Lose the Baby Pooch

Your Postpartum Exercise Plan
What to Do & What Not to Do

Hello Friends!

Today I want to talk to you about something really important!
What exercises you SHOULD do after baby, and which ones to AVOID! For many of us new momma's we are always thinking 'how can I lose the baby weight?!"
It is not a BAD thing to feel this way, but there is also a right way to do it and the WRONG way to do it.

I want to share with you the proper way to heal your body after baby so that in time you WILL feel confident, strong and fit in your new momma body.

Many women jump back into fitness too quickly and do not take the time for proper healing. This results in unnecessary pain and improper healing on your woman parts and joints. Lets avoid this!

The important thing to remember about exercise after baby is that progression is KEY! You cannot just jump back into your old fitness routine. You need to re-develop the normal brain/muscle connection to your movement patterns. Delivery a baby is a big deal, it is a trauma to your body and it is our job to re-teach the body how to correctly use our muscles again! Without a baby in our belly!

EXERCISES YOU SHOULD DO:

Immediately following birth one should be resting, hydrating and focusing on gentle walking and reconnecting to your breath, core unit and pelvic floor.

As you feel up to it in the 0-6 week period I would focus on these four exercises:

Core connection breath

Clam Shell

Glute Bridge 

Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch with Reach 


After 7 weeks postpartum, and as given clearance from your midwife or doctor you should add these exercises into a daily routine. 

Single Leg RDL

Side Lying leg lift--front and back

3 way chair squat-(squat to the left, center, right)

Resistance band/weighted row

Hip thrust (you do not need to add weight!)

Bird Dog

Pall of Press

EXERCISES TO AVOID:

+Anything that is going to put added pressure on your core unit, your abdomen.

+Traditional ab crunches/planks/sit ups

+Anything that causes you pressure/pain in your pelvic region

+High impact moves such as running, jumping, springing, jump rope, burpees, squat jumps.

+Intense high impact exercises classes

Overall your main GOAL in the first 9-12 months postpartum should be regaining proper breath control, connection with your core unit, pelvic floor and regaining proper strength patterns.

You want to begin building strength back in your functional movements once your core breathing, pelvic floor is healed. Functional movements such as squats, lunges, bend, lift, reach, twist--things you do multiple times in a day and even more now that you have a baby! You want to continue to build upon these moves to build your strength and stamina for your motherhood journey as well as getting back to any activities you enjoy.

As you feel comfortable and ready to move on to more exercises it is important to have proper control of your core unit (so that no coning bulging is present in your abdomen) You want to have complete control of your core unit and the amount of pressure on your pelvic floor.  IF you do not feel comfortable in a move avoid it until you have built up enough strength, it does NOT make you a weak momma!

RELATED POSTS: 
Core Restore
Postpartum Essentials 
FREE Postpartum checklist!