It’s been eight weeks exactly after giving birth to a beautiful boy. Being a C section mama, I was in doubt if I could pull off Zumba or my exercise as the body takes time to heal. The emotional and physical rollercoaster I have been through during my 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester period gave me huge learning in life. The first month of motherhood is all about sleep deprivation, feeding and physical pain on your body. During my 3rd trimester, I was given several tips, but that didn’t stop me from doing anything that I wanted to do. Travelling across seven cities to teach Zumba fitness live classes in India post-pregnancy felt like my visions have come alive. I know it requires greater strength to get up and exercise since your body is not adapted to work out. After giving birth, I felt exhausted, emotional, and less motivated.
Also Read: #MondayMotivation: Most Women Face These Difficulties While Losing Post-Pregnancy Weight
Every mother has got different strengths and stamina, so always listen to your body. You don’t need to go to the gym every time. Short walks and few at-home workouts postpartum can be helpful. Of course, continually taking care of a new baby combined with lack of sleep is exhausting- and if you’re not yet ready for workouts, that’s normal. Before jumping to work out, consult your doctor if you can start with the workout. One of my main workouts would be skipping ropes which was quite a struggle, but now I’ve managed to nail 65 on the 7th round. Skipping rope is proven to be effective in burning calories and losing weight. This is an excellent choice for all those moms out there who are starting a fitness regime as it doesn’t involve as much endurance to maintain. Skipping rope has also increased my stamina.
Here is the guide to exercise and increase endurance postpartum. While your body undergoes a huge transformation, it is essential to return to exercise slowly and safely.
How To Start
Consult your medical provider before beginning exercise. If there is any problem that you experience in your vagina or incision bleeding, stop exercising and rest. Start slowly with a warm-up as your body went through a significant change. So it is essential to give your body time to heal and build endurance gradually.
First and foremost, do not start exercising rapidly. If you continue to exercise at a mild level throughout your pregnancy, the endurance will return much faster than if you didn’t exercise. Mostly, your doctor and most health care providers will advise you to wait six weeks to eight weeks. However, it doesn’t mean you won’t be allowed to begin low-level exercise. Improve your strength and rebuild the pelvic floor muscles that have become weak and damaged due to pregnancy and childbirth during these weeks.
Kegal Exercise Too can Help
There is an easy way to keep your pelvic floor strong. Kegel exercise can be done whether you gave birth vaginally or by Cesarean. This exercise helps to support and maintaining pelvic organs, circulation in the pelvic area and reducing stitch discomfort:
- Just lay on your back, placing your pillow or a ball between your legs.
- Inhale and exhale as you tighten and release the pelvic floor muscles
- Squeeze the pillow or ball by using only the pelvic floor muscles and not with your knees.
- Repeat it ten times. Follow a proper schedule as it might be a bit of responsibility to take care of the baby and also sticking to exercise.
Also Read: #MondayMotivation: Zumba Moves For Pregnant Women
Walk For Good Health
A walk is a perfect way to prune your body and bring back the strength. Go for a 20-minute walk and increase the pace. After delivery, a mother’s joints are loose due to hormone Relaxin. So by going for walks and increasing it gradually over time will be beneficial. Along with that do light stretching and exercise or do yoga at home. Your main aim is to improve posture, strength, stamina and increase endurance.
(With inputs from Sucheta's Official Instagram Account)
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