How To Start Exercising Safely After Pregnancy

Do you remember getting the "all clear" to exercise at your 6 week postpartum check up? Did you have a plan of what you wanted to do for exercise? Did your first workout go as planned?

Many of my new moms can't wait for the 6 week check up and all clear to exercise again, only to be given clearance by their doctor and then not know what to with their bodies. Their body feels different and most haven't done any exercise besides walking for at least 6 weeks. It can feel exciting to be able to exercise again, but most people don't know where to start.

Many moms think they will just start doing the exercises they used to do, but often that seems intimidating. Their body feels different, their core and pelvic floor are still healing. Oftentimes their back feels achy from holding a baby many hours during the day.

Doctors are giving postpartum moms the all clear from a medical standpoint, but they aren't guiding moms in what is safe and what exercises to do and how much to start with. Physical therapists are trained to do that. Especially pelvic floor therapists. We have extra training in how to work with moms during and after pregnancy.

I hear this from so many of my patients who are moms that they don't know where to start when they are given the all clear to exercise. Or they go to an exercise class and quickly learn it is too difficult for them at this time.

I created a program for these moms as a place to safely return to exercise.

Postpartum Exercise Program

The online program is a 4 week program and has 3 videos per week that are 10 minutes or less. Each week one video is for upper body, one for lower body and one specifically for the core.

These exercises are a safe place to start moving the body again after pregnancy, whether it is 2 weeks or 2 years. 10 minutes a day (or every other day) is an appropriate length of exercise to start with, and lets be honest, if you are in the newborn phase 10 minutes might be all you can do until your baby needs you again.

This video explains more about the online program.

You can check out the program here.