Exercise after pregnancy
Many of you have questions regarding working out after pregnancy. Here are the most common questions:
When can I start exercising again after giving birth?
Around 6 weeks after vaginal delivery and 8 weeks after a caesarean section. Until your body is ready to exercise, you can walk, start doing breathing exercises for your abs and pelvic floor exercises.
Can I start with any sport?
Do it step by step, don’t start with running right away. Until your pelvic floor is not recovered, ie not able to contract (for around 8 seconds) and release, wait for high impact exercises. The best is to consult a women’s health physiotherapist.
Which sport can I do first?
Start by strengthening your pelvic floor and abs. I suggest you to consult a physiotherapist.
You then need a strong body, with strong glutes, back and arms. if there is no contraindication, you can slowly get back to working out with swimming, yoga, power walking, cycling, strength training with a personal trainer, and no impact exercise.
What should I do if I breastfeed?
You should breastfeed or pump before your training session if you can as it will be more comfortable and because the milk can have the taste of acid lactic which is produce while exercising.
How long will it take to lose my pregnancy weight?
Your body will need time and good exercise to fully recover. To have strong abs and a flat stomach you need to strengthen your muscles with exercises that will challenge your balance and posture and not by doing HIIT workouts (High Intensity Interval Training).
A strong body will help you do more intense and longer workouts and therefore help you lose weight.
In 6 weeks, by doing several times a week appropriate exercises to strengthen your core, you will have a flatter stomach and strong abs.
It will take more time to lose the weight gained during pregnancy.
What is the risk if I go back working out too early?
Incontinence/leaking wee: whether you had a C-section or not, you need to take care of your pelvic floor even if you don’t have kids.
By going back to working out too quickly, with a weak pelvic floor, you might have leaking wee.
Frustration: with the physical and mental tiredness, and your body recovering from 9 months of pregnancy and a birth, try not to put too much pressure and stress on your body right away, as it will be counterproductive.
Prolapse: no need to panic, it is something that can be resolved, but it is good to know that it can happen. which is why it is important to consult a women’s health physiotherapist.