14001817
[2] https://www.babycenter.com/0_pelvic-rehab-therapy-help-for-uncomfortable-postpartum-sympt_10379562.bc
[3] https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/6/eaaw0341
[4] https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/postpartum/postpartum-exercise/
Private Member |
Ahoj Zuzko! Dekuji za tento clanek! Jsem po porodu a mam uzasnou 10mesicni dceru. Rada bych se dostala opet do formy a shodila prebytecna kila(a ze jich je😁) ale tak nejak nevim, kde zacit. Pred otehotnenim jsem cvicila podle Tvych videi a bylo to super! Po porodu jsem mela pomerne velkou diastazu, s fyzioterapeutkou jsme to napravily a ted se muzu vrhnout do jakehokoliv cviceni. Muzes mi prosim doporucit, ceho se drzet? Moje kondice sla rapidne dolu, potrebuji zacit s necim lehcim! Dekuji moc! Eva
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Ahoj Evo, ja bych teda doporucila Beginner Workouts podle weekly workout schedule a uvidis jak ti to pujde. Kazdopadne se nepremahej prvni dva tydny jen se snaz abys nevynechala den.
Private Member |
Moc děkuji! Pustím se do toho! 🙂
Private Member |
montana, united states
I have been working out in the ZGym for several years, following the advanced weekly schedule, rarely missing a day and genuinely so happy with the results. When I found out I was expecting my first baby last spring I was in the best shape of my life. I continued working out with the regular scheduled routines through my first trimester, no modifications. During my second trimester I stopped the weekly schedule and switched to the Lower Body Low Impact routines and Legs Like a Dancer Series. I also practiced daily prenatal yoga. I stopped using my ”beast” close to the third trimester because it didn’t feel good in my body anymore but I did continue with lighter weights and bands. Finally in the last couple weeks before birth my body wanted to stop weight lifting and I focused only on walking and yoga.
I have been getting back into exercising very slowly since giving birth. I began with gentle pelvic floor work and walking only. I experienced a very common occurrence of pelvic organ prolapse and took my time to reacquaint myself with my pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. I did not lift any weights and focused on body weight only workouts. I had a lot of worries that I would not be able to train as hard as I used to, lifting heavy and jump roping seemed out of the question. Bye-bye Beast!
Now at almost six months postpartum I have begun to follow the Beginners’ Schedule back in the ZGym! I had butterflies in my stomach when I reactivated my subscription this week! I am excited for the journey of getting my strength back and losing a few pounds.
Now that I am back in the ZGym and ready to train, I must remember that I have a new body to work with. I may not train on the advanced track again and what worked for my body in the past may not work for me now. I will take the time to figure out modifications and focus on my breathing and form. I’ve always loved that each day we have a new way to move our bodies in the Zgym, it is never boring!
Thanks for reading and have fun getting sweaty!
Private Member |
You go mama!
I am in the same boat, finally re-subscribed last week, and doing the beginner program. Some days are better than others, but I am learning to stay patient, get creative, and ride the wave. My biggest goal has been to not get caught up in jealousy of other new mom’s that didn’t get prolapse or diastasis recti like I did. And they are hiking, running, and lost the baby weight fast. We all have our own individual journeys and I am using Z-Gym as my path to getting back to fitness.
Private Member |
montana, united states
Yes, not comparing ourselves is a huge hurdle and it sounds like you are in a great mind space to see over it. I hope you are still in the ZGym! I am starting the intermediate track this week. I am planning on completely weaning my baby from the breast this month and I am curious to see any shifts in my POP with my hormones changing. I recently began following an Instagram account called popuplift, POP UP, An Uplifing Guide, that has a lot of great resources for people with POP that are wanting to weightlift and run safely. I definitely recommend checking them out.
Private Member |
Girl, I am part of POP up too! Absolutely love that program and I will be weaning off bf soon too. Hoping the same things as you.
Private Member |
I would say every pregnancy is different. I have had three and your workouts have been my go to. I find the staying consistent has been a struggle. I usually always did the hard workouts and loved them but since I am not in quite as good of shape and usually tired. I have found myself going to your stretch and tone and mobility drills and benefitting immensely. Sometimes I get frustrated as my kids interrupt my regular workouts. Seems that I never get a completely accurate measurement of how long it takes because of the myriad of reasons a 6, 5 and 18 month can come up with. Must keep going through the lack of sleep, endless questions, kids crawling on and under you while you stretch or do a pushup and constantly trying to avoid hitting anyone with a swinging kettlebell. But you probably were asking about the other physical changes….I have been blessed by no stretch marks, no extra weight, no diastis and hormones fairly level. Pelvic floor however does some interesting things when I do a few exercises and lets just say I am not going to do a public yoga class for some time. All these other things avoided the thing not talked about much is but I really dealt with during and after was symptomatic vein issues. Pregnancy is humbling and parenting is a wonderful test beyond measures. Can’t wait to see how your journey is when the time comes.
Private Member |
I just had my Diastasis Recti repaired and have the green light to start resuming exercise but need to avoid ab-focused exercises for six weeks. Is there a series or specific workouts that avoid abs in Zgym?
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
There’s not one workout that would avoid abs completely because our core muscles are involved in pretty much every exercise, however if you share what exercises in particular you’re suppose to avoid, I can help you find the right workouts.
Private Member |
That’s kind of what I was thinking, thank you so much for replying 🙂 I think she meant very ab specific exercises like crunches, but said also be careful with moves like squats. I think I will start with the low impact low body and just modify as I go and do as much as I can.
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka, I delivered my son 18 months back and haven’t been exercising in a consistent manner. I am now looking forward to start exercising regularly but realized that I have a 3-finger wide abdominal separation. Can you help me with which workouts I should start with and how do i go about fixing this.