The Best Postpartum Fitness Plan
Mom life is tough. It’s a (mostly) rewarding 24/7 365 job that is tough to find a break from. You’re probably really busy and don’t have a lot of time to work out. I get it! That’s why you need to know how to tackle postpartum fitness and in what order, what types of workouts are safe, and what the best postpartum fitness plan is! Read on to learn more.
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The Importance of a Postpartum Fitness Plan
Having a baby is an amazing time that comes with lots of new challenges, both physically and emotionally. One of the biggest physical challenges is getting your body back to where it was before pregnancy. Even if you were in great shape before getting pregnant, chances are your body has changed quite a bit since giving birth.
And that is ok. Your body will never be exactly how it was before giving birth. Because you are now a woman who has accomplished the ultimate feat. You housed a human inside you from creation to birth.
You created life and you cannot expect everything ever to be exactly the same, and it doesn’t need to be!
But that doesn’t mean that postpartum recovery and postpartum weight loss is not very important. Your body needs to heal and recover postpartum.
You will be more comfortable and have more energy once your body repairs and you are at a more comfortable weight.
RELATED: My Tricks to Dropping the Baby Weight by 6 Weeks 3x
Your organs need to go back to their original positions, your tears or cuts need to heal, your body needs to shed a bunch of excess (think extra blood, placenta, water weight, and things that were important while growing a human), and you need to regain strength.
And what is the best way to accomplish this? After the initial healing, a postpartum fitness plan is the answer!
Can You Do Any Fitness Plan Postpartum?
Not every single fitness plan is postpartum-friendly. In fact, most are not.
You really want to start with the basics like learning how to first engage your core postpartum. Then you can start with this gentle Pilates routine right after your 6 week waiting period.
But before progressing to a fitness plan, you need to first assess for two things postpartum: diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction. If you don’t check for these things, you could do more harm than good and hinder your postpartum recovery.
What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti is when your abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy. This happens to a majority of women during pregnancy as the baby grows, pushing the muscles further and further apart.
This can happen on one side or both sides of the body. It can also happen at different depths. The deeper the separation, the harder it will be to fix postpartum.
For many women with a mild diastasis the problem will correct itself after birth. For many others, additional help is needed.
What are the signs of diastasis recti?
- Abdominal bulge, especially when you sit up from lying down
- Popping or clicking sound in your abdomen when you move
- Lower back pain
- Difficulty with core exercises like sit-ups
If you have any of these signs, it is important to get assessed by a physical therapist postpartum. This article by a doctor of physical therapy about how to avoid diastasis recti and how to repair it postpartum is very helpful. a PT will be able to check for diastasis recti and give you a postpartum workout plan that is safe for your body.
You can find how to assess yourself for diastasis recti while learning how to lose belly fat postpartum. Healing that deep core separation is the first step.
What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
Pelvic floor dysfunction is when the muscles and tissues of the pelvic floor are not functioning properly. This can be due to a variety of things but often happens postpartum.
The pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles that span from the pubic bone in the front to the tailbone in the back. These muscles support the organs in the pelvis, including the bladder, uterus, and rectum. The pelvic floor also helps with sexual function and urinary control.
When these muscles are not functioning properly, you may experience a variety of symptoms, including:
- urinary or fecal incontinence
- pain with intercourse
- organ prolapse
- pelvic floor spasms
- low back pain
- tailbone pain
- constipation
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms postpartum, it is important to seek help from a pelvic floor physical therapist. They will be able to help you heal and recover postpartum. You can start at home with these physical therapist recommended exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor postpartum.
How to Begin a Postpartum Fitness Plan
The first step in starting a postpartum fitness plan is to get cleared by your doctor postpartum. This is typically around the 6-week postpartum mark.
If you have had a vaginal delivery, you will likely get clearance from your doctor at your 6-week postpartum appointment. If you have had a c-section, you will likely need to wait until your 6-week postpartum appointment and also get clearance from your surgeon before starting a postpartum workout plan.
