During my second and third trimesters I was active most days of the week either heading out to yoga, walking, swimming or doing a prenatal workout video at home. Since giving birth I have gotten out for a few walks each week but have been focusing more on healing and relaxing. Now that I am three weeks postpartum I am finally feeling ready to get back to more regular workouts. I am still starting off slow but am looking forward to getting back up and running.
Current Workouts:
- Plank
- Crunches
- Leg Lifts
- Walking
Plans for the next three weeks (continue with the above plus below):
- Yoga-at home
- Skinny Bitch workout videos- I love that they have quick 5 minute workouts that I can do fit in between nursing, diaper changes, nursing, working, nursing, playing with baby, nursing, cooking, ect.
- Increase walking times/distance- currently I am doing between 25-35 minutes and ranging between 1-1.5 miles
Plans starting in four weeks (continue above):
- Start going to postnatal yoga once per week
- Start C25K
- Add in more intense home workouts
I am looking forward to finding a balance between everything I need to do at home and workouts because workouts are important for me to get my body back in shape and for my sanity.
New moms: how do you find the balance?
Good for you! If you were like me at three weeks post-delivery, I’m sure you are dying to jump right back in- my advice which I was often not able to take myself is to be patient with yourself!
I will admit that I got so frustrated when I couldn’t run for more than 15 minutes on the treadmill because Lula needed me. I had to learn that if I didn’t get up and run before she woke up for the day, a run wasn’t going to happen. And if it didn’t happen, long walks were a fantastic solution. The best part was that we could do them together.
Looking back, I wish I had been easier on myself in those first couple of months and I plan on doing so whenever I get around to baby #2.
Good luck lady! 🙂
I’m not a mother, but you’ve inspired me to get my butt in shape. 🙂 I mainly do bikram yoga, but am going to go for a bike ride today. Thanks for the inspiration!
I was back to running about 2 weeks postpartum. It was really hard though (even though I was extremely active during my pregnancy), but I took my time and didn’t beat myself up over my running time…and I had pelvic pain for the whole year after giving birth, which I found really discouraging. Once the snow came (I gave birth in November), I started doing workouts that I downloaded online…Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred was a good start for me…I would just set Sam in his bouncy seat or swing and I would do my workouts with him right there….he was such a good natured and happy baby, I could get quite a bit done while he happily sat and watched. As he got older and more mobile, workouts became more of a challenge…I either had to get up and exercise before he woke or do it while he napped. As it stands right now, I bike with him in the trailer, take him for a run with the jogging stroller, or (more often) will exercise to one of the many workouts that I’ve downloaded…changing it up everyday (during his naptime)…I did the Insanity program twice…I really like this Hollywood Trainer pilates dvd, Bob Harper’s Inside Out Method (one of his dvds uses kettlebells, which is awesome), anything by Jillian Michaels and Jackie Warner’s Extreme Timesaver dvd. There are also a ton of Tabata workouts that you can find online, which require little to no equipment or space. And, of course, one of the harder things is finding time to make healthy meals…these days, Sam is extremely active (approaching 2), so it’s sometimes very difficult to make food…I find that life is much easier if I prepare my food for the next day when he goes down for the night…that way it’s ready and I don’t have to worry about him hanging onto my feet while I’m trying to chop stuff. Oh, and as far as postpartum weight…I gained 35 pounds during my pregnancy and I lost everything except for 10 pounds by the time he was 3 months old…but I then hung on to those last 10 pounds until I stopped breastfeeding…within a week of stopping, the 10 pounds just fell off. so if you hold onto a few extra pounds, don’t throw any old clothes out like I did. Not sure why I did that??? Grrr.
Also, for me…eating healthy and workouts come before housework…lol
So proud of you and how quick you are bouncing back after Edie’s birth!
Crazy Sexy Cleanse: Day 1 - Running With Tongs
[…] part of the cleanse and my goal of getting back to my fitness Edie and I got out for a 30 minute walk this morning. I pushed her in the BOB which added a […]