Three Exercises Every New Mom Should Be Doing
The Best Ways To Get In Shape While Your Baby Is Napping.
Being a new mom can be exhausting, leaving you with a “closed for business” sign from the waist down. Weakened pelvic muscles make postpartum feel like torture filled with unexpected pee parties and painful bow-chicka-bow-bow. We’ve all been there but this doesn’t have to be a life sentence and there’s no need to blindly hope for some sign of light. The sooner your body’s back in action, the sooner you’ll be back IN action.
With just 10 minutes a day, we can get you back in business.
Three Exercises:
1. Transverse Abdominal
Ladies go crunch crazy to get their waist back but the wrong exercises can create even bigger baby bulge, incontinence and pain. While outer abs get all the credit, the inner abs work hard to keep your organs, back and pelvic muscles in place. They also strengthen your lady parts, which means more bang from your buck beneath the sheets. Need we say more?
These can be done in any position though first timers should start flat on their back. Draw your bellybutton simultaneously back towards your spine and up towards your heart, like putting on skinny jeans and sucking your belly in to zip up. You’ve just done the transverse hold. Hold for five seconds and release, repeating five times per set. Breathe and exhale throughout. Do three to five sets per day and work your way up to ten second holds.
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2. Perineal Massage (Not recommended before six weeks post-partum)
Childbirth includes surprises like perineal tears and unexpected episiotomies, leaving scar tissue behind. While the perenium’s out of sight – out of mind, it’s what prevents urinating while coughing and allows you to walk upright. If there’s scarring in this area you’ll feel soreness, tightness and occasional leaks. It’s best to keep things flexible so activities like date night or ob/gyn visits don’t end in pain.
Take a visual visit with a mirror and familiarize yourself with your scar. Imagine your lady bits as a clock – twelve o’clock up top within close reach, 6 o’clock near the anus – 3 o’clock to the left and 9 o’clock to the right. You will stretch the 6 o’clock position.
Laying down, place lubricant (such as vitamin E, rose oil, coconut oil) on your thumb and insert thumb into your lady parts. Start at 6 o’clock by pressing your thumb down for 30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times or as tolerated. Don’t press too hard, stay between a 1-3 pain level. Feeling irritated or inflamed? Apply a cold pack wrapped in a clean towel or t-shirt to cool off.
This can feel awkward, even painful at first but be patient. Practice makes perfect!
3. Walls Sits Sitting without a chair sounds crazy until you get Beyonce-style legs in just a few minutes each day. This exercise sculpts thighs, calves, and lower abs – increasing endurance using nothing but your body and a wall.
Lean flat against a wall, placing your feet one foot in front of you. Tighten your abdominals and slide yourself down until thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for 15 seconds with your arms hanging at your sides. Repeat three times. Increase holding time gradually: 15 seconds / 30 seconds / 45 seconds to utilize non traditional cardio and strengthen your muscles without being damaging or aggressive.
You can do this anywhere in your home while reading, watching tv or listening to music. You can use a physioball as well like in the picture, which will make t a bit easier. Where there’s a wall there’s a way. Your legs will thank you and it’ll help with overall balance, metabolism and movements like lifting your baby and getting up and down off the floor.
As you can see ladies, it doesn’t take hours of cardio or expensive gym memberships to get that bod back in business. All it takes is a few moments of your time and patience. The rest will fall into all the right places. To heal even better and faster again download our New Mom Post-Partum Recovery Checklist and feel like old yourself gain. Our checklist has some great exercises tools and techniques every mom should know about.
2. Perineal Massage (Not recommended before six weeks post-partum)
Childbirth includes surprises like perineal tears and unexpected episiotomies, leaving scar tissue behind. While the perenium’s out of sight – out of mind, it’s what prevents urinating while coughing and allows you to walk upright. If there’s scarring in this area you’ll feel soreness, tightness and occasional leaks. It’s best to keep things flexible so activities like date night or ob/gyn visits don’t end in pain.
Take a visual visit with a mirror and familiarize yourself with your scar. Imagine your lady bits as a clock – twelve o’clock up top within close reach, 6 o’clock near the anus – 3 o’clock to the left and 9 o’clock to the right. You will stretch the 6 o’clock position.
Laying down, place lubricant (such as vitamin E, rose oil, coconut oil) on your thumb and insert thumb into your lady parts. Start at 6 o’clock by pressing your thumb down for 30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times or as tolerated. Don’t press too hard, stay between a 1-3 pain level. Feeling irritated or inflamed? Apply a cold pack wrapped in a clean towel or t-shirt to cool off.
This can feel awkward, even painful at first but be patient. Practice makes perfect!
3. Walls Sits Sitting without a chair sounds crazy until you get Beyonce-style legs in just a few minutes each day. This exercise sculpts thighs, calves, and lower abs – increasing endurance using nothing but your body and a wall.
Lean flat against a wall, placing your feet one foot in front of you. Tighten your abdominals and slide yourself down until thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for 15 seconds with your arms hanging at your sides. Repeat three times. Increase holding time gradually: 15 seconds / 30 seconds / 45 seconds to utilize non traditional cardio and strengthen your muscles without being damaging or aggressive.
You can do this anywhere in your home while reading, watching tv or listening to music. You can use a physioball as well like in the picture, which will make t a bit easier. Where there’s a wall there’s a way. Your legs will thank you and it’ll help with overall balance, metabolism and movements like lifting your baby and getting up and down off the floor.
As you can see ladies, it doesn’t take hours of cardio or expensive gym memberships to get that bod back in business. All it takes is a few moments of your time and patience. The rest will fall into all the right places. To heal even better and faster again download our New Mom Post-Partum Recovery Checklist and feel like old yourself gain. Our checklist has some great exercises tools and techniques every mom should know about.