7 – Finding Reliable Information About Postpartum Exercise
I’m not going to lie – there’s a lot of misinformation out there. The conventional trainer doesn’t learn anything about the postpartum body, so it doesn’t hurt to check in with someone about their background when taking professional advice.
A lot of fitness programs feature exercises in them that are contraindicated postpartum– which means that they actually do harm, rather than good.
8 – Knowing What to Assess and How
Assessment of our current state both physically and emotionally, our strength, our fatigue and our stress levels all play a role in knowing what exercise is the right fit for you. You may feel great doing a hard workout at the time, but if you’re physiologically overloaded, it will leave you fatigued and drained days after. The right workout will feel challenging, but not exhausting. It will improve symptoms of pain and dysfunction – having them disappear completely. The right movement can be both healing and strengthening.
9 – Finding the Time
There’s a common perception that if you’re going to exercise for a short period of time, you’d better go as hard as you can.
But, as we are realising more and more, the exact opposite is true for postpartum training.
Deep inner core strengthening requires a lot of attention from the nervous system, which is usually the first to fatigue.
It means that in the beginning, 10 minutes a day of deep core work is all you need to start regaining function.
So you don’t have to go hard or go long in order to exercise. You just need to find 10 minutes, carved out for you each day, to do something positive for yourself.
10 – Getting the Exercises “Right”
The right guidance with the proper cues will show you:
- where your body should be positioned,
- how it should feel if it’s correct,
- how it should not feel (as this means you may be doing it incorrectly). As long as the source is reliable (qualified and experienced), you’re right to go.
11. Having the Energy
The best exercise you can do for you during the postpartum period will not take your energy, it will produce more. It will stimulate your nervous system, improve circulation, release happy hormones and increase production of mitochondria in the cells.
If you hate your exercise because it’s exhausting, it’s not a program that works for your body at this time.
12. Having the Motivation
It’s easy to stay motivated when a routine isn’t too hard, and when you see quick wins (i.e – you improve every session). Know your why when it comes to committing to your program. Does it mean enough to you to keep going? Remind yourself of your why each time you start your session. Stay away from criticising your body as this can kill motivation in an instant and once you finish your exercise find something about it that you can really appreciate or be grateful for. This combination has been the best I’ve seen for sticking it out over the long term.
These things and more are all addressed in The Postpartum Method – a three-level exercise program that takes you through the healing exercises you need, and moves you beyond those to become strong, fit, healthy and body confident.
Kristy Ahale is an exercise therapist with over 15 years experience in the fields of orthopaedic rehabilitation and strength training. Kristy is the creator of The Postpartum Method – a core and pelvic floor program. You can find The Postpartum Method on Facebook and Instagram @thepostpartummethod.
