This blog post was originally posted on FIT4MOM.com
Are you ready to start a safe postpartum fitness routine after baby, Mama? No matter if you are 6 weeks or 6 years postpartum, FIT4MOM is here to help on your journey back to movement—our version of self-care.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ACOG, recommends women continue fitness after pregnancy for various reasons, such as:
It boosts energy levels.
It promotes better sleep.
It relieves stress and helps regulate emotions.
It may be useful in decreasing the risk and symptoms of postpartum depression.
But listen, mama. Everybody is different. Listen again; everyBODY is different. No woman will have the same experience in pregnancy, birth, or during the 4th trimester (if you’re pregnant and want to know more about movement in pregnancy, we’ve got info on that, too!). You may not have the same symptoms or dysfunctions that your mother had, or that you had with your previous children. However, there are some guidelines we can provide that make generalizations based on the response and research on many women.
This is your gentle reminder to start slowly and listen to your body. Your fitness routine should come from a place of no judgment or comparison, just awareness. It does not matter how “in shape” you were prior to pregnancy or how much you worked out during pregnancy—everyone needs time to heal from the 9 months of pregnancy. The goal of exercise should be your overall well-being, not your waistline.
If you are just starting to move again after birth, incorporate gentle walking and mobility exercises. Return to exercise with caution, at a much lower intensity, duration, and frequency. If you start out too hard or too soon, you may experience complications. In most cases, recently postpartum women are still healing from DRA and other pelvic floor dysfunctions. Your healing journey will dictate when it is right to start back with impact, large ranges of motion, and workouts of longer duration.
Whether you have been walking or not, our short Mama Masterclass, “Movements for Mom” is for you. This free resource listed below will help you understand how to train your body—using the life-changing strengths of pregnancy, the 4th trimester, and beyond. We discuss the purpose of the pelvic floor and how you can best train for repair. We empower moms through choice, teaching you how to quickly edit movements to determine what feels best for you as you continue to progress further.
This video will share with you the FIT4MOM fitness recommendations based on the generalizations mentioned above. But we urge you to remember that each pregnancy and healing journey should be treated uniquely, and each training session should be responsive to how the woman is feeling on that specific day. There should be no comparison between last week’s performance and today’s. Instead, we meet the woman where she is each day.
If you are ready to dive in deeper, ask questions, and learn about the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, please join us for our first prenatal and postnatal fitness certificate! Within our certificate, the content of this video is expanded, explained, and experienced in a multitude of easy-to-digest learning sessions.
With the FIT4MOM Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Certification, you’ll gain a profound understanding of the physical and mental changes that occur during pregnancy and postpartum. This course covers everything from exercise guidelines per trimester to the importance of pelvic floor health for pregnant and postpartum women. We’ll provide you with the expertise needed to customize workouts for the individual needs of your clients and support them across various movement styles, training sessions, fitness classes, and more.
