10 tips for exercising post-pregnancy, and know the risk of exercising too soon after giving birth

Learn more about risks of exercising too soon postpartum.

Regardless of all the prepping and planning, it often feels like it takes all day simply trying to leave the house…let alone get to a gym to exercise. Although you might want to lose some of your pregnancy weight, exercising post-pregnancy may not be how you want to spend your day.

By the time I have packed the diaper bag, prepared the snacks, loaded the car, and returned home because I forgot the “blankie”… exercising post-pregnancy clearly the last thing on my mind.

But exercise doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition to deliver good results. With just a minute here and five minutes there, you can end the week with calorie burning that makes a difference. 

“Pregnancy and childbirth are accompanied by some pretty significant changes in your body. Exercise can help you heal and recover, but your workouts will look different than what you’re probably used to for several weeks,” shares Dr. Kathleen Mundy, OB-GYN at Houston Methodist.

“While many women are eager to burn off baby weight, I recommend thinking of postpartum exercise as a way to reap the lifestyle benefits of physical activity, while also slowly regaining strength in the muscles weakened during your pregnancy.”

Making time for exercise after pregnancy can benefit you in the following ways:

• Help you lose weight, especially if you mix it with a lower calorie diet.
• Strengthen your cardiovascular system
• Tone and strengthen abdominal muscles
• Increase your energy levels

Maintaining a healthy level of physical activity can also help:

• Stress relief
• Encourage better sleep
• Relieve the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression

Even better, incorporating physical activity into your daily routine allows you to set a good example for your child now and in the future.

“Regular exercise may also help fight symptoms of postpartum depression, the baby blues some new moms feel after giving birth,” adds Dr. Mundy.

Postpartum, risks of exercising too soon: When can I exercise after giving birth?

“When it’s safe for you to start exercising again depends on how your pregnancy and delivery went. If you had an uncomplicated pregnancy and normal vaginal delivery, you can start doing light exercises as soon as a few days after giving birth.

If you experienced a complicated pregnancy or had a cesarean section, your body will likely need more time. Your doctor will help you understand when you can start exercising again,” Dr. Mundy explains.

You should be able to resume exercising soon after the baby is delivered if you had a healthy pregnancy and normal vaginal birth. It’s usually safe to start exercising a few days after giving birth—or whenever you’re ready. Ask your ob-gyn when it’s okay to start exercising again if you had a cesarean birth or difficulties.

In addition, mild exercise should be prioritized. It’s tempting to try to do too much too fast, especially if you miss your former training routine, but it’s not a good idea.

“First and foremost, and regardless of your pre-pregnancy fitness level, it’s important to start slow and let your body be your guide,” Dr. Mundy suggests.

“The structural and hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy don’t just disappear as soon as your baby is delivered and overdoing it after pregnancy can result in urine or feces leakages, pelvic discomfort, joint pain, and even injury.”

What are the risks of exercising too soon?

1. Heavier postpartum bleeding

The discharge that comes out of your uterus after delivery is referred to as lochia. It is frequently bloody. This is quite normal, as your uterus is removing any leftovers from the pregnancy.

To put it another way, it’s usual to have some bleeding after giving birth for up to two weeks. As the days pass, the bleeding will get lighter and lighter.

Exercising too soon can sabotage this process since exercise increases blood flow throughout the body. Exercising too soon after giving birth can cause more bleeding.

2. Increased risk of infection

You run the risk of sweating into wounds that haven’t entirely healed if you exercise while they’re still healing. As unpleasant as that sounds, wound infection is considerably worse, and the infection can become serious. The mildest kinds can be treated with only oral antibiotics.

However, the most severe cases will necessitate an incision and drainage procedure. Yes, that means we’ll have to reopen the wound and clean it out again.

3. Increased risk of muscle injury

Do you recall how your hips appeared before you were pregnant? And did you see how much broader they became after you delivered? That doesn’t happen by accident.

Relaxin is a hormone that your body produces. This aids in the loosening of all ligaments in the pelvic area It also aids in the loosening of muscles. This is what causes diastasis recti, or rectus diastasis.

Exercising too soon can cause significant stress on your muscles and ligaments. Relaxin causes loose and weak muscles and ligaments. As a result, over-exercising can aggravate diastasis recti and cause other muscle strains.

4. Increased risk of back pain

More weight is shifted to the front side of your body as your uterus grows larger. This can cause anterior pelvic tilt, which is when your pelvis tilts forward. Your low back muscles are linked to the back of your pelvis, to make things simple.

