A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
When it comes time to get active after pregnancy, it is important to know which exercises will help rehabilitate your body safely and effectively. When considering exercise selection it is important to be aware of the following;
- the type of delivery you had (natural or C-section)
- how your pelvic floor functions (after seeing your pelvic floor specialist)
- being aware of hormonal fluctuation (relaxin) which causes laxity in soft tissues for months or years after pregnancy.
Below we've outlined a few important things you should know about post-natal fitness.
NOTE: Make sure to always get approved by your pelvic floor physiotherapist before starting a fitness program.
1. Avoid crunches
Women in their 3rd Trimester
What if the exercise that we thought would help strengthen our core can actually make things worse?
During pregnancy, the body adapts to the growing fetus and the abdominal wall stretches. Make sure to educate yourself on diastasis recti abdominis (DRA).
DRA is the result of the separation between the right and left rectus abdominis bellies due to the stretching and laxity of the linea alba. DRA is extremely common in prenatal and postnatal women.
Women Immediately Postpartum
It is important to be aware that DRA can be worsened by poor alignment and repetitive forward pressure on the abdominal wall.
Exercises to avoid are crunches, sit-ups or any other exercise that will cause the abdominals to bulge out and put a stress on the diastasis.
TIP: When you want to get out of bed in the morning, roll onto your side when you come out of bed. Conscious efforts like this will help prevent putting pressure on the linea alba.
Make sure that you are careful when it comes to choosing core exercises. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
“Postnatal fitness is not a race.””
2. Low impact to start/Start slowly
When deciding to start taking care of your health and fitness, we need to consider the affects of pregnancy on the body.
Instead of worrying about how fast you can burn off weight or get rid of mummy tummy, we need to take our time to heal, master exercise form and regain proper postural alignment.
Remember that your abdominals have stretched significantly and have undergone a lot of stress. Also it is likely that you have developed poor posture. The tissue imbalances that may occur due to poor alignment can lead to different types of problems:
- Chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain
- Muscle atrophy and weakness (glutes)
- A compromised pelvic floor.
- and more.
The best way to progress is with a sustainable longterm focus, not "quick-fix solutions". Try to avoid jumping into a program that is too advanced or too difficult to sustain. Focus on adding a few new behaviours that can easily be managed on a daily basis.
While exercises that prioritize pelvic floor restoration and postural alignment might not give you that "feel the burn" kind of feeling. It is important that you start off with them before moving towards the kinds of exercises that accelerate fat loss.
Stretching and mobility exercises can make a big difference in not only correcting your body's alignment, but they make you feel better too.
A very common area of tightness is in the shoulders. Shoulders that are hunched forward are usually caused by tight pec muscles and neck muscles. Try stretching your pec and neck muscles at the beginning of your workout.
TIP: Match stretching the overactive/tight muscles with exercises that strengthen weak opposing muscles.
Combine the appropriate stretches with some strength exercises like seated cable rows (to strengthen the back) and side lying clams (to activate your glutes) and you will notice your body's alignment start to change.
Avoid starting with advanced exercises like:box jumps, kettle bell swings or planks. Basic postural exercises combined with some floor restoration exercises can be a great way to start off your post-natal training program.
In the beginning stages it's important to create a foundation from which to build on later. Take your time and focus on progress over perfection.
3. Keep Workouts Efficient
As a new mom, time is not always on your side. So when you do get the chance to exercise, make sure that your workout is efficient.
It should be efficient in two ways;
1. Get a lot done in a short amount of time. If you only have 30 minutes to spare twice per week you can still get a lot done in that time. But if a lack of time is an issue, you will want to make each minute count.
2. Have a well rounded routine that prioritizes most, if not all of what you need to be working on. In other words, if you can only train so many times per week. It is best to spread out your focus. Instead of having 1 day where you do cardiovascular exercise and another where you focus on postural alignment, why not do a bit of everything on each day that you train? Divide your time up strategically.
When planning a workout, here are a few things you will want to add;
A. Stability/Strength Training
- To help reduce back pain strengthen your back, glutes, and core (in a neutral alignment)
- To help reduce rounded shoulders focus on pulling/rowing variations
- Light anti-rotation exercises for core development
- Sneak in core training by using kneeling, half-kneeling and single arm exercises (i.e. half kneeling 1 arm cable row).
B. Mobility/Stretching
- To help reduce tension and possible tension related pain/discomfort roll glutes, calves, upper trapezius and pectorals.
- Use lacrosse balls and foam rollers in ways that are appropriate for you and your current state (i.e. foam rolling your quads is not ideal because of the strain it would put on your abdominal muscles)
- Make sure you have a targeted focus for stretching and rolling. Focus on the tight areas.
C. Pelvic Floor Work/Core Training
- Always go see a pelvic floor physiotherapist before starting a program.
- Doing light core/pelvic floor restoration and basic stability exercises are okay immediately after pregnancy.
- Focus on core exercises that do not stress the DRA and progress gradually from easier to more difficult variations (i.e. side plank variations, paloff press variations, etc.).
D. Low or No Impact Cardio
- Wait until your pelvic floor and core function is restored before introducing higher impact cardio.
- Keep cardiovascular exercise in your program to progress along in the fat-loss journey and to increase energy and feel good.
- Examples can be walking, biking, swimming.
- Avoid high impact exercises like jumping, running, burpees, jumping jacks, etc.
TIP: Try using exercise pairings. We like pairing 2 or 3 exercises together to save time. Not only this, but as one muscle group is resting another one can be working with out you having to take a rest altogether.
Try to have every workout touch each area to keep an effective and efficient exercise program. As we mentioned earlier, time is a factor. We need to get as much in as we can with the little time we have.
CONCLUSION
As you can see there are many things to consider when starting a postnatal fitness program. Above we have only mentioned a few key points. 1. Avoid crunches (or any other exercise that will put strain on the DRA). 2. Start slow with low impact exercise. 3. Keep your workouts efficient. You can still get a lot done with little time.
Just remember to focus on making slow gradual changes. Postnatal fitness is not a race.
If you would like help designing a program for postnatal fitness or want to know more about our programs for new moms, you can email me at info@evertrainlifestyles.com or simply fill out our contact form here.
Yours in health,
Julie
Co-Owner/Head Trainer