How to feel your best postpartum
While bringing a new baby home is incredibly exciting, the postpartum period can be a challenging one for new mums. To help you feel your best during this time, Personal Trainer Keoghan Bellew from Fitness Superstore is here to provide you with some useful tips for prioritising your health and wellbeing.
Bringing your newborn baby home will no doubt be one of the most special moments of your life. There are so many things to enjoy during this time, from taking them on their first outing to seeing their first precious smile. New parents are of course completely overwhelmed with love for the new addition to the family during this period, meaning that it’s easy for them to neglect caring for themselves.
But as a new parent, your own wellbeing is just as important as your little one’s. Not only does taking care of your own health make it easier to look after the new addition, but feeling your best both mentally and physically will allow you to enjoy spending as much time as possible with your newborn so you can make plenty of happy memories.
Of course, when you have a whole new person to look after, taking care of yourself at the same time is easier said than done! If you’re looking for ways to feel the best you can postpartum, read on for tips to make prioritising your physical health and wellbeing feel more achievable.
Do what you love
When it comes to prioritising your own wellbeing, one of the most difficult things is finding the motivation. But this can be made easier if you make caring for your health enjoyable. As well as being a great form of motivation, this can also be a welcome mood boost, especially during the more challenging days of new parenthood.
One way to motivate yourself with things you enjoy is getting back into your favourite type of workout. Rather than forcing yourself to exercise in a way you don’t enjoy, find a way to get moving that lifts your mood, even if it doesn’t feel like a “real” workout. Dancing around the kitchen, doing the gardening, or taking your little one out in their stroller while listening to your favourite playlist or podcast are all great ways to get your heart rate up, and you’re sure to feel great afterwards. You may also want to find healthy and nutritious dishes which you really enjoy, like chicken soup, healthy vegetable curries, and high protein pasta bakes packed full of veggies.
Make your workouts fit your schedule
As parent of a newborn, you’ll find that your schedule is a lot different than it used to be. While previously it may have been easy to squeeze in a workout at anytime of day, now you have a new life to look after it can feel almost impossible to find the time. Although your schedule is a lot tighter, when you’re ready to start getting into an exercise routine again there are still a few handy tips for fitting workouts into your week.
One good way to find the time is to opt for very short workouts here and there. A five-minute run on the treadmill or a ten-minute aerobics class on YouTube still gets your body moving and heart pumping, plus taking it in short increments can be a great way to ease yourself back into it. If you prefer longer workouts, you could try a longer stint when your baby is asleep — although some new parents prefer to sleep or rest when the baby is sleeping. Alternatively, if your baby is content in their bouncer, you could exercise in front of them! That way you can get a longer workout in and keep an eye on your newborn at the same time.
Take it one step at a time
Having a child is a major life event, and as rewarding as it is, it can also take its toll. If you’ve given birth to your child your body has already been through a lot, not just during labour but for the whole nine months before. And for those who haven’t given birth, the drastic change of your daily schedule and the major lack of sleep is enough to wipe you out. So remember to take it slow when it comes to getting back to your health and fitness routine.
Rather than starting a new and intense fitness programme, ease yourself in by starting with low intensity exercises. Going for a walk is a great place to start, plus you can take your newborn with you and show them off to the world. Remember that every body is different, so only start doing more intense exercises when you feel ready to, whether this is six weeks or six months from now.
Find others in the same boat
Support can make the world of difference during this period, not just from your friends and family, but from people in the same situation from you. You may want to join a new parent’s group and ask them for advice on how they’re juggling caring for themselves and caring for their newborn. As well as giving you some handy tips, it can also help to know that you aren’t the only one struggling to strike the perfect balance.
If you’re looking to combine finding a new group of parents with taking care of your own health, you may be interested in joining an active baby and parent group. In these groups you can take your newborn along with you while you exercise in some form. These groups are becoming increasingly popular and there are a number of different types available. New parents walking groups and yoga groups can be great for those looking for something low impact, and you may be able to find more high impact options near you too, such as new parent buggy running groups.
Go easy on yourself
You go through a lot both mentally and physically during the postpartum period, so don’t forget this! Give yourself time to adjust to your new life and remember that it won’t always be smooth sailing, especially in the first few weeks and months. There will be times when your physical health isn’t a priority and your main focus is taking care of the new addition to the family.
So, don’t be hard on yourself if you haven’t established an exercise routine yet or you’ve been eating less fresh and nutrient-dense food than you usually do. Over time you will adjust and will be able to have more control over your health and wellbeing. But in the meantime, just do what you can and enjoy those first few months with your precious newborn.
Hopefully after reading this article, you can use these tips to feel the best that you can postpartum. For more advice on your new life as a parent, make sure to check out the rest of the articles at The Parenting Daily.
