Congratulations! You have just had a baby! You are exhausted? You are emotional and hormones are bouncing around? You are suddenly deep in a world of routines, sleep and nap schedules, boob to bottle transitions & feeding routines, baby groups and sensory classes, etc …
You are so happy and proud of this bundle of joy but also conscious that you want your pre baby body back, you want to feel confident again (inside and out), overcome any post natal anxiety, you want your pre-natal identity back and you are aware that social events are on the horizon/returning to work looms. You want to walk into these situations with your head held high, feeling positive, happy, a new mum but also the same person as you were before. You can do this! Here are a few small simple steps to kickstart your fitness journey.
Firstly, always wait for your 6 week check up with the GP to confirm that they are happy for you to re start exercise/start exercising. Secondly, listen to your body, only you will know when your body is up to it and how you feel your body is healing. Do not ignore pains or aches.
It is also worth seeing a post natal physio if you have had a particularly complicated birth or a c section. The physio will be able to check your muscle strength, check your stomach for diastasis recti, assess your pelvic floor and give you any exercises to do alongside your fitness programme.
So here are my top tips for all you yummy mummies:
When you wake up in the morning, put your gym kit on straight away so you are ready to exercise whenever you can during the day, a home workout or maybe something outdoors, whatever you fancy and is realistic for the day.
Have a think about baby’s nap time, what do you need to do with this time and can you squeeze in 20 mins or so of exercise.
Have a think about a window where you are at home with the baby and you know they will be occupied by some kind of toy or bouncer/watching you do some exercise is always entertainment!
Have a think about something you enjoy doing, 20 mins of HIIT, 20 mins of dumbbell exercises or lifting some weights, 20 mins of a dance class on you tube, 20 mins of pilates etc.
Put together a p1aylist of all your favourite tracks! Even if you end up following 10 mins of a workout and the rest is just having a boogie with your baby, it all counts as movement
Ditch the car and walk to baby sensory, your baby will enjoy the fresh air and looking around, you will get some exercise and so both mum and baby have got something out of this trip
You do not need to complete a full one hour workout in one go to have a successful workout. Why not try spreading this out during the day, 20 mins x 2/3 times during the day, for example:
Morning – 20 mins of HIIT, 1 min of star jumps, 1 min of squat jumps, 1 min of mountain climbers etc.
Afternoon – Take baby out for a power walk in the carrier or buggy, increase your step count for the day, get some fresh air, move your body.
Evening – 20 mins of pilates or a quick jog around the block or aim to complete 50 squat jumps in the kitchen whilst preparing dinner.