Once you have clearance from your doctor(s), you can start slowly with some at-home exercises. It can be tough to know exactly where to start, as your body has just undergone stress and trauma from labor and delivery.
But don’t forget, if you are suffering from diastasis recti or pelvic floor dysfunction, it is vital to seek help from a physical therapist before starting any kind of postpartum fitness plan. They will be able to give you specific exercises that are safe for your body and help you heal postpartum.
How to Progress a Postpartum Fitness Plan
As you heal postpartum and your body gets stronger, you can start to progress your postpartum fitness plan.
This may look like adding in more challenging exercises or increasing the intensity of your workouts. You may also want to start adding some cardio into your workout routine.
Walking is a great way to start exercising even before getting your 6 week clearance.
From there, Pilates at home using your body weight is a great place to start your postpartum workouts, that’s one reason I love the Milky Mama’s Momlates Workouts.
Yoga is also a great first exercise to begin postpartum. Resistance band training and body weight exercises should come next.
Eventually you can progress to cardio and HIIT workouts and even heavy weight lifting.
This ideal order of exercise progression postpartum is why I think you should try the Momlates workout from the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan. It only takes 20 minutes and is a great way to regain your strength!
It blends together Pilates, yoga, and cardio and is specially designed for postpartum moms. I’m really excited for you to try a workout from the best postpartum fitness plan.
It is important to listen to your body and only do what feels comfortable for you. If you start to experience any pain or discomfort, stop the exercise immediately. Find a way to modify it or omit it from your workout for now alltogether.
Why the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Fitness Plan is great for breastfeeding moms
The Milky Mama’s postpartum fitness plan is a great option for breastfeeding moms. This postpartum workout plan is designed specifically for postpartum bodies and includes exercises that are safe for postpartum bodies.
The Milky Mama’s postpartum fitness plan also includes a nutrition guide to help you heal postpartum and reach your fitness goals. This postpartum nutrition guide is designed specifically for breastfeeding moms and includes recipes and meal ideas that help you lose the baby weight and increase your milk supply at the same time.
If you are a breastfeeding mom, the Milky Mama’s postpartum plan, which combines both fitness and nutrition for postnatal recovery, is a great option for you. This postpartum workout plan is safe for postpartum bodies and will help you reach your fitness goals.
Would You Like to Try The Milky Mama’s Postpartum Fitness Plan?
The workouts in the MMPP are coined Momlates© because it blends together Pilates, HIIT and yoga and is built specifically for moms working to regain strength and lose the baby weight postpartum.
Momlates© from the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan is your perfect 28 day workout plan for building up your strength after giving birth so that you can progress onto any type of workout you want!
Ready to Give the Best Postpartum Fitness Plan a Try Free?
You KNOW you should be exercising regularly, but with everything else pulling you in all directions at every hour of the day you have found it really hard to actually do consistently. I get it! It’s not just you, it’s ALL of us moms #thestruggleisreal
Don’t you think it’s time that you finally commit to a workout plan designed for moms that you can get started with and actually keep up with as it’s only about 20 minutes a day?
In the MMPP you:
- Learn the most effective diet to lose excess baby weight while breastfeeding
- Discover the secrets to keeping your milk supply high
- Nourish your body with delicious recipes for healing and strength while breastfeeding
- Follow a specialized workout plan perfect for regaining strength postpartum
- Feel strong and confident in your mom bod
- Have more energy to keep up with your little ones
- Strengthen your overall body including your core and pelvic floor
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL…
Plus, anyone who joins this month gains access to my private virtual fit club. Where myself and my team of coaches offer encouragement, nutrition, fitness, and mindset tips daily and you join a really wonderful positive team of women! All on their own journeys to health just like you. If you’ve never been in an online fitness community I can assure you it brings committing to a plan to a whole new level. The accountability and resources available in my Virtual Fit Club are amazing!
I’m so confident that you’ll love the workout that I’m sharing with you today that I’m giving you your own custom code to join the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan today, in case you want the rest of the workouts in the plan just enter MMPP10OFF for 10% off at checkout.
Do you want to come try a Momlates workout today? 🙂