The muscles in your low back must shorten or contract when your pelvis tilts forward. This puts them in a precarious situation. If you start exercising and don’t know what you’re doing, the anterior pelvic tilt can get worse. This can result in severe low back pain that is difficult to treat.

Slowly introducing exercise means starting with low-impact activities like walking and postpartum exercises before attempting a run or HIIT session. Also, as you gradually raise the intensity of your workouts, pay attention to your body and stop immediately if you experience any discomfort.

“Most importantly, set realistic exercise goals for yourself. If you’re new to exercise and looking to burn some baby weight.

Keep in mind that, in addition to regaining strength, improving your overall cardiovascular fitness and building muscle takes time. If you’re already an avid exerciser, you’ll still need to be patient as your body recovers,” says Dr. Mundy.

10 easy ways you can be exercising post pregnancy!

1. Take the stairs whenever possible.

If there are too many stairs to climb in order to reach your destination, start by climbing up one or two flights before hopping on the elevator.

2. Stretch while taking a shower.

One of the greatest benefits of stretching is that you’re able to increase your range of motion, which means your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs.

3. Practice proper posture.

Standing tall makes you contract dozen of muscles. Muscle contraction burns calories and builds muscle.

4. Butt squeeze

Whenever you’re standing, do a butt squeeze (tighten, hold for two seconds, release) repeated 10 to 15 times. This will tighten your tush and burn additional calories.

5. Park further away and walk to stores.

Walk to do short errands. Not just are you burning calories here, you are helping to save mother earth!

6. Perform a series of biceps curls

The next time you’re carrying your grocery bags from your car, perform a series of biceps curls as you do. Keep your elbows at your sides and palms up as you hold the handles. Curl your groceries toward your shoulders. Lower and repeat until you get to your car or until your biceps tire out.

7. Do lateral raises

Before you open up a couple of cans of soup at mealtime, do a few lateral raises to tone your shoulders. Holding a can in each hand, stand tall with your arms at your sides. Lift your arms up so your arms and body form a “T” pose.

8. Skip the trip to the fridge

When it’s commercials time, skip the trip to the fridge, and sneak in a set of crunches instead. Lie on the floor, tighten your abdominals, and then perform your favourite abdominal exercise 10 to 15 times. You’ll be burning off during break time instead of adding on.

9. Dance with your kids.

Instead of watching a cartoon with them, switch on some R N B and shake your booty. You’ll be surprised at how much calories you burn and the amount of fun you have!

10. Get up to change the television channels instead of using the remote control.

When can I run after giving birth?

Even if your pregnancy and delivery went smoothly, your muscles and ligaments were stretched beyond their typical range, resulting in instability and weakness. These tissues take a long time to strengthen and mend – at least 16 weeks, but many women require up to six months to fully recover.

There are a few indicators that you can use to assess your strength after 12 weeks. You should be able to do the following if you’re ready to run:

• Effortlessly complete your pelvic floor strength circuit.
• Do a one-minute jog in place.
• Balance for 10 seconds on one leg (on each side).
• Without pain or loss of balance, hop on one leg (either side) 10 times.
• On each side, perform 10 single leg “running man” motions (opposite arm and leg extension).
• Perform 20 of each of the following single-leg exercises on each side:
  • Calf raises.
  • Sit-to-stand movement.
  • Bridge while lying on your back.

Can I do squats after giving birth?

The answer is, thankfully, yes. After giving delivery, you can squat as long as your body is ready for it. It is extremely customized how soon you can do squats after giving birth. After a vaginal delivery, most women should be ready to squat within 3-10 days.

You’ll be able to squat sooner if you were active before and during your pregnancy. You should take your time if you have never exercised before giving birth.

If you had a cesarean section, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Everyone heals at their own pace, so some ladies may need to wait several weeks before attempting a squat.

To be safe, you should wait until your 6-week postpartum visit to speak with your doctor about this. Listen to your body and take your time, like with most things related to fitness.

Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Try easy postpartum exercises that assist build important muscle groups, such as the stomach and back muscles, when you first begin exercising after childbirth.

Gradually increase the amount of moderate-intensity activity you do. You can work up to vigorous-intensity activity if you exercised vigorously before pregnancy or are a competitive athlete.

Keep in mind that even 10 minutes of exercise is beneficial to your body. If you are in pain, you should stop exercising.

Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.