The holiday season is in full force, which means plenty of parties and delicious Christmas feasts! Still, given all these celebrations and your postpartum body changes too it’ll definitely be tempting to drop your workouts this holiday season. But don’t worry, mom! What you need is a great and safe workout plan with the right postpartum exercises.
But before we get started, always keep in mind that you should consult with your doctor first to find out if you’re ready to start exercising. Every mom’s recovery is different and not every workout plan and schedule will work for you. That being said, we asked our friends at Onelife Studio, a Pilates studio run by a team of licensed health professionals, to let us know which types of exercises are generally safe for moms to do after pregnancy and which ones you should definitely avoid. Check them out below!
Stay away from exercises that focus on tightening your core, since these workouts will actually negatively affect your recovery and worsen the separation and weakness in those muscles brought about by your pregnancy and birth.
Low impact exercises are the way to go after giving birth. Simple stability exercises like these will help with your posture and with the weakness in your joints and muscles. Throw in some arm and leg work to strengthen and challenge your core too.
Even breathing exercises will be a great help for your postpartum recovery because they’ll aid in resetting your ribcage and strengthening your core.
As a new mom, you’ll be doing a lot of breastfeeding and carrying, so strengthening your back muscles with exercises like these will definitely help you along your recovery.
During pregnancy and childbirth, your pelvic floor was seriously challenged and weakened. That’s why variations of different pelvic floor exercises are common practice in Pilates to help you strengthen those muscles.
Make sure to get the go-signal from your doctor before trying any exercises after giving birth. Exercising too soon and even waiting too long to exercise can both be detrimental to your health. After all, every mom and every birth is different, so the question of when you can start exercising and which types of exercises work best will still depend on what your doctor has to say about how your body is recovering.
Once your doctor clears you, find out more about what you can do with the help of the licensed physiotherapists and certified Pilates coaches at Onelife Studio. Book a session with them here!