4 Things You Should Know About Postpartum Exercise

One of the biggest reality-checks in life is when a woman gives birth to her child and only then starts to realize that everything she’s pictured – as a new mom – is actually somehow completely different. Everything you’ve expected or thought you’ll do once you give birth will probably be put to the backburner. And yes, that also includes exercising.

Trying to get back in shape after you’ve just given birth to a new life will probably be more challenging than you’ve thought. Even the most active people may find it difficult to get back on track after giving birth. That’s why you should be kind to yourself and your body and take things at a pace that feels comfortable. I know I've been struggling to find the time and just energy, in general, to get back to my active lifestyle after giving birth too.

But here are some things you should know about postpartum exercises that will help you better understand what your body’s going through.

Your core was under a lot of stress

What the majority of women emphasize as one of their biggest insecurities is the look – and feel – of their postpartum belly. Most of the women feel insecure about this part of their body, in particular, as it is one of the parts that’s gone through the biggest of changes. What you need to understand is that your core will stretch or even entirely separate during pregnancy. That’s why you’ll be left with a tummy that looks entirely different than what it used to be. Of course, by exercising properly and with the help of some amazing skin tightening products, you should be able to get your body almost entirely back to its previous state. However, if you’re someone who didn’t really exercise all that much before you became pregnant, you can’t really expect your postpartum body to do miracles.

Every person is unique

Since all of us are unique and every woman’s pregnancy and postpartum recovery is different, you shouldn’t be trying to push yourself into a workout regimen sooner than your body is ready for such an endeavor. Just because some of your friends started exercising two weeks after giving birth, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do the same. Again, your pre-pregnancy fitness level will greatly influence how your postpartum recovery will look like. If your body was extremely well-taken-care-of before the pregnancy, getting back into shape will be significantly easier once you give birth. With unrealistic and heavily-curated content that’s presented to all of us through social media, it can sometimes feel like you’re not doing enough or trying hard enough. But remember that your body is the only thing you should be listening to during these challenging times.

You’ll discover new pains and aches

During pregnancy and particularly before you’re about to go into labor, your body will increase the production of a hormone called relaxin. The increased production of this hormone will actually help your body go through the labor easier as it loosens your joints. Contrary to popular belief, the production of this hormone doesn’t just go away as soon as you deliver your baby. Instead, it can stay in your system for as long as up to 12 months after labor. This is extremely important to understand as it will greatly affect your exercising efforts. Since your body will generally be “looser” than ever, you’ll discover some new pains and aches you haven’t felt before. These can even make exercising feel like true torture, especially if you’re someone who wasn’t very regular with their exercises prior to becoming pregnant.

Make sure you sleep as much as you possibly can

One of the first things you’ll hear is that the mom should be sleeping when the baby is sleeping, and that’s the rule you should start living your life by. The fact that you’ll be going through an entirely new life experience once you give birth can – and probably will – entirely mess up your regular

sleeping schedule. And you already know just how important proper rest truly is. It becomes even more important when you try to squeeze in exercise into your new lifestyle. So, even though

working out can make you feel energized, it can also seriously deplete your energy levels. Therefore, try to get as much sleep as possible to both improve your exercising efforts and help your body heal quicker.

In the end, as much as it is important to take good care of your body postpartum, it’s also important not to try and push it over its limits. Your body just went through a lot, so give it some time to heal and get back to normal as much as possible before you fully get back to your regular exercising regime.