POSTPARTUM - A Safe and Enjoyable Return to Fitness *Blog Post
A week by week recommendation for getting back into the groove of movement safely and comfortably. Please note that these guidelines will vary depending on your delivery and recovery. As always please take it at your own pace and adjust accordingly. For those with C-section and traumatic births please note that your timeline may differ and the below recommendations will depending on your recovery*
WHAT A WHIRLWIND! The wait is over, baby is here and now you’re staring down at your little one wondering what on earth to do! Sleep is a distant memory, body is rapidly changing, breasts are large and in charge, and there is likely some thudding pain going on somewhere in your body. Its a wild ride and you are on it!
Now at some point you’re probably starting to wonder ‘when can I get back to my regular routine’. And if youre anything like me youre probably craving that big hit of endorphins. If I have any advice tho, its ditch the expecations. Get rid of them. Flush them down the toilet. Let go of any expectations that you have for sweating because this is a process, and the more we can embrace it the smoother it will feel. It took your body 9 months (likely 10) to create your little one so its going to need a little longer than a few weeks to get back up and running. This just might also just be the slow down that your body (and mind) needs. A big reminder that I will keep going back to: just because you think you can doesn’t mean you should :)
Below are some recommendations based on my experience in my own postpartum return to fitness, my education and research that I have done. Recovery times definitely depend on your labour and delivery experience and and recommendations by your GP/Pelvic Floor Physio so please keep that in mind and ensure you are getting the appropriate guidance from your medical professionals.
WEEK 1: CHILL AND BREATHE
Honestly just lay there. Do nothing but hold baby. Close your eyes. And breathe. Have your mom do your laundry. Your partner brings you dinner in bed. Just fully melt into a sea of baby smells. You have just been put through a traumatic experience - regardless of how beautiful, fast, or ‘easy’ your delivery was your body has essentially experienced a head on collision with a tree. Everything is out of place, everything is swollen, torn and extremely sensitive. So let it heal.
Breathwork is going to be your best friend for reconnecting to your core and it can start here and now. BUT IT DOESNT HAVE TO. If you arent ready that is totally fine. And if you are feeling up for it - slowly incorporate throughout your day. You can do it laying, sitting, standing…whatever feels comfortable.
What does breathwork look like? It can be done standing, sitting, laying down…whatever feels easiest for you at this time. Most people find it simpler laying down but hey, do you! See POSTPARTUM RECOVERY: Breathwork for more details!
Assume the position that feels right for you
Deep breath in, letting air fill your lungs, expand the rib cage, expand out your back body and out the sides of your obliques. Think of it as a 360* breathe - filling all around and down to your pelvic floor.
On your exhale think about contracting up and in like a little wave rolling up (ie. LIFTING) from your pelvic floor to your abdominal wall. We arent sucking in and holding. If you can, imagine you are picking up a grape with your vaginal wall and holding it up and in. Try to limit squeezing your glutes and digging your feet into the ground. The contraction should come from your pelvic floor/abdominal wall.
Oh and dont forget to book your visit with your PF physio - some will allow you to book before 6 weeks, otherwise will have you wait. chat with them and see when you can get in to see them.
WEEK 2-4: WALK THE WALK
This time should feel pretty darn similar to the week before, except maybe by now youre ready to venture down to the end of the block and back for a chance to stretch your legs and introduce your baby to the world! Walking is going to be your best friend over the next few months but start slow with her, take your time and don’t push it too hard just yet. If you are feeling any ‘heaviness’ down there thats a great indication that you’ve overdone it for the day. ONE NOTE: I personally found that baby wearing at the beginning was quite hard on my pelvic floor and opted instead to stroller walk for no more that 30min at this point. And that breathwork that we were doing in week 1, continue it and add a few minutes each day.
Again, if you arent ready then just push this whole timeline out a few weeks. Start when you feel comfortable and your body feels ready to start.
You can also start to incorporate some light, mindful movement focused on core stabilization like leg slides into your routine near the end of week 4. This is going to help to ensure our foundation is strong before we start to layer strength building on top!
What does a leg slide look like?
Laying on your back with your legs stretch out long and your hands by your waist take a deep 360* inhale breath and as you exhale using the contraction that you’ve been practice draw your left heel in towards your bum until it sits on the ground. Inhale here.
On your exhale let the heel slide back out to rest your leg flat on the ground. Inhale here.
Repeat the other side. Dont stress about reps or time, focus instead on how it feels and coordinating your breath to the movement. If sides are uneven that is fine and totally normal!
WEEK 4-12: RECONNECT & THEN REBUILD
We have done a few walks now, been breathing like we’ve never breathed before and hit up a few leg slides just to get some movement back into our bodies. We might just be yearning for more by now! Movement that is going to reconnect you to your core and fire up some of those muscles that have been laying dormant focusing especially on stabilization.
At week 6 we all have the ‘6week Checkup’ where our midwives/OB give us the green light to get ‘back to it’. This appointment is super important don’t get me wrong, but I cant stress enough that this does NOT mean we are healed and ready to assume activity like we could before. This means that our tissues ‘are healing’ (ie NOT HEALED) and there is no visible sign of infection or other serious problems. Once you’ve got the thumbs up from doc meet your PF physio and check out what else might be going on. This is going to really help you assess what the next steps for your PF REHAB will be. There are a number of different routes to take depending on the outcome of your appointment. Do you have DIASTASIS RECTI? PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE? Is your PF TIGHT or WEAK? These are just some of the common issues that we face moving through postpartum.
Assuming all is well and your healing is on the right track, now may be the time to start to add in more focused rehab work on your core and pelvic floor. Once we are feeling stronger and experiencing no pain, some light strength training and mobility work can start to come into play. Don’t forget breath and core connection are going to still be a major focus here! So continue your work with your pelvic floor physio and checkin following any changes in physical activity to ensure that your body is adjusting.
Some examples of what to work on:
CORE/PF: leg slides, leg lifts, leg marches, glute bridges, dead bugs, inner thigh lifts, superman, side crunches,
STRENGHT: squats, deadlifts, rows, Single leg work, lunges, adbuctions, GLUTES GLUTES GLUTES, chest press, adductor work,
CARDIO: Returning to running? I would highly recommend to not even bother - I know everyone is different so yes there are some people who choose to and are able to safely do so but my recommendation is DON’T EVEN TRY IT YET. Keep it low impact for now.
WEEK 12+: Slow Return to Higher impact & Strength work
Always be checking in! By now you might be ready to start to incorporate some higher impact movement like hopping and jumping but I highly recommend that everyone and anyone waits until at least the 3 month mark to start working any jogging back into their routine. I didn’t bring back any light jogging personally until week 16. There is plenty to work on leading up to this so try to keep the focus on reconnecting, rebuilding strength and stability prior to actually lacing up for a jog.
There are a few things to watch out for that are key giveaways that you may or may not be ready to start running again:
pain or pressure in your pelvic floor when you walk
Instability with one-leg work
Incontinence (leaking)