Postnatal Exercise Back On The Road To Fitness

I had my beautiful baby boy nearly 5 weeks premature in October (2015). He was delivered by emergency c section after a long stop-start labour and a go at getting him out with forceps too!! So quite a lot to recover from postnatally.

As a personal trainer and fitness instructor I was keen to get fit again so I thought I'd share with you some of my tips and experience of fitting in exercise and recovering postnatally. 

One of the first things to remember is to be realistic. My advice would be that your goal shouldn't be about reaching an ideal weight, being able to run as quick as you could pre-pregnancy or drop a dress size. It should be exercising to feel good, to aid your body's recovery and to help it manage the demands of your new baby.

I found getting out and walking the buggy was the best exercise to start with, gradually building up in distance and difficulty of walks. You probably don't want to push your buggy up too many big hills straightaway but you can add them to challenge yourself as you feel ready. Don't forget to maintain good posture. I felt able to do this after about 4/5 weeks but everybody is different. If you weren't exercising much before or during your pregnancy you may want to leave it until your 6-week postnatal check-up or longer depending on the doctor’s advice and what sort of delivery you had.

Carrying my little one in a sling and then later in an ergo carrier has also been excellent exercise. There is nothing like carrying or pushing several kg of extra weight around Sheffield for the ultimate full body workout! And of course as your baby grows it gets tougher. 

I found however little sleep I had the fresh air and exercise helped me feel more energised and gave me a dose of feel-good endorphins which helped lift my mood. In addition to this, practising good posture daily and remembering to do pelvic-floor exercises is a good habit to get into. 

Over time I added to my daily walks by taking part in Kate's postnatal classes and building in the odd run. I waited for my 6-week postnatal check when I was told it was fine to run as long as I took it steady. I ran before and during pregnancy and I’m pre and postnatal-trained but I still made the mistake of doing too much too soon and injuring my foot/ankle! So take it steady, build up slowly and if you feel tired stick with a walk or rest. The NHS couch to 5k is an excellent starting point. I found my fitness seemed to come back quickly and I haven't had any pelvic floor issues. 

I’ve found eating right helps my energy levels and it helps me feel positive as I know that making good choices is good for me and my baby. That isn't to say I never indulged in cakes and biscuits but I try to make this occasional rather than a regular habit- remember it's about being realistic! I love nut butter spread on Ryvita, nuts and seeds, fruit on its own or with natural yoghurt as healthy options.

It’s interesting to reflect back on this but number two was less straightforward. Recovery took longer.

I was desperate to get running again but my body wasn’t ready for it, leaving me feeling frustrated and miserable and worried that I’d never get back to fitness.

I was reassured by Kate who also advised I spoke to women’s physio Sarah with whom she presents the core connections workshop.

I felt more positive and Sarah and Kate got me working on pelvic floor, core, glutes and stability in a functional way that would help me get back to running. Time and patience as well as regularly doing my recovery exercises and strengthening and finally, I was ready to get back to running about 4 months post-partum.

Now I have 2 boys who are growing up fast. I’m loving my running and fitness and being back working with Kate and the team taking PT, leading Bootcamp, run courses and offering run coaching which will all be confirmed once we are clear what’s happening post-Covid.

For support with postnatal exercise check out Keep Mums Fit https://www.katecampbellfitness.com/keep-mums-fit