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Getting back into shape after giving birth can be a challenge. However, it is not impossible! However, you should remember not to overload your body and give yourself time – after all, the perfect figure is not the most important thing, right? Find out what exercises you can do and when would be a good time to get back to training.
Let’s start with when you should start exercising so that physical activity is safe for you. After all, pregnancy and childbirth are huge changes in the body so you should give yourself some time and allow your body to regenerate. First of all, wait with training until the end of the confinement. Obviously it is different for every woman, but gynecologists agree that any physical activity should be started after about 6 weeks from giving birth.
When you feel you’re ready to exercise, it doesn’t mean you should dive in right away. Start slowly to make sure your workout is 100% safe for you. To start, make sure to exercise your fundus and Kegel muscles regularly. Tense your muscles, hold for a moment, and then let go for a few seconds. A few rounds of this simple exercise a day will have great results, plus you can do it in any position – standing, sitting, lying down… as soon as you are comfortable.
It is also important to gradually introduce flat abdominal exercises. Your abdominal muscles can be very loose after giving birth, so it’s a good idea to strengthen them with training – not only to feel better, but especially for health reasons. What exercises should you do? The following exercises are great to start with: pelvic floor raises while lying on your back; bending joined knees left and right while lying on your back; alternate abdominal muscle stretches and relaxations; classic sit-ups; and scissors. When you’re feeling up to it, you can also start incorporating more difficult exercises, such as leg raises while lying on the floor (raise your straight legs and lower them without touching the floor), chest raises, variations of crunches, and side raises, as well as exercises with equipment such as exercise bands or exercise balls.
Remember also that a postpartum belt plays an important role in your recovery from pregnancy and childbirth by helping to strengthen tissues and stretched abdominal tissues, relieving post-operative wound pain in the case of a cesarean section, and providing a sense of security and comfort.
A wonderful way to strengthen your muscles and regenerate, is to practice yoga. Yoga should be practiced during pregnancy and can also accompany you after delivery and even during postpartum. During the early postpartum period, which is the first week after giving birth, you can do breathing exercises, which will not only be good for your body’s recovery, but also allow you to calm down, which in the first days of motherhood can be beneficial. You can also perform gentle circulations of the hands and feet. In the late postpartum period, which is from 2 to 6 weeks after giving birth, you can step up to the mat and do a full yoga session. But don’t do inverted poses, positions that put a lot of strain on your abdomen, or ones that require jumping – all asanas should be gentle and the transitions between them should be calm and smooth.
Main photo: Andrea Piacquadio/pexels.com
