Do you watch any sports or and then feel inspired after the Olympics or Wimbledon?? Did you ever take up rowing or athletics after our 2012?? Do you suddenly feel right I’m getting up and out and going to start the Couch to 5K??
For me personally I have ALWAYS since age dot, loved exercising, doing sport and being active outdoors. I was good at all sports but I didn’t excel in any! I did however learn over the years that we need to listen to our bodies and push as far as the body would allow and that it was a gradual whole body training & strength that was needed and it wasn’t just turn up and do it – I had to work at it.
I know for many – when we all saw the photos of Jessica Ennis-Hill when she got back to competing 10 months post her 1st child – it was an inspiration to see her fit and ready. However, what we don’t know is how much of the very basic initial post birth gentle exercise she had to do.
The recent article in the Times – An Olympian post-baby workout – she says how her physio wouldn’t let her get back to her pre-pregnancy workout until she was 6 months post birth!
That is a woman in her late 20’s, an Olympic gold medallist and a body who has amazing muscle memory – yet even Jessica didn’t start any high intensity work until she had built up from within.
She was back competing at her 1st event 10 months post birth – she didn’t win but it was her getting back to what she knew and it was her getting used to her career as a mother.
So, absolutely start off with your exercise 6 or 10 weeks post birth – IF you are mentally ready, but work from within-out – start with the basic deep core work, work those glutes and get them firing and kicking in, avoid anything that puts pressure on your pelvic floor or pushes your tummy outwards. Build that strong trunk before you think about taking it up to the next stage of beginning to push yourself.
The Olympian says “there should be no running, no jumping and no sit-ups for at least 24 weeks after the baby was born” having learnt from her physio when is the time to get back to it – when the body was really ready.
So just think about that and remember – build up from within, build the deep core, get some advise about your pelvic floor or diastasis and only then can you start to take it up to the next level.
If you aren’t sure I offer 1:1 body assessments – 1st you fill out a detailed health screening form so I can see what sort of birth history you have then we meet and I check how you move, what your posture is like & how your tummy is.
I will either give you some basic exercises to start, teach you to connect with your body and breath properly or suggest you need to see a women’s health physio or get a tummy massage to release the tightness in your tummy. Email me via the contact link on my website.
