For many years cardio activities like running, spinning, aerobic or HIIT classes has been promoted as the best way to lose weight. No wonder that most women born and raised in a diet and cardio culture of 90s and 00s that promoted skinny female body, when starting to exercise want to start with these workouts.

Cardio workouts have many benefits and promote better physical as well as mental health. Yet to be able to do these workouts injury free and consistently we need to build strong foundations first.

These days, most people live sedentary life. That leads to bad posture, placing abnormal weight on joints, stressing muscles and tensons and leading to pain. Muscles are imbalanced, some become short and hyperactive other long and lazy. As a result of poor posture internal organs are not supported adequately, circulation is compromised putting the body is at risk for health problems.

Post pregnancy women face additional challenges.

After 10 months of pregnancy, birth and months of feeding, lifting and bending new mum’s body is not ready to go from nothing to running.

It needs a lot of structural and deep core work before any high impact activity can be performed safely. The end of your lie-in-time (six weeks postpartum) isn’t the time to get back to your pre pregnancy exercise routine but the time to start slowly working on regaining stability and strength in your body. It is time when a new mum continues getting up several times each night and doesn’t get enough sleep to recover from her day, not mentioning intense exercise. There is no such a thing as safe Boot Camp or aerobic class at this point in your postnatal recovery.

In her book “The fourth trimester” Kimberly Ann Johnson recommends seeing a pelvic -floor specialist as well as having a deep tissue massage after the six-week check. It’s a great place to start the postnatal recovery. Knowing if there is any weakness or injuries in your pelvic floor that need to be addressed first helps to avoid any back pain or more severe injuries in the future.

Pelvic floor muscles, deep abdominal muscle, small spinal muscles (multifidus) and diaphragm are responsible for stabilising spine during each movement. After the pregnancy pelvic floor and abdominal muscles are often weak or even injured (i.e. due to c-section) therefore first step is to focus on restoring strength and function in the muscles.

It’s also important to remember that during pregnancy female posture changes.

Pelvis tilts forwards (anterior pelvis tilt), there is increased curve in lumbar spine, shoulders are rounded, the centre of gravity changes, knees become hyperextended, and feet pronated. That results in a few months of changed movement patterns, muscle imbalances and abdominal wall disfunction.

Therefore, it is important to focus on restoring balance and strengthening pelvis, core, and back muscles, before you even consider running.

Just 10 – 15 days after giving birth (after being cleared by a midwife or a doctor) new mum can start activating abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. Gentle exercises that incorporate breathing are enough during those first days. Consistency is important but it can be as little as 5 minutes at first.

Click on the button below to get an access to my video: the only exercise you should start your postnatal recovery with.

It’s great if a mum can start those exercises in the fourth trimester (first three months postpartum) but it is never too late. Even if you’re months or years after having a baby (or even for anyone who lead a very sedentary lifestyle) this is the safest way to start exercising.

These days Yoga is presented as cure-all-good for everything but during your postpartum recovery you have to choose the right exercises. Avoid working on improving your flexibility and doing any hip opening exercises. Instead focus on leg strength, core engagement and upper back opening. Your postpartum exercises should help your bones and ligaments to gel back together, lift everything back up and nourish the core of your body[1]. If you are breastfeeding this process may take even longer as relaxine hormone is present in mum’s body until she stops breastfeeding.

Six to eight weeks later, you can start adding more postnatal core exercises. Join Postnatal Abdominal Fix Program and build strong foundations for the future. This is also a great time to start taking gentle walks, on flat surface is possible. Stay conservative even if you’re eager to get back to your pre pregnancy training. When you fully recover you will be able to enjoy your more intense workouts without any setback. About six to nine months postpartum, after you’ve done your postpartum abdominal fix and you can engage your abdominal muscles with every move again, you can start working on your stability, flexibility and mobility. You can also check out Structural Integration one of Moshe Feldenkrais methods that will help your body to return to more optimal balance and function.

The next step is restoring your overall strength. Pay attention to your hips strength and flexibility. My hips got very tight after my pregnancy. If you want to avoid back problems don’t even think any intense or aggressive workouts (i.e. running, boot camp or cross fit) until you restore balance in your hips and you can sleep enough to recover from each workout.

Postnatal recovery takes more time than we were taught to believe.

It takes 9-12 months to recover fully and be able to get back to your pre pregnancy workout routine, if you find time and energy to exercise. Seeing any new mum going hard on her body just weeks after having a baby may be motivating but it isn’t sensible. Most women feel (maybe y using that sixth sense) that any hardcore exercises are simply too much. Follow your intuition, listen to your body and give yourself time and grace to recover. Because when you do you will be unstoppable.

With Love,

Karo

[1] “The forth Trimester” by Kimberly Ann Johnson