After giving birth, I set out on a mission to regain my core strength and restore my pelvic floor. The changes my body experienced during pregnancy were significant, and finding safe and effective postpartum exercises became essential.
But here's the most MIND BLOWING THING about postpartum core exercises... there's no such thing as a "safe" exercise.
Let's talk about why 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Understanding Core and Pelvic Floor Health
Research shows that approximately 50% of women experience pelvic floor disorders post-birth, which highlights the importance of exercising cautiously.
Focusing on gentle, low-impact movements allows moms like us to rebuild strength without the risk of injury (hellloooo huge WIN🥇).
Low-impact recovery exercises not only help improve physical health, but also can help new moms adapt to their new routine as a mother - aka feedings every two hours, barely time to shower and running on little sleep!
What makes a core exercise "safe" - we need to assess: during exercise do you feel fatigue, leakage of urine, back pain, hip pain, pelvic pain or feelings of "fullness" in your vagina? If yes 👉🏼 that exercise is NOT safe ❌.
Regardless of your birth experience or fitness level, here is where I recommend ALL new moms start 👇🏼
Starting with Breathing Exercises
When we're pregnant, as the baby grows our big bellies encroach on our lung space and prevent our lungs from descending down as we inhale. Because of this, during pregnancy (and postpartum if we don't correct it) most women breathe into their shoulders and neck.
This breathing pattern is associated with "fight or flight" breathing pattern and contributes to stress (just what you wanted, right 😜). This breathing pattern can also contribute to headaches, back pain and a "mom pooch" that won't go away no matter how hard you diet or exercise.
Because of this, it is CRUCIAL to start addressing your breathing patterns before diving into more involved core exercises.
Here's how to do it: lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, placing both hands on either side of your lower rib cage. Inhale deeply while feeling your rib cage expand in all directions. Then as you exhale, fully exhale while gently drawing in your abdominal muscles.
This technique helps moms reconnect with their core and prepared their bodies for more strengthening exercises. Not only is it relaxing, but diaphragmatic breathing lays the groundwork for later pelvic floor workouts.
Gentle Core Exercises
Once you feel comfortable with breathing techniques, you can add gentle core exercises. Here are two that I find particularly effective:
1. Dead bug
To build core stability, the dead bug is a great start. Lie on your back with hips flexed and to 90 degrees + knees bent. Inhale while lowering one foot down to tap the ground gently, then exhale and return to starting position. This video will walk you through it 🥳.
2. Heel Slides
Heel slides became another great addition for challenging core stability without straining my pelvic floor. While on your back, gradually slide one heel along the floor, keeping the core engaged throughout. Here's a video to show you how!!
Some Advice : Establish a Routine
Creating a consistent routine is vital to see progress. I recommend dedicating specific times each week to focus on my core and pelvic floor workouts. This could be first thing in the morning, after a feeding, during tummy time or any consistent time that works for you.
If finding a routine feels like a challenge, my FREE Hack Your Habits Guide can help 👏🏼.
The Path to Strength and Recovery
If you're feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start, my Strong AF program was designed for moms like you to restore their core postpartum in just five minutes for less than a dollar a day!
Strengthening your core and pelvic floor postpartum can LITERALLY be life-changing, and help you work your way back up to that Orange Theory class you used to enjoy so much pre-baby 😘 💪🏼. Remember, every woman's experience is different, so don't put too much pressure on yourself!!