Drew is almost six weeks old! He’s been a great baby overall…even though he’s in a monster eating phase right now. I guess we all have those phases, right? 🙂
This picture was about two weeks ago and he already looks different. Tear.
We’re adjusting to life with two, despite the chaos around here and lots of change lately. I’m not going to sit here and tell you about how I am busy. You don’t care and what’s that going to do for any of us anyway, right? Honestly, when people tell me they are too busy to train or too busy to take a shower (even new moms) I usually think they are full of BS and they need to prioritize better.
If you know me, even a teeny little bit, you know I’m not very good at taking it easy. Says the girl who walked 3+ miles and bought a house the same day she had a baby…
However, I know and strongly believe every new mom needs time to heal after giving birth. I assure you giving birth is still quite a workout even when it’s short and “sweet” like mine was with Drew. Man, it just feels so wrong to call giving birth sweet. I think it’s all still too fresh in my head.
Anywho…on to today’s topic…
Postnatal Exercise – First Six Weeks
Since I trained right up until the end of my pregnancy, I went into labor and delivery feeling quite strong and healthy. My recovery feels easier this time around (than when I had Connor), but life with two, while moving, and with no real maternity leave, often has me feeling overwhelmed!
When I used to stress out I always turned to food. Let’s just say I was never one of those people who stops eating under stress! The good news is that over the last few years I’ve learned how to deal with stress in healthier ways than stuffing myself silly. Usually, I walk a lot and/or train more often!
Needless to say, I was itching to train like five seconds after I got home from the hospital, but I forced myself to stick to walking. And even with that, to add distance carefully and slowly. After a few weeks I was walking most days and even had to tone it down a bit for a few days when my body showed a few signs I was overdoing it.
I’ve said it a million times and this won’t be the last. The most important thing when you are training is to listen to your body. This is even more important when you’ve just had a baby and your starting to exercise again! You can, and probably should, start exercising, but it needs to be done at a pace that feels comfortable for you based on your fitness level (past and present), pregnancy and childbirth experience, the amount of overall stress you’re under and even details like the amount of sleep you’re getting.
I stuck with walking, usually about 2-3 miles, and also did some of the exercises from Jessie Mundell’s Core, Flore and Restore training program for the first three weeks postpartum, give or take.
Once my body felt ready (my mind was more than ready!!!), I started adding in a few short workouts. Since then, I have been going with the flow and sticking with movements, weights and a volume of exercise that feels good and right for me as my recovery progresses. I’ve been doing some combination of walking a lot, core exercises and stretches, and strength training, kettlebell or circuit-type workouts. Many times these only last 15-30 minutes, but I’ve done a few longer workouts lately as time allowed.
Here’s an example of one of these efficient and effective postnatal workouts I’ve been doing.
I’ve been sticking with basic movements and training a lot of the exercises that I had continued doing right up until the end of my pregnancy. {READ: My favorite pregnancy exercises.} I’m doing lots of squats, rows, pull-ups, presses, and kettlebell swings. I’m using my bodyweight or fairly light weights and slowly increasing sets/reps each workout. I’m still steering clear of any running and jumping and I’m avoiding planks and pushups for a bit longer as well.
I’m not following a program or holding myself to any specific workouts. I didn’t want to put any added pressure on myself because when I commit to following a plan, I get a little type-A and crazy about it. So instead, I committed to following no plan until I was at least six weeks post-partum, but to try to exercise on as many days as possible.
That said, at almost six weeks, I feel ready to start some type of real training plan. I love seeing progress when I follow a training plan, whether I write it up myself or have another coach design one for me. However, I’m going to hold off another week or so simply because we are moving next week and I want to get through the move without feeling any type of pressure to do anything specific workout-wise. Again, when you are planning workouts, be realistic and keep in mind how much overall stress you have in your life right now, not just physical/exercise stress, ALL stress!
I will write an update about my postnatal training in a few weeks once we’ve moved and I start following more of a concrete training plan, but for now the plan is to continue to squeeze in movement most days… and to be okay with the fact that some days that might mean squeezing in a few pull-upswhile running up and down the stairs packing and unpacking boxes!
A few other posts you will see in the next few weeks/months.
- 15 Minute Workouts (Perfect for new moms!)
- Postnatal Nutrition
- Exercises to Embrace and Avoid in Postnatal Training
Let me know if you have any questions!
Please note: I am not a doctor. You should get clearance from your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Additionally, what feels “light” or like an “easy workout” for me may be one of the toughest ones you’ve done in a long time so please use caution and use your head. What I am doing for postnatal exercise isn’t necessarily right for you.
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