After a visit to the postpartum block, there’s a good chance your post-baby body feels a lot different from your pre-pregnancy self, especially for new moms. After all, you did just birth a human! 🙂
Now, there are postpartum exercises that can be done after pregnancy to get your body back into shape. These postpartum exercises will help you tone up and have more energy! In this blog post, we’ll go over 10 postpartum exercises that work your major muscle groups for new moms who want to get back into the gym after a long break from working out.
10 Postpartum Exercises for New Moms
1.) Side Bridge
This postpartum exercise is great for toning the abdominal muscles such as your obliques and lower back after pregnancy. To do this postpartum exercise: lie on your left side with legs straight and hips stacked; stack right foot over the top of left foot (ensure feet are about hip-width apart). Place right elbow directly under shoulder. Extend through the left arm and place a hand on the lower back for support; lift hips off of the ground to create a straight line from shoulders to feet while engaging your gluteus (butt) muscles and core.
2.) Pelvic Tilts
There are several variations of the pelvic tilt to help activate your pelvic muscles. The simplest is performed while supine (lying on your back.) Lie on the floor (or on a mat on the floor) with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms alongside your torso, palms facing down. The back of your head should touch the mat and your neck should be aligned with your spine.
Allow your back to maintain a natural curve, leaving space between your low back and the mat. You should be able to slide your hand into this space. Inhale, and as you exhale, ensure to engage your abdominal muscles, allowing that action to tilt your tailbone upward and close the space between your low back and the mat or floor. You’ll feel a gentle stretch of your low back. Take a slow deep breath, allowing your spine and pelvis to return to their original position.
3.) Leg Raises
This postpartum exercise is great for toning the lower body after pregnancy. To do this exercise, lie on your back, legs straight and together and your arms at your sides. Keep your legs straight and lift them all the way up to the ceiling until your butt comes off the floor. Slowly lower your legs back down till they’re just above the floor. Hold for a moment. Raise your legs back up. Repeat.
4.) Glute Bridge
Lie face-up on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep your arms at your side with your palms down. Lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips, and shoulders form a straight line. Squeeze those glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise. Hold your bridged position for a couple of seconds before easing back down.
5.) Kegel Exercises
If you followed your doctor’s instructions during pregnancy, you probably already know how to do kegel exercises. This exercise will tone the pelvic floor muscles that support the uterus, small intestines, rectum, and bladder. To perform this exercise, tighten your pelvic floor muscles (the ones used to stop the flow of urine) as if you’re attempting to stop urinating midstream. Hold for 10 seconds to relax between the contractions, and repeat this throughout the day. However, you should not do kegel exercises while urinating.
6.) Postpartum Planks
The standard plank is greater for retraining the core, giving your gluteus a nice lift, and strengthening the muscles in your upper body. To perform a plank, lie down on your stomach with your forearms on the floor and the elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Flex your feet with your toes on the floor for support. Now, use your core and your glutes to raise your body a few inches off the floor in a straight line, so that it’s only your toes and forearms touching the floor.
Ensure you tighten your deep abdominal muscles to bring your belly button close to your spine, and contract your upper body and buttocks. Breath in and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this several times and try to increase the hold time as you get stronger.
7.) Diaphragmatic Breathing
This is one of the simplest postpartum exercises that you can begin working on within just a few days of giving birth. This exercise not only helps you focus on slowing down your breathing but also improves core stability and helps you relax and reduce your stress levels.
To perform this exercise, you need to be seated or lying down, but it is advisable to do it lying down. Once you lie down on the floor, relax your body completely and focus on releasing tension from your toes to your head. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach and breathe in deeply through your nose. Your stomach will expand, but your chest will remain relatively still as you breathe in for 2-3 seconds. Exhale slowly with your hand still in position and repeat this several times for 2-3 minutes.
8.) Side Plank Leg Lifts
This is a more advanced version of the standard plank, and it should be done 6-8 weeks after delivery. It is great for the glutes, obliques, and shoulder muscles to a lesser degree.
To do this exercise, lie down on the floor, support yourself with your forearms, and ensure your elbows are directly beneath your shoulders. Your feet should be placed with your toes on the floor, then turn sideways and go on one forearm to raise your body into a plank position. You can now raise the top leg and hold it in that position for 30 seconds. Do this repeatedly, and ensure you repeat the same on the other side, performing an equal number of sets on each side.
9.) Swiss Ball Bird Dog Holds
This exercise is good for improving stability, posture and reducing low back pain, which is common after giving birth. You need an exercise ball(Swiss ball) to do this exercise.
Put the ball on a flat surface and lie on top of it, your torso covering it. Ensure your palms are flat on the floor, your toes are on the ground, and your body is in a straight line. Now, while facing the floor, lift your right leg and left arm simultaneously and hold them in that position for 2 seconds. Return to the starting point and switch your limbs, making sure you alternate sides for 30 total repetitions.
10.) Happy Baby Yoga Pose
Yoga is good for stretching the muscles and relieving the pain and tightness that comes after childbirth.
To do this exercise, lie down on your back and bring your knees towards your chest. Ensure your knees are opened slightly wider than your hips so that you keep your arms on the inside of your knees. Use your arms to hold on to the outside of your feet while bending your knees so that the bottom of your feet faces upwards. Now, you can gently pull your feet downwards to lower your knees towards the surface. Concentrate on holding this pose for about 90 seconds with your pelvic muscles relaxed.
FAQS
How Soon After Giving Birth Can You Exercise?
It is recommended that you wait at least six weeks postpartum before starting postpartum exercises.
When and How Can I Start Postpartum Exercises?
You should speak with your doctor about when to begin the postpartum exercise, but most doctors will recommend waiting until after the six-week checkup has been completed. You may want to schedule a postpartum exercise after the six-week checkup, as it is a good time to track your progress.
Is Postpartum Exercise Safe?
It is important that you speak with a doctor before starting postpartum exercises because there are specific post-pregnancy workout requirements for each woman. You should know if any pre-existing conditions may prevent you from participating in postpartum exercises.
How Long Will it Take You to See Results?
It may take up to six months post-pregnancy before you start seeing postpartum exercise results, but this is highly dependent on your individual goals and the effort that you put in day after day. You should be able to see some form of progress during each postpartum exercise session.
What Postpartum Exercises are Best for Weight Loss?
It depends on your goals, but it is recommended that you incorporate postpartum exercising into a healthy diet and daily activity plan. It’s important to remember that post-pregnancy workouts should always be done safely; consult with your doctor before starting any postpartum exercise program.
I Cannot do Postpartum Exercises Because of a Physical Aliment, Will postpartum Exercises Still Help Me?
It is important to speak with your doctor before starting post-pregnancy workouts as they can provide insight on what you should and shouldn’t be doing at this time in your life. Always start slow postpartum workouts post-pregnancy to prevent injury.
These postpartum exercises are great for toning up your core after pregnancy. Doing these postpartum exercises will help you get rid of the ‘pregnancy pooch’ that is common in new moms! Ensure you do these postpartum exercises about three times a week to see results, but remember to take it easy when starting out postpartum.