Your new arrival has made their way into our big wide world, what does now mean for you and your body now? Pain and discomfort during and after pregnancy are common problems health with by our team of Chiropractors & Remedial massage therapists at Regenerate Chiropractic. Exercise is an important part of helping the body recover after 9 months of being pregnant and carrying your baby. How soon you are ready to return to exercise depends on you as an individual, your birth experience and your individual circumstances.
Exercise and movement can help you recover safely after childbirth, make you stronger and boost your endorphins (your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters). As a new mum, its normal to feel tired and un-motivated, but there are so many options to get your body moving. A simple way to being incorporating exercise into your day is to simple walk your baby in the pram.
Benefits of Exercise for New Mums
- Promotes weight loss
- Improve cardiovascular fitness
- Restore muscle strength
- Boosts your energy levels & improves mood
- Relieves stress & helps prevent post-natal depression
Safe Exercises for Mums
- Pram Walking – Cardio Fitness
Daily walking is a great way to get moving and build up your cardiovascular fitness. This is an exercise which can be done with your baby in the pram, which also provides resistance to help tone your upper body.
Where to start? Begin with 20 minutes of brisk walking and increase the length of your walk gradually until you can walk briskly for 40-60 minutes.
- Bridge (with pelvic tilt) – Abdominals, Glutes, Lower Back
Regaining your core strength is vital post-birth. This is particularly for mothers who had their abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy (diastasis recti)
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your back in a neutral position
- Take a deep breath in and raise your hips off the floor until your hips, knees and shoulders are aligned
- Squeeze your buttocks and tighten your abdominals
- Exhale and return to the starting position
- Repeat 10 times
- Kegels Exercises – Pelvic Floor
The very familiar term to any pregnant woman, Kegels. Continuing these exercises during the postpartum period can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. How to correctly perform a pelvic floor exercise:
- Tighten your pelvic floor muscles (the ones used to stop the flow of urination).
- Hold 10 seconds
- Repeat 3-4 times, and repeat throughout the day
- Walls Squats – Legs & Glutes
Lean your back against a wall and walk your feet out in front of you, so you slide down the wall, until your knees are at a 90° angle to your body. Hold the position, keeping your abdominals contracted, for 20–60 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times.
- Push Ups – Arms & Chest
Babies grow very quickly, so now is a great time to build on our upper body strength.
- Get into the all-fours position, knees bent with your toes tucked under.
- Place your hands slightly wider than the width of your shoulders.
- As you inhale, bend your arms, pushing your elbows out to the side, as you lower your chest.
- Exhale and push your body back up.
- Repeat 10 times.
Other Exercises that are safe after pregnancy include:
- Swimming & Aqua Aerobics
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Low impact Aerobics
- Light weight training
- Cycling
For at least 3 months, try to avoid heavy weights, sit ups and high-intensity aerobic activity such as running and tennis.
Our team of Chiropractors in perth can help many people through all stages of their health journey, especially before and after pregnancy. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort or purely need some guidance through this important time reach out to us at 0476 252 599 or book in online by hitting the button below!
