Jaclyn Bonder, medical director for Women's Health Rehabilitation at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine Center, said women should be monitored by a health-care provider as they restart an exercise regimen.
Tips for returning to fitness after pregnancy.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Many postpartum women are confused about how to safely return to fitness
- A woman should make sure all post-delivery bleeding has stopped
- For aerobic activity, begin with low-impact exercises such as walking
Even after their doctor has cleared them to exercise, many postpartum women are confused about how to safely return to fitness. For his clients, Crossfit coach and physical therapist Ryan Smith first evaluates their fitness levels and goals before, during and after giving birth. "There's a wide range of what women want, from simply feeling fit and healthy to running marathons," he says. "We set up milestones for measurement from there."
For instance, when can the patient run and jump without incontinence? Is her diastasis recti responding to treatment by getting smaller and shallower, or staying the same? "In an evaluation, I have women break down the movements they need to complete the exercises they want to do, whether aerobic activity or strength training," he says. "It's all about giving women the tools they need to improve and not normalize the conditions they experience postpartum."
Even after their doctor has cleared them to exercise, many postpartum women are confused about how to safely return to fitness.
Photo Credit: iStock
Jaclyn Bonder, medical director for Women's Health Rehabilitaion at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine Center, said women should be monitored by a health-care provider as they restart an exercise regimen.
Here are some recommendations:
- A woman should make sure all post-delivery bleeding has stopped and any tearing healed before even thinking about resuming exercise. This can range from 10 days to six weeks in some cases.
- For a Caesarean section, look for incision healing and minimal abdominal pain, generally requiring six to eight weeks.
- A good starting point for rebuilding stretched and weakened muscles is to focus on core strengthening exercises. They should emphasize deep-core muscles - those in the abdomen and back - and pelvic floor muscles, such as pelvic tilts, hip bridges and toe taps.
- For aerobic activity, begin with low-impact exercises such as walking, which in nice weather can easily be done with a newborn, elliptical training or swimming.
Some healthy eating tips to keep in mind to recover from pregnancy:
- A protein-rich diet is extremely important. Include milk, eggs, chicken, legumes, cottage cheese in your diet
- Plenty of water and other fluid are also important. Some other fluid other than water can be coconut water, lime water and fresh fruit juices
- Adequate fiber is also essential for a healthy diet. Therefore, eat lots and lots of fruits and veegtables
- Limit processed and junk food as they provide no nutritional value
- Also limit the intake of alcohol and caffeine
(With inputs from Washington Post)
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
