How Do I Get Back In Shape After Having A Baby?

How Do I Get Back In Shape After Having A Baby?

You might have guessed that personally I haven’t had to deal with the challenges of exercising after having a baby….. but I have had the pleasure of helping 100’s of mums to do it  This article is aimed at the person who is unsure of what to do post baby – I hope it gives you a clear plan of attack to help you get back to pre baby shape or better as soon as possible. If you know a recent or soon to be mum I’m sure they’d love to check this out so do them a favour and send them the link

How Soon Should I Start Exercising?

It’s a tricky one, often mentally you’ll be ready but physically you’re still not quite there. This can be really confronting and sometimes demoralising for a mum who was used to being fit before the pregnancy. You should certainly consult with your doctor as it has a lot to do with how your pregnancy went. It’s important to note here that sometimes going slow is the fastest way to succeed – nothing will slow your progress more than injuring yourself so when in doubt just ease off a little.

First things first…

Before getting back into your usual routine or more advanced exercise there are 2 things you’re going to want to do.

1)     Pelvic floor exercises. The pelvic floor muscles are important for many reasons but particularly when you start to increase the intensity of the exercisies you’re doing so you maintain bladder control. Being diligent with these will give you confidence to be able to exercise without the anxiety and fear associated with a weak pelvic floor. What are pelvic floor exercises? Check out >>> this article <<<

2)     Some light walking and general strength exercises. It can be as simple as doing a few of these each day for 1 – 2 weeks before you go back to bootcamp, your PT or your usual high intensity routines (obviously they won’t be as high intensity when you first start back – remember progression). If you do happen to go back and your trainer smashes you first day back after having a baby – find a new trainer.

Do the following each day which will take about 10 minutes and you will notice within a week you’ll feel a whole lot better already.

Hip Stabilisation Exercise 3 x 10 each side

Squats or lunges 3 x 10

Lawn Mower Row 3 x 10 each side

Chest Press 3 x 20 or Push Up 3 x 10

Bridging Routine For Core Strength 30 seconds of each variation 1 – 3 times

To learn how to do these exercises >>> Watch This Video <<<

Why these exercises?

We want to keep it simple seeing as you’re most likely going to be doing them unsupervised and still use all of our major joints and big muscle groups so we can stay mobile, increase blood flow as well as burn some body fat. These are only basic to get you moving again – we’ll step it up later

How To Work The Core?

You would notice in the exercises I recommended there are no sit ups, crunches etc… The soft spot above your belly button after having a baby is a separation in the connective tissue that connects both sides of the Rectus Abdominus (your abs). This separation causes a lack in the ability for the abs to work effectively so if we try and do too many sit ups etc it will most commonly be ineffective and potentially cause injury to the lower back. By bridging we are able to progress slowly and allow the muscles to regain some strength as well as retrain the damaged neural pathways which allow those muscles to fire when asked

For some more core exercises you can use to regain your core strength >>> Check Out This Article <<<

Long Story Short

-          Remember sprinting at the start is not always the way to win the race. Going slow initially will help you get to your destination faster in this case.

-          Consult with your doctor to discuss your individual needs – everyone will be different depending on how your preganancy and birth went.

-          Once you’re ready to get back into it – be sure to train within your capacity for the first week or two. Plenty of time to increase the intensity over the coming weeks.

What Now?

If you’re ready to get back into some more challenging workouts to help you get back to your pre baby body or better then you need to check out our Bootcamps – you can try 4 Weeks Unlimited Bootcamp For Just $47 >>> Click Here To Check It Out <<< Plus many of our sessions have FREE CHILD MINDING

The Benefits of Coming To PEPT Bootcamps:

-          Access to our membership website which has dozens of workout videos you can do at home or if you go away to compliment your training with us.

-          Backed by our 100% Money Back Guarantee so there’s nothing to lose.

-          Be taught, coached and helped by our highly skilled trainers.

-          Get access to our monthly online workshops where we help you with Nutrition, Goal Setting and staying on track.

Locations:

South East QLD

-          Capalaba

-          Toowong

-          Clayfield

-          Chermside

-          Albany Creek

-          Warner

-          Bracken Ridge

-          Clontarf

-          Narangba

-          Burpengary

-          Petrie

-          Caboolture

To find out more or to enquire about our South East QLD Bootcamps >>> Click Here <<<

Central QLD

-          Gladstone

-          Rockhampton

-          Yeppoon

To find out more or to enquire about our Central QLD Bootcamps >>> Click Here <<<

West QLD

-          Roma

To find out more or to enquire about our Roma Bootcamps >>> Click Here <<<

WA

-          Bassendean / Bayswater

To find out more or to enquire about our Bassendean / Bayswater Bootcamps >>> Click Here <<<

Dedicated to your fitness success,

Jake

PS: If you know a mum who you think might benefit from this article be sure to share it with them