Post Natal Exercise

Getting back into or starting an exercise routine after having a baby really depends on 2 things:

Type of pregnancy and whether there were any complications How physically active the mother was leading up to the birth

If a mother has had a natural birth with no complications then she should be able to return to exercise after her 6-8 week check. If there have been complications, recovering from this will take a bit longer therefore so will returning to exercise.

Again every woman is different and the same can be said for every birth but in general, women that exercise throughout pregnancy usually return to activity quicker and in turn get back into shape quicker! They may even feel capable of returning to exercise before the 6-8 wk check-up!

Things to think about when returning to exercise include:

• Start out gently, don't rush into exercise too quickly & if there's any problem just slow down and stop
• Joints will still be quite lax months after pregnancy and even longer if you breast feed. Try not to over lock your joints during exercise and really concentrate on form especially when it comes to resistance training
• Timing of exercise - If your breastfeeding, lactic acid produced during high intensity exercise, can affect the taste of your milk. Try and time your workouts around feeding times and leave at least 2hrs after exercise if you can
• Abdominal Exercises - You should have done 6-8 weeks of pelvic floor exercise before heading back to the gym. When it comes to abdominal work, start very gently with basic crunches. Leave a few wks before starting twisting exercise. You also need to make sure your abs have completely closed together before starting an abs routine. Ask your midwife for more info

Type of exercises

• In terms of cardio exercise try to reduce impact for the 1st few weeks of training by choosing walking on a treadmill on an incline, x-trainers and bikes
• Try to avoid putting too much pressure on your stomach for the 1st few weeks of training, seated machine exercises will break you in gently with wall squats and sit-ups.
  

Always get the all clear from your midwife or GP before returning to exercise