Should you jog? walk? Go to classes? Start following a program at home? Load up the bar to pre-pregnancy status and go to town? haha (please no).
Strength training is GREAT, but with all the things on the internet telling you what NOT to do…it can be a little intimidating jumping back in.
So how do you know you’re ready?
?You are getting some rest. – Truthfully. If you are running on fumes and not getting any restful sleep, then stressing your body out with a challenging workout probably won’t feel great. Stick with yoga, core work, and mindful movement until you are out of zombie status.
?Your pelvic floor is on the mend – if you are still leaking often, you probably need a little more time to wake up your pelvic floor muscles again. This also goes with pain, or feelings of ‘heaviness’ down there during or after your workouts.
?You can engage your core- Surprising enough your core is more stable during pregnancy, since the baby gives you a false pressure system. When you take that away, it’s like having a deflated balloon trying to hold it all together. Pay attention to your breathing, core engagement, and if you have any bulging or coning during movements, particularly during plank type movements or while lifting overhead. You also don’t want to be bearing down into your pelvic floor to compensate.
So what do you do if you aren’t quite there yet?
➡️Start with bodyweight movements. You can get a great workout in, perfect your form, and still feel sore from a solid bodyweight workout.
➡️Slow down. Move slowly through your movement, be mindful about using the right muscles, breathing deeply, and putting your core to work during full body movements.
➡️Start small. These is no shame in starting with light weights. Try some fun babywearing workouts or try lifting items around the house.
You got this mama. Slowly but surely you will get it back and be crushing your old workouts in no time ?