11 Postpartum Fitness Tips for New Moms
I’m almost seven months postpartum with my second baby. Getting back into a fitness routine, finding time to workout, and learning to love my postpartum body hasn’t been easy. It’s taken time, lots of effort, and a whole lot of patience. I’d be lying if I said I “got my body back”, but I have managed to lose all of the baby weight and feel comfortable in my old wardrobe again (even though my wardrobe mainly consists of leggings and tank tops). I grow very big babies and gain a lot of weight during pregnancy (like 50+ pounds), so I am proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish during both of my postpartum journeys. Here are my top postpartum fitness tips for working out after baby.
Wait Until you get Approval from your Doctor
It doesn’t matter if you feel great and ready to tackle the world two weeks after delivery, you still need to wait until after your postpartum checkup to start working out. You need to make sure you give your body plenty of time to heal after what it’s been through over the last ten months. Think about it… your body grew and delivered a brand-new human. The least you could do is give it the time and space it needs to heal. Most doctors will see you between six and eight weeks postpartum (depending on how you delivered) and if there are no complications, you’ll be approved to start working out.
Start Slow
One of my biggest postpartum fitness tips is to start slow. Don’t try to jump straight back into your prebaby fitness routine. After both of my pregnancies, I started with doing about 20 – 30 minutes of yoga a day. It helped me get in touch with my new body and work on my strength and flexibility. It also made me feel like I was getting in a good workout without overexerting myself. Trust me, the last thing you want is super sore muscles when you have to carry around a baby all day.
Invest in Supportive Workout Clothes
Your body is going to be very different when you start working out after baby. You’ll probably need to invest in some workout clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident. If you’re nursing or if your breasts grew during pregnancy, you’ll also want to wear a very supportive sports bra. I love having nursing sports bras in case I need to feed Elliott in the middle of a workout (which pretty much always happens).
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Set Small, Attainable Goals
When you’re just getting started in your postpartum fitness journey, make sure to set small, attainable goals. Give yourself little goals on the way to your big goal. For example, don’t set a goal of losing all the baby weight. Set a smaller goal of losing two pounds or working out twice a week. When you reach a goal, celebrate, and set a new one.
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Take Before and After Photos
One of my best postpartum fitness tips is taking before and after photos. I think it’s the easiest and most inspiring way to see progress throughout your journey. Pictures are a great way to see how far you’ve come and appreciate your body for how amazing it truly is.
Do Workouts Designed Specifically for Postpartum Women
When you’re first getting back into a fitness routine after having a baby, I think it’s so important to do workouts that are specifically designed for postpartum women. There are so many parts of our bodies that need to be strengthened and restored after pregnancy that normal workouts don’t focus on. Try to find postpartum workouts that have an emphasis on strength, flexibility, core repair, and pelvic floor repair. My favorite is the Postpartum Cure. It’s an amazing program that includes workouts, meal plans, grocery lists, recipes, and more. In my opinion, it’s the perfect way to jump into your postpartum fitness journey. It even comes with an app which makes it so convenient.
Keep your Workouts Short and Sweet
When you’re a mom, finding the time to workout is hard. A great postpartum fitness tip is to keep your workouts short and sweet. After my first baby, I managed to find about an hour a day (five days a week) to workout. This was usually during nap time. Now that I have two kids running (and crawling) around, my goal is to workout for 30 minutes a day about four days a week. Sometimes I reach my goal, and sometimes I don’t. But, knowing that I only need 30 minutes makes my goal so much more attainable.
Make it Convenient
On top of finding short and sweet workouts, make sure that you make working out convenient. I think convenience looks different for everyone. You could join a gym that offers childcare. You could workout at home during naptime. You could find an app that you can use during your lunch break. Convenience all depends on your situation, but don’t be afraid to brain storm ideas and make your health a priority.
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Find an Accountability Partner
When you’re trying to lose weight and get in shape, it’s so important to having someone (or many people) in your corner and cheering you on. You can find a friend that’s also trying to lose weight, include your spouse in your goals, or join a virtual accountability group. I love that the Postpartum Cure has a Facebook accountability group you can join (I’m in it if you join!), or you could find a different Facebook group for postpartum moms.
Don’t Rely on the Scale to Show Progress
The scale is not the only way to see progress with your postpartum weight loss journey. While its great to watch the number on the scale get smaller, it’s not always the most accurate way to see how far you’ve come. I like to focus on NSVs or non-scale victories. Things like an old pair of pants fitting, or feeling more energized, or being able to lift a heavier weight. Just remember that just because the scale isn’t moving doesn’t mean you’re not making progress.
Give Yourself some Grace
One of the hardest things about the postpartum phase is learning to love your postpartum body. What was once a cute baby bump now just looks like a bunch of weight gain. But, the truth is, our postpartum bodies are still rapidly transforming. It’s not just a bunch of weight gain. It’s a uterus that’s still working on getting back to its original size (takes about 6+ weeks). It’s extra blood that our bodies needed to grow a human. It’s water weight that we took on during labor and delivery. It’s engorged breasts that are learning to make milk. Being patient with yourself and giving yourself some grace will go a long way in helping you reach your goals. Don’t give up because you had a bad day. Wake up tomorrow and remind yourself that you can do this, and you deserve it. As moms, our needs are usually pushed to the back burner. But, I’ve found that working out and moving my body makes me a much happier, more energized mom for my boys. I’m not going to lie and say that losing the weight isn’t the overall goal, because it is, but there are so many other benefits to working out and treating your body right.
I hope these tips help you in your postpartum weight loss journey. If you end up joining the Postpartum Cure Facebook group, please send me a message so we can be accountability partners! And just remember that no matter what happens, that post baby body is bad ass.
DISCLOSURE: Coffee and Coos is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. Always consult your doctor for medical advice.
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