Pre and Postnatal Fitness Recommendations
from our Instagram Community
After my latest post on Monday about body image after baby (which is here) and after sharing on Instagram that I was slowly inching back into a fitness routine post-baby, I received tons of messages from our community with advice, recommendations, and suggestions on how to come back safely. I should mention that though I consider myself a *fairly* active person in general, before I had kids I was not ever great at developing and maintaining consistent healthy living habits. I would go paleo, lose a ton of weight, and then stop and gain it back. I would do Kayla Itsines’ BBG guide on and off for years. I’d bounce back and forth between fad diets, fad exercise regimes, and none of it particularly made me feel great – even when I was down a dress size or two.
There was one season that I got into running – I made it a habit and did it almost every day (even though I HATE running with a passion). After a couple weeks it became second nature and I started to – dare I say – enjoy it. It wasn’t the running that I enjoyed though, it was the “me” time it provided. Time that I could lace up my shoes, leave the house, and not have to worry about anything else. That was the first time that I started to see that exercise as a habit felt much better than exercising out of desperation to lose weight. I ended up pulling a muscle and then got pregnant and so that habit ended BUT the memory of feeling good about something I’d once hated hasn’t left me.
Which is what brings me to why I’m feeling ready to exercise now – I want to feel that again. After two kids and feeling appreciative for my body somedays and yucky about myself on others – I’m in a place where I want to be my best self for my husband and children, and I am tired of not feeling in control of my body. Taking 20-45 minutes once a day (or a few times a week) is good for my sanity. It makes me feel stronger and more confident in myself – which – as a new mom, we need to feel!
With my first child, I wasn’t ready to exercise for many, many months – and that was okay. I actually never really got into a good routine after having him at all. That was the headspace I was in, and that was just fine. So if this is not your jam right now – do not feel bad or weird about it. Just like we always say in this community, we’re all on different journeys – and they’re all valid.
All that being said – our awesome community was asked on Instagram to share what specific programs they used – pre and postnatal specifically – when they were ready to get back into it. I’ve found in the few online classes I’ve taken so far- that the ones designed for new moms are the ones I feel most comfortable with. They provide necessary modifications to ensure we’re moving our bodies safely and in a way that won’t cause harm or damage. So – I’ve compiled class recommendations as well as overall advice below. If you contributed- thank you for sharing!! I hope this is helpful! If we missed your advice, please feel free to leave a comment below! Also- it goes without saying – talk to your doctor before participating in any sort of exercise regimen that is outside your normal.
Pregnancy / Postpartum Workout Recommendations from our Instagram community
“Swimming! Helped with everything while pregnant, especially morning sickness.”
“Beachbody has good pre and postnatal. I did a barre class after {my son} and loved it!”
“@Nourishmovelove – Lindsey Bomgren – especially if you have DR (Diastasis recti)”
“Expecting and Empowered PP Guide and their Instagram!”
*Got this a few times*
“Body Fit by Amy – She has Youtube channel full of free PP workouts!”
*We got this recommendation a few times!*
“Postpartum PT class from @fem.unfolding – I highly recommend it!!! I learned so much about my pelvic floor + what to do / not to do that I didn’t know before. If you don’t feel like that is for you, I’d highly recommend seeing a pelvic floor PT.”
“Brianna Battles is the best for postpartum!”
“Jazzercise”
“Barre! Barre3 (in Iowa City) offers livestream classes and was so great pre and postnatal!”
General Advice from Mamas on Working out Post Baby
“Getting back to a regular workout routine early on built in my “me time” with less guilt”
“Take it easy going back. It feels good (to get back to) it but whenever I’d overdo it, it was rough.”
(If you are spinning) “Extra seat padding is key!”
“Take your time! I devoted so many months to postpartum PT alone before working out again and I’m so glad I did!…I went when (my daughter) was 3 months old because my scar tissue was still sore. The PT taught me of specific exercises to do. With (my second daughter) I went when I was 7 months pregnant to talk to her about what I could do to help make delivery more comfortable and she taught me a completely different pushing technique! My mind was blown!”
“Do what makes you feel good.”
“Go slow. Only do it if you feel ready and if it makes you feel better, not worse.”
“You can do most anything it just depends on the strength of your pelvic floor and core. Things to avoid are full planks if you can’t engage your core, and anything that causes coning in the abdomen. Or exercises that cause pain, leakage, etc. I recommend seeing a pelvic floor PT!”
“Peloton app – even if you don’t have the bike – they have thousands of classes, including postnatal yoga and pilates.”
“Get yourself to a pelvic floor women’s health therapist – it’s SOO helpful in our recovery postpartum.”
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