Exercise is a crucial part of the recovery process after childbirth. It not only helps you get back in shape, it also helps your body heal faster and more effectively.

Exercise promotes healing, improves circulation, reduces swelling, and increases endorphins. It also reduces stress levels and helps with post-birth mood swings or depression.

Regular exercise during the postpartum period has both physical and psychological benefits. It can improve sleep patterns, elevate energy levels, and boost self-esteem.

It’s important to note that you don’t have to start with a high-intensity workout right away. Start slowly and gradually increase your exercise routine as you become more comfortable. Make sure to listen to your body: if something doesn’t feel right, stop!

Physical therapy is an effective way to recover from pregnancy and childbirth. We specialize in personalized treatment plans for new mothers. Allow us to help you enjoy your time with your newborn without worrying about postpartum recovery.

As you do begin to exercise, it is important to listen to your body and if you feel pain at any point, make sure to stop and see a doctor about the pain you are experiencing. It is key that you stay active and exercise after giving birth, and in this blog we will give you some exercises and tips to help you stay happy and healthy so you can enjoy your time with the baby!

Exercises You Can Do To Help With Postpartum Recovery

Again, exercise is an excellent way to help you in the recovery process after giving birth. We do not recommend high impact workouts when you are in postpartum, but there are ways that you can stay active while recovering. Here are types of exercises that we find helpful for mothers after pregnancy: 

1. Pelvic Floor Strengthening Exercises:

The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and aid in urinary and fecal continence as well as sexual function. It is common for these muscles to weaken during pregnancy and childbirth, leading to issues like incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Doing simple exercises that target the pelvic floor can help strengthen it back up again. This can be done by squeezing your pelvic floor muscles as if you are trying to stop yourself from urinating or passing gas, holding them tight for 10 seconds before releasing. Repeat this 10 times. it is important to make sure you are fully relaxing between each contraction as these muscles should fully relax. As you get stronger, increase the length of time you hold each squeeze for up to 30 seconds at a time.

2. Wall Squats:

After giving birth, many women have weakened glute muscles due to prolonged inactivity. Wall squats are an easy and effective way to strengthen the glutes and surrounding muscles. Stand with your back against a wall and place your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly bend your knees until they reach a 90 degree angle. Hold this position for 10 seconds before returning to starting position. Repeat 10 times, increasing the duration as you get stronger.

3. Lying Knee Raises

Lying knee raises are designed to help strengthen both abdominal muscles and hip flexors. To perform this exercise, begin by lying on your back (again with the exercise mat) and bring both knees up to your chest. Hold this position for five seconds before slowly extending one leg towards the ceiling while simultaneously lowering the opposite one towards the floor. Make sure to keep a slow and steady pace to maximize your results. Repeat 10 times per set and do 3-5 sets per day for best results.

4. Core Strengthening:

Your core muscles are a key component of postpartum recovery, providing stability and support for the whole body. To strengthen them, you can do exercises like planks, side planks, Russian twists, bird/dog pose and mountain climbers. Start slowly with one set of 10 repetitions each exercise, gradually increasing the number of sets and reps as your strength improves. Don’t forget to engage your core during any other exercises too!

5. Cardio:

To help burn calories and boost your overall fitness levels, aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio a day. Swimming, jogging and cycling are all great options that can be done with a baby in tow too!

6. Yoga/Stretching:

Stretching and yoga can help improve flexibility, reduce stress and ease any lingering pain from childbirth. Try starting off with 10 minutes each day of gentle stretches and poses that focus on back bends, hip openers and chest openers. As you become more familiar with the moves, increase the duration as desired. Make sure to stop immediately if anything causes discomfort or pain.

These are all things that you can be doing to ensure that you are taking care of the body after the stress put on it during pregnancy and giving birth. Exercise is vital to staying healthy and if you are struggling with finding ways to stay active, come see us and our team can help you!

If you are recovering after childbirth and have questions or want help with treatment, come visit us…

Physical therapy is a great way to help you during postpartum recovery. We want to help you with a treatment plan so that you can enjoy time with your newborn. We understand that you will have very little time to try to come up with the best plan of care after birth. So, let us help by coming in and seeing our team!

We want to help, so contact our Arvada location today to schedule a time to come see us.  Contact our team or schedule a free postpartum assessment so we can start to work together to find a treatment plan just for you.

All you need to do is tell us a bit about what’s going on through this quick form and we will have a conversation about how we may be able to help.

You can also give us a call at (720) 722-0685. 

See you soon,

Dr. Casey

Other Free Resources That Discuss The Importance Of Strengthening Your Core

Free Guide – Postpartum Recovery

Read our blog – Exercises That Can Help Strengthen Your Core

Check us out on social media – Empower PT + Pilates Facebook / Empower PT + Pilates Instagram