Dr. Lori Gore-Green shares a few tips to help you get back into fitness after having a baby.

1. POSTPARTUM
FITNESS TIPS
Dr. Lori Gore-Green

2. A common question among new mothers is how long after giving
birth can they get back into their pre-pregnancy fitness routine?
While you may think you’ll be able to quickly get back to the way
you lived before being pregnant after you give birth, you may
want to think again. After giving birth you may suffer from bad
posture, general fatigue, and an achy body amongst other things.
This means doing many common activities you did before
pregnancy, such as exercising, may be difficult to adjust to for a
bit. The pregnant body takes around 40 weeks to form, and in
some cases, it can take almost as long as that to get completely
back to your pre-pregnancy body. At the end of the day, your
doctor will let you know when you’re okay to start working out
again, but when you do begin it’s important you approach it
safely. Here are a few tips to help you out in postpartum fitness.

3. Ease Into It
It’s important that you take your time when getting back
into your fitness routine. Pushing yourself too much so
soon after birth can actually threaten your overall
recovery. Many doctors will recommend that you avoid
exerting yourself for about 2 weeks after giving birth.
After that, a good way to start is by taking a 5-minute
walk and seeing how you feel. As long as you feel okay
and there isn’t any bleeding or aching, you’re likely fine to
take a slightly longer walk the next day and continue
slowly building how long your walks are over time. After
you build this up for about 2 weeks, you can move into
gentle upper-body stretching or even take a postpartum
exercise class.

4. Be Careful If
Breastfeeding
Not every mother breastfeeds but if you are and you
want to get back into fitness, it’s important you’re even
more careful than usual. Weight loss shouldn’t be as
much of a concern the first few weeks after giving birth
until you’ve built up a stable milk supply. Some of the
weight will naturally disappear during the first few days
due to your body relishing the extra fluids it needed
while pregnant. It’s also important you eat correctly if
working out and breastfeeding, as breastfeeding mothers
need an additional 500 calories a day than non-
breastfeeding mothers.

5. Get Plenty of
Rest
Getting rest and not overexerting yourself is more
important than ever after having a baby. It’s easy to
become sleep-deprived after having a baby, especially if
your baby is waking up multiple times throughout the
night, not letting you get a full night’s sleep. If this is the
case, it’s important that you’re careful about overworking
yourself. Exercise does have the potential to provide you
with more energy but if your body is already lacking then
it’s more likely it will just add to your exhaustion.

6. Thanks!
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Dr. Lori Gore-Green
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@DrLoriGoreGreen
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