Tommy’s: How To Return To Exercise After Giving Birth
At Tommy’s, the UK’s leading baby charity and the owner & organiser of London Landmarks Half Marathon, we often get asked by our runners at what point they should return to exercise after giving birth. Therefore, we sat down with two of our Tommy’s midwives, Deirdre de Barra and Amina Hatia, who kindly shared their advice on important things to remember as you start your journey back into exercise…
Exercising after giving birth is an individual process, every woman’s body reacts differently so please bear that in mind when planning activities. You can start gentle movements after giving birth as soon as you feel ready: walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises for example are great ways of easing your body back in. Getting a walk in outside is also great for your mental wellbeing, it can be a tough time having a newborn, so some fresh air is a great way to clear the mind.
For higher impact exercise it is advisable to wait a little longer, your 6 week check up is a great time to talk to your midwife about returning to this. If you were exercising regularly before birth then you may be able to return to exercise sooner, but remember to just listen to your body and know when to stop if needed.
There can be pressure on losing your pregnancy weight after birth, whether you worry about this or not, the best way forward is taking small steps to being healthy, both physically and mentally. Finding some form of routine with eating habits, sleep and exercise, can all contribute to getting your body in the shape you want it. Give yourself time and listen to your body, it’s been through a lot!
Rest is an important part of looking after your body after birth and will help you recover. When you feel ready to begin exercising again, it is important to also prioritise rest and to not overdo it. It’s important to slow down if you feel very tired, as you may be overdoing it. Your postnatal bleeding may get heavier or change colour (becomes pink or red) after activity. If this happens, it’s important to check with your midwife, health visitor or GP as you could be pushing yourself too much.
It’s important to remember that, after birth, your lower back and core abdominal muscles may become weaker, pelvic floor exercises become vital here. Ligaments and joints are also more supple and flexible for a few months after giving birth, so going back to basics with your movements is a great way to build a foundation for your body again.
If you had a C- section, then please check with your doctor or midwife about returning to exercise. Please don’t rush yourself back into action as your body might not be ready as quickly as you’d like it to be.
Our final bit of advice? When retuning to exercise after giving birth a useful tool to use is the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion). This is a scale from 1-10 of how hard you feel you’re working. A sprint for example would be a 10. When getting back into exercise, the recommended RPE would be 4-6, this can be built up over time once your fitness and strength begins to return. This a great tool for you to use, it removes all pressure from your run or workout and is a true guide of how you’re feeling during the exercise.
*advice based on current guidelines, dated 24 January 2024