Working Out During the Postpartum Period
Every article we read is written by a person, so it’s necessarily biased. Let me lay mine out right away: I’m a pre and post natal yoga teacher, and I think it’s kinda the best. It’s also what I know most about. That said, I’ll do my best to make “working out” more holistic.
What do I mean by holistic?
When it comes to postpartum anything, there’s a lot to consider. Beyond figuring out what workouts are safe, how to build your stamina, how often is often enough but not too much, there’s the very basic question of: literally how do you make time to exercise when your newborn is all consuming?
And that really has to be your starting point when it comes to postpartum fitness. What exercise routine feels manageable to you and what do you most enjoy doing? Working out postpartum can’t be about shoulds and should nots - it’s already a challenging time without shoulding all over it in yet another way.
As a good reference point, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week during pregnancy and the postpartum period. With relation to postpartum depression, ACOG also notes that "physical activity can be an essential factor in the prevention of depressive disorders of women in the postpartum period."
Walking
Believe it or not, walking is working out. For some low intensity exercise, put that kid in a stroller, and off you go. Maybe build to strapping the kid on your back and see how long you can and want to walk, mindful of your posture and how your body responds. Maybe it’s just around the block. Maybe you get to thirty minutes. I’ll tell you, I don’t have kids and I hadn’t recently given birth, but I carried my niece for an hour as we walked around town and I felt I deserved a metal for all that cardio. I highly recommend the walks for some aerobic activity - they’re safe, baby enjoys them as much as you do, it’s a full body situation and you get the added bonus of leaving the house which is therapy in and of itself these days. Oh, and there should be no need to wait. Talk to your healthcare provider, but you should be able to start going for walks the day after you deliver. Begin with short walks if you tire quickly, especially if you had a c-section.
Pelvic Floor & Abs
Okay, so maybe you aren’t a walker or you feel that walking isn’t enough of a workout for postpartum exercise. Or maybe you want to work on rebuilding your pelvic floor and getting your abdominal muscles back. First, remind yourself you just created a human so it’s okay if your abs took a little hit. And on that note, please be patient and let all those poor muscles that were stretched and worked heal well. In other words, wait until at least 6 weeks postpartum if you had a vaginal delivery and at least 8 if you had a cesarean. If you did have a c-section or any complications during delivery, please talk to your doctor about when it's safe for you to start resuming a regular exercise program. Oh, and if you feel any pain when you exercise, please listen - that means STOP! Pushing through pain is never a thing, but particularly not now when it might lead to injury.
Start by strengthening your core muscles safely - that is, avoid planks, push ups, crunches or any kind of sit ups. If you have diastasis recti, please be extra careful. If you don’t know what that is, you can read more about it here, and if you think you may have it, connect with a fitness instructor and/or physical therapist who specializes in postpartum PT. Physical therapy may also be helpful when it comes to restoring your pelvic floor - a PT can help instruct you on how to do kegels, pelvic tilts and other pelvic floor exercises.
Classes
Exercise classes are great during the postpartum period - typically there's yoga or pilates but others are out there too. They build community, you don’t have to worry about disrupting things when your little one cries, and you don’t have to worry about modifying because the postpartum class is designed for you, exactly as you are. Ask your local studio about them or feel free to email me at amy@warrior2wolfe.com to get more tips. I’ll also be launching a zoom version next month if you’re interested in signing up!
If that doesn’t rock your boat, new moms can always do online classes or your own workouts. Please remember to start with low impact exercises - that HIIT class will be there next month when your body is actually ready for more physical activity.
Pilates & Yoga
You may want to start with Pilates-inspired exercises using your own bodyweight where you are on your back (head on the floor) and alternate extending your legs and arms. Start one limb at a time, then build to opposite arm and leg and eventually you can start extending all your limbs. You can also practice the classic “bird dog” series - similarly extending limbs but this time on you hands and knees, all fours position. Please be mindful of overly lifting the legs and dumping in to your low back. Start very low, build your pelvic floor muscles and get the alignment sorted first.
Yoga is excellent for postpartum recovery, but it has to be the right kind of yoga. The internet seems to suggest that a good place to start is restorative or yin yoga because it’s gentle. I disagree, although both of those types of yoga are fantastic, they are very specific and they are not for everyone or for every mood. The suggestion often upsets me because they play into the stereotype that postpartum women are weak, which is obviously not the case. You just grew, carried and delivered a human! The advice also feels lazy because you’re unlikely to actually build the muscles you need to tend to if you only take restorative class. All that said, I’m not suggesting you take a high intensity, core power yoga class. The first question is, what kind of yoga do you want to take? If it is restorative, AMAZING - it’s healing power is tremendous. But maybe you want to sweat a bit, or feel your muscles actually work. Vinyasa can be tricky because it’s fast and therefore tough for you to modify along the way. Classes that emphasize alignment might be better, but ultimately you need to take a class with an instructor who understands what the types of exercises are that you can do and those you can’t and then ask them if they have a class that will be appropriate for you. A yoga class has a million permutations, so there isn’t a type of yoga (other than a designated postpartum class) that I can actually recommend, because it completely depends on which poses will be taught and how. Instead, find a teacher who is knowledgeable and who you trust and take his or her class. Be sure to chat with them beforehand so they can guide and support you throughout.
Barre and Pilates are also great choices, though there will be quite a bit of the “general” classes that won’t be right for you. So, the same holds true there - find the right teacher, chat with them beforehand, and always listen to your body and don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right. Remember, no crunches, situps, planks or push ups just yet.
Do-It-Yourself
If you’re keen to just do a 20-minute postpartum workout on your own, here’s a list of exercises that are excellent for you to do. Try to practice them all!
Wall Sit
Diagonal Lunges
Squats (feet parallel)
Wide squats (feet turned out, use the strength of your hips to not let your knees knock in)
Bird Dog Series
Abdominal series on your back (described above)
Warrior Two
Forward Folds - place your hands on a wall or couch and work toward making your torso parallel to the floor
Interlace the hands behind your back (you can keep elbows bent so you don’t dump into your low back) and take a subtle backend to open your shoulders
Supported side planks (bottom knee underneath the hip, top leg extended)
One more thing to note (that might go without saying) is that if you are breastfeeding, it's best to workout after you breastfeed so that your breasts aren't full as you move around.
Happy working out! Make it fun. Be patient. Listen to your body. And don’t should all over yourself. Please email me at amy@wellbywolfe.com if you have any questions!
Summary
Make your workout something you enjoy
Exercise is wonderful for women's health always, but especially after childbirth. It doesn’t have to be super long - the benefits of exercise for just 10 minutes a day will do wonders.
Walking is great! Easy, holistic, and therapeutic.
Listen to your body. Never do anything that hurts.
Postpartum classes are also. Safe, effective workouts AND community. What a dream.
Start with low impact exercises like walking, stretching and strength training with resistance bands and/or light weights.
Strengthen your core carefully! No sit ups, planks or push ups. Bird dog exercise and ab exercises on your back with your head on the floor as you extend your limbs are a great place to start (and maybe end).
Yoga is amazing for postpartum recovery, but it has to be the right kind of yoga. More specifically, yoga with the right teacher. If you can’t make a designated postpartum class, focus on finding a teacher who is knowledgeable and who can guide you along the way.
Know the exercises you shouldn’t do (and talk to a fitness instructor and/or physical therapist if you need help finding out) - in the end it’s your responsibility. But learn all the ones you can do! There are so many.