5 tips to help you with fitness postpartum
Postpartum is a wild ride. First and foremost know that you are doing great! You’re not alone and that it is hard!
Whether this is your first, second, third, fourth or more, postpartum is a rollercoaster of emotions, feelings, challenges and brand new experiences. But it is such a special time for you and your baby. Please remember that you are all your baby needs. You are enough. You’ve got this!
I believe society does place far too much pressure of mums in the postpartum phase, to ‘bounce back’ physically and emotionally, to look like you did before having a baby, to keep the house clean and tidy, keep up with the washing (absolutely does not happen in my house), to want to go back to work, to work full-time and be the default parent, to cook healthy meals, to stay active and exercise, to get a good nights sleep every night, to be a good mother, wife, partner, employee, sister, friend etc.
That list is exhausting! And quite frankly, impossible.
With both my two babies and postpartum experience, I found family dynamics and the lack of time the most challenging things to deal with.
Staying active and keeping up with my fitness was a priority to me, so I tried to find to incorporate a few habits into my everyday that I normally do to help me physically and mentally feel ‘normal’, and allow me to feel strong again.
These habits are nothing new or magical, but with consistency and patience, will help you in your fitness journey postpartum too:
Increase your water intake - water helps keep your mind and body hydrated, enables you to concentrate on tasks and for longer, keeps your digestive system working efficiently and enables vital vitamins and minerals to be transported around the body as they should
Hit your step count - whatever your daily step count is, achieve that every day! Consistency is the key here. Making sure you are active everyday will boost your mental health, burn extra calories, whilst also improving your self-esteem and confidence, as your prove to yourself you can do this!
Nutrition is your priority - I know it can be so easy to just grab whatever food is quick and easy postpartum, I’ve been there with takeaways, air fryer food and Cook meals but nutrition plays a vital role in all fitness goals. Focus on having protein at each and every meal and fruit or veg on your plate. Make those two things a priority and a habit first, then you can start to tweak other things
Be consistent - I can’t emphasise this enough, this is what will allow you or stop you from achieving your goals. It won’t happen overnight, it won’t happen in a month. If you won’t long term results, you need to stick at it! Especially postpartum with hormone levels changing all the time, lack of sleep which enables recovery and everything else you have going on, it takes time!
Be kind to yourself - postpartum is a rollercoaster, it is a challenge. And it definitely does not last 6-8 weeks after you’ve had a baby, like the GP check up has us believe. Postpartum lasts for YEARS after you’ve had a baby, so allow yourself healing time, time to recover, time to make new habits and routines. Most importantly, give yourself time to soak up all the newborn snuggles and milestones, allow yourself to embrace the new you and your motherhood journey
You’re not alone in postpartum, keep going each and every day, show up for yourself and your kids. You’ve got this Mama!
Side note these tips are not just for postpartum, they’re for everyday, they’re for you.