3 Postpartum Exercise Goals
Forget the “bounce back” bullshit. Put aside notions of losing the “baby weight”. You just grew a human (awesome!) and you should be focused on bonding with your baby and figuring out how to navigate your “new normal”. When it comes to thinking about exercise in the early postpartum stages you should be focused on three things.
Rehab and Recovery. Your body has spent 9 months shifting and changing. Muscles adapted to working outside of their ideal parameters. Whether you had a vaginal delivery or a c-section, there’s significant healing that has to occur. First order of business to replenishing all the nutrients you might have lost during pregnancy, staying hydrated, and letting tissue HEAL.
Restore Core & Pelvic Floor Function. Your core was the most compromised part of your body during pregnancy. The muscles stretched and lengthened to accommodate baby. Your pelvic floor supported the weight of your growing baby. Your deep core muscles likely didn’t function optimally together as they’re supposed to. Your goal now is to make sure they learn to work together.
Rebuild Strength & Aerobic Capacity. Only after you’re confident your core is working effectively (ie. no signs of core dysfunction) should you start to shift your focus to building strength & aerobic capacity. And this should be a gradual build. Rather than racing forward and risking potential injury and setbacks, be sure to progressively overload slowly, putting aside any expectations and ideas of your “before” self.