How and when to go back to exercise after you give birth?

Nicky Cox - a.k.a. @pureprosperityfitness has put together a brilliant blog for us on post natal exercise. Check it out below:

Firstly, let me introduce myself and a little bit about my fitness journey. My name is Nicky and I am a mummy of two beautiful girls aged 2 and 4. I started my fitness career as a specialist secondary Physical Education teacher and had the privilege to teach for 11 years in state schools, before moving to teach overseas in Dubai for 4 years. When starting my own little family I decided that I needed a change and so on maternity leave I studied and retrained as a level 3 personal trainer, specialising in pre/post natal fitness training. Which brings me here today to deliver some key information about starting your fitness journey after pregnancy.

Here are my top tips for getting back into exercise and fitness postpartum.

1. Ease back in slowly

2. Listen to your Body and only move in a way that feels good for you

3. Be patient. Your body has been through massive physiological changes including hormonal, postural & musculoskeletal changes.

4. Ensure you have been given the green light to exercise by your doctor or midwife (Vaginal birth 6-8 weeks, C section 8-10 weeks)

5. Take time to regain the correct functioning of your inner core muscles & connect with your pelvic floor through breath.

Let's talk hormones….

Relaxin is a hormone that occurs from the onset of pregnancy and stays active in your system until five months after you completely stop breastfeeding.

What does it do?

Relaxin softens ligaments, cartilage and the Cervix lending itself perfectly for allowing the growth of the baby inside a womans’ uterus and increasing laxity in the pelvis to facilitate delivery.

The downside is that throughout your whole body it works to create instability in the entire skeleton. This is why when going back to exercise it's important not to start with too high intensity/high impact work but rather to ease yourself back in gently.

Key points

1. Avoid high intensity/high impact workouts

2. Do not work above 7/10 maximum effort

3. Monitor range of movement and avoid overstretching.

*Prolactin is another key hormone that helps you to hold on to body weight due to breastfeeding so please bear this in mind.

Postural changes

During pregnancy your centre of gravity changes due to the growth of the baby but this will gradually return to normal over time naturally after the birth. In order to keep exercises safe the key is to start with more stable exercises and gradually progress to more unstable over time.

Our posture can significantly change and some changes can be more noticeable than others. Specific muscles can become elongated and need strengthening and others become shortened and need lengthening. For example, women who breastfeed or hold their babies in a cradle position can cause their hip flexors and pectoral muscles (chest muscles) to shorten and therefore need to consider stretches to lengthen those muscles but also exercises that will help strengthen the opposing muscles of the upper back.

Common muscles that need strengthening are as follows:

• Abdominals (avoid exercises that focus directly on the rectus abdominal muscles early on especially if you have diastasis recti and avoid any exercise that causes your abdomen to cone/bulge)

• Hamstrings and glutes

• Rhomboids

• Mid and lower trapz

Common muscles that need lengthening are:

• Illiopsoas (hip flexors)

• Errector spinae

• Upper trapz

• Pecs and lats

*Consider designing an exercise programme that will help to strengthen the appropriate muscles and include stretches that will lengthen those specific muscles that require it.

Pelvic floor & Core functioning

This for me is the most important part of getting back into training. The foundations for your progress. The pelvic floor acts as a cradle to support the bowel, bladder and uterus and other pelvic organs. Commonly after childbirth these muscles can become weakened & dysfunctional and lead to urinary incontinence (I can speak from experience) and this in turn can affect your confidence and ability to exercise or complete the exercises you want to and to the level that you want to.

*Pelvic floor exercises can and should begin immediately after birth and we should be aiming for quality over quantity.

I also believe that these symptoms can be improved by relearning how to connect your pelvic floor to your inner core and diaphragm.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

It's a great way to start the muscles of the core working together effectively and in turn the pelvic floor lifts and the back muscles brace to support the spine. This correct breathing technique should then be put into practice throughout a training session.

Feel free to check out my diaphragmatic breathing post on Instagram here.

If you are interested in improving your pelvic floor and core functioning please email me for more details of my new online core functioning programme that will be ready to go live soon. pureprosperityfitness@gmail.com

Or if you would like to chat about getting back into exercise after pregnancy please do not hesitate to reach out.

When you are ready to get back into exercise and fitness after pregnancy try to remember my top 5 tips, be safe and you will do just great :)

-Nicky Cox @pureprosperityfitness