Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
After the safe arrival of your newborn baby, the last thing you’ll feel like doing is working out! However, catch a glimpse of famous celebrities on various social media platforms who’ve also just given birth, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that all new mothers are back in their lycra some 24 hours after giving birth!
Unfortunately, in the real world, instantly snapping back into shape and gaining that perfect body, or the one you possessed before giving birth, isn’t as easy to acquire unless you’ve got have a full house of staff on hand and wads of cash in the bank! More importantly, striving to reach that picture-perfect shape just days after you’ve given birth is certainly not recommended if you want to take it safely.
First Things First; Don’t Be Discouraged by Another Mother’s Progress
Firstly, when you do click on social media, don’t immediately believe that what you see in front of you is the real story! Easier said than done, but the likelihood is that the mother in front of you wearing that bikini has also undergone a long and carefully planned workout routine and diet plan to arrive at her current shapely figure.
Remember that not one woman’s body, celebrity or non-celebrity, clicks back into place 24 hours after giving birth. It actually takes around six weeks for your body to get back to its postpartum status – more if you’ve had any complications. However, by the time bleeding has stopped some women are keen to get back to some form of physical activity to get the body moving again. If you feel that your body is physically ready, and your mind is mentally prepared to begin an exercise routine, here are a few tips to ease you back into your workouts:
- Take Control of Your Diet
First things first, your diet may need a little alteration after that long and strenuous pregnancy it has been put under. Some women find that their iron levels drop after giving birth and therefore need to look at implementing a different and more varied kind of diet in these first few months, compensating for the intense workout they went through in the delivery room.
However, without the basics of an excellent enriching diet, any new workout routine will be pointless at this stage. Get the best from your food and implement a good nourishing meal plan which can act as additional fuel to kick-start any exercise you take up after pregnancy. If you feel you’d like to concentrate on your diet for the first few weeks, before undertaking any new workout, you can always look at other options here such as how to lose 10kg in 1 month without exercise.
- Start Slowly and Moderately
Consider taking a walk around the block to get you started, rather than just signing up for any workout class in these early weeks. This is the gentlest form of activity but is still technically exercising. It also gives you the chance to see how well you are faring in your recovery period and will not in any way set you back in your recovery, as a strenuous workout class could do so at this delicate stage.
- Take Professional Advice
Your health professional will be able to guide you on the best time you personally should begin working out again. They will have a better idea of your physical state on a more personal note and will most likely be the person you visit for your six-week checkup after having your baby. If you have personal concerns about beginning any kind of workout routine, they will be the best person to discuss this with beforehand.
- Be Considerate to Your Own Circumstances
No birth is the same and therefore no recovery time is the same either! Some mothers take a couple of weeks to recover, some take months. The point to remember here is that all bodies are different, and most women will respond in a variety of different ways to the act of giving birth, some in ways they would never have imagined before! Those first few months after giving birth can be quite a tough time for many new moms when they realize the exact toll pregnancy and labor have had on their bodies. However, the shock of how fragile the pelvic floor can be is a revelation to many!
- Use the Post-Partum Time to Concentrate on Your Own Body
We spend so much time passing lip service to those celebrities who are back in their skinny jeans a few days after birth, that we rarely ask ourselves «who cares?». You will have enough to concentrate on in those first few months alone without having to consider the success stories of other new moms. Make this time all about yourself and concentrate on what you need to do to get back to a good workout routine.
- Be Proud of What Your Body Has Accomplished
There’s a reason why childbirth is referred to medically as labor – it’s one hard slog that the body has to endure being pushed to its limits over possibly many days and then over three long stages! Basically, the body of a laboring woman is remarkable! However, when it comes to trying to shift those pregnancy pounds and get settled into a workout routine after this event, many women feel like failures when they don’t see any immediate results. You have just brought a new life into the world; a new workout and healthier body is, therefore, nothing compared to what you’ve just gone through! It will come to you – just give it time to happen.
- Think Long Term
Whatever decision you choose to make, think long term. It took 40 weeks to carry your baby – you can be sure that it’s going to take nearly as long to entirely get back to something resembling your pre-pregnancy self and shape! The most effective workout routines implemented by new mothers are those that take it steady and last the course.
