The Tower of Fitness: post natal exercise done the right way
31 March 2015
Last week I decided to take a look at pregnancy fitness trimester by trimester, so it only seems fair really to look at new mum exercise step by step. So that’s what I’m doing right now.
I often say to new mothers that they should view their postnatal fitness as though they were constructing a strong tower, working upwards from the foundations. Miss out the foundations and you end up with a rocky building which might, one day, fall down.
This is not always a welcome message, I know, because many of us simply want to dive back into exercise at the exact point we left off pre-pregnancy. So if you were doing bootcamps three times a week in the good old days then the temptation is to go straight back into bootcamps, especially if you are feeling ready to get going.
But the body really does need to be worked through a series of fitness steps, mainly to ensure that you don’t end up with injuries. These injuries might not happen in the immediate future. They might even happen years down the line when you’ve completely forgotten about being “postnatal”. You might find yourself suddenly struck down by back pain and end up visiting a physio for a diagnosis. In all likelihood the physio will tell you to work on your “core” muscles, to strengthen the centre from which all movement emanates.
That’s what needs to be done postnatally, so let’s look at how best to build a strong and resilient tower of postnatal fitness
Constructing a strong tower of fitness
Start at the foundations – the bottom of the tower - and work your way upwards
Type of exercise: work your way from the bottom upwards! |
When can I start doing it? |
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TOP OF THE TOWER Start introducing impact cardiovascular exercise: jogging, running and plyometric work such as jumping, hopping, skipping. Have a go at doing the fitness you used to do and see how everything feels: circuit training, bootcamps etc. But remember this: you MUST carry on with your movement-based pelvic floor exercises and with your deep core – Pilates – work. If you stop the muscles will weaken and regress… and you will become vulnerable to injury. |
6+ months postnatally depending on how pelvic floor and joints react |
| More advanced core stability work using unstable surfaces such as a fitball or a wobble cushion. You could, for example, do upper body exercises with light- medium weights whilst seated on the fitball (good posture obligatory!). |
6-9 months postnatally depending on progress made |
| Buggy fitness: power walking and body weight exercises tailored for the postnatal period. Swimming and water-based exercise once any bleeding has stopped. Cycling just so long as the pelvic area feels fine. Weight training just so long as this is built up gently and excellent technique is ensured. | after 6 week check up or 8-10 weeks if you have had a C section |
| Postnatal Pilates to work the mummy tummy, protect the back and build overall strength; and movement-based pelvic floor work as devised by Dr Crawford, founder of Pfilates | After 6 week check up or 8-10 weeks if you have had a C section |
| Gentle cardiovascular exercise such as leisurely pram walking or walking with your baby in a sling, back trouble permitting. | Once you are comfortable to walk after having given birth |
| Deep abdominal and postural work such as sitting tall on a fitball and lifting one heel at a time off the floor. Leg slides: lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor – slide one foot at a time forwards whilst using abdominals to stabilise. Bent knee fall out: lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor – drop 1 knee at a time out to the side using abdominals to stop yourself from rocking sideways. | Soon after birth under specialist guidance |
| Start your Pelvic Floor exercises as soon as you remember to. This will not only help build firm foundations but will also promote healing by increasing the flow of blood to your pelvic area if you have had a C section, stitches or a difficult birth. | From birth |
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BOTTOM OF THE TOWER My online postnatal Pilates programme gives all the very basics from the very first week after birth, including getting the deepest layer of abdominals to work, posture, breathing and pelvic floor. |
From birth |
The key things to retain from this tower are:
- Not to skip the basics and miss out the foundations
- To carry on maintaining and caring for your foundations even when you’ve reached the top of the tower and have moved onwards and upwards.