The fitness industry and media has made us believe that exercising is a remedy for every single problem. The truth is that as humans we need movement, but not necessarily in the form of a standard fitness class or a workout. What most people need is to simply move more, spend some time outside in the nature and explore.

There comes a time for running and fitness classes like aerobics or Body Pump, but no matter what we are told, these classes are not safe for beginners.

They are not safe and therefore unnecessary for tired mums who didn’t have time or didn’t know how to rebuild their body strength and function after having a baby.

In today’s culture we don’t talk much about postnatal time (which is now shortened to 6 weeks postpartum when full recovery often takes years) and what happens to the female body, hormones and psyche during that time. In Asian or south American countries, during the first 40 days postpartum the woman gets lots of support and care. All she has to focus on is her recovery and the baby. She receives special treatments and eats foods that support her return to full health and vitality.

In Western countries new mums get little focus or help.

We don’t know how important the recovery is for our own health and what are the important elements of this recovery.

Instead, we celebrate women getting back to gym, running or fitting her pre pregnancy clothes just days or weeks after giving birth. Fed with these unrealistic expectations, we think that something is wrong with us, when we’re tired, frazzled, disorganised or simply don’t feel like doing anything except for cuddling the baby and dozing off when the baby sleeps.

I wanted to get back to exercising so badly that I ignored my body’s needs, trying to interrupt this smart energy saving mechanism. I breastfed Freya for 18 months and didn’t sleep through the night for over two years. My body had no energy to waste on intense workouts. Every time I tried to get back to my pre-pregnancy exercise routine, I ended up exhausted and frustrated. This happens to many new mums.

Tired, no time, stress

The other day, one of my colleagues (who has no kids of his own) told me I need to prioritise better if I want to exercise more. To be honest I don’t want to. I spend so much time at work (plus I cycle to work three times a week, which takes an hour) that I only have about 3 hours left with Freya when I get home. We have no family here. She is only 2 and a half years old and we both need each other. I don’t want to add more things and more stress to my daily to do list.

Every woman is different. We have different needs and life situation. You may feel differently and that’s ok too.

It is important to remember that during long workouts stress hormones are released.

It is a very healthy mechanism unless someone is already under a lot of stress. It adds to fatigue, stress and may jeopardise the immune system.

To get stronger and fitter we need two elements.

We need exercise and rest. Unfortunately, most mums don’t have full control of their rest. Freya still wakes up at night and I sleep in her bed at least five times a week. This isn’t a perfect recovery or a good night’s sleep. Exercising without enough recovery can make the body weaker, fatter and prone to injuries.

Intense workouts in the evening impact the sleep quality.

As a preparation to sleep the body starts reducing cortisol and other stress hormones and starts releasing melatonin. Intense evening exercise interferes with this process, making it challenging to fall asleep or reducing sleep quality. It makes recovery even more challenging.

Risk of injuries

Pregnancy and birth put a huge stress on the female body. Our posture is misaligned, our core muscles are weakened or injured. Taking care of the baby often leads to back, neck, shoulder or even arm pain. Many women suffer with back pain postpartum. Carrying the baby on the “hip” can result in more back pain. With more than one baby the stress on the body is even more.

Postnatal time isn’t the right time to do intense or long workouts. It is the time to build strong foundations for future healthy and injury free movement. It is time to restore the body’s strength and function with easy and short exercise routines.

Exercising is important but it has to be specific and support recovery.

Just five minutes a day makes a huge difference. Rebuilding abdominal and pelvic floor strength and function, mobility and flexibility (not in the first weeks postpartum or as long as you’re breastfeeding), stability and strength (in this order) have a priority over running or any other intense workouts or group classes that are not designed to support a new mum’s recovery. It takes a lot of time to rehabilitate the female body after pregnancy and birth, and those first months or years are a perfect time to focus on that.

If you’re busy, under a lot of stress, tired from lack of sleep and really don’t have enough time each day to do everything you plan, focusing on postnatal exercises followed by mobility, flexibility, stability and strength makes more sense.

These exercises improve the body’s energy and support pain free movement. They can be done at home with your baby or a toddler watching you and joining in.

Freya loves exercising with me. She always brings her mat and elastic band and repeats everything I do. It is one of my favourite times during the day.

Adding gentle abdominal and pelvic floor exercises during daily chores is another great way to restore the strength faster and avoid injuries.

Squatting with a straight back while lifting the baby or picking up toys, engaging abdominals and keeping the pelvis in a neutral position while walking or pushing the buggy is a great way to easily reduce back pain.

Breathing exercises don’t only help reduce stress but are also great in restoring core strength.

Squeezing glutes while driving or queuing at the supermarket is a great way to restore hip strength and function.

These exercises save time and energy. They don’t add more stress to a busy daily routine, and they work better than any gym workout.

Don’t forget that relaxing the muscles is as important as squeezing them.

You may be tempted by promises of getting back to your pre pregnancy clothes or losing baby weight. But unless you have time, energy, support and have “fixed” your abdominal and pelvic floor strength and function (and are confident your body is realigned and these workouts are already safe), then avoid boot camps, running, HIIT and anything that can lead to fatigue and injury.

Less is more.

With love,

Karo