GETTING FIT AFTER PREGNANCY: The first six weeks

The first six weeks after your child is born is a time of lots of change in your life. You are bonding with this new family member, trying to recover from childbirth and get enough sleep! You’d like to start exercising again but you’re not sure of when you can start and what you can and can’t do. Below is a timetable for exercise the first six weeks after birth.

You can start doing exercise just a few hours after giving birth, even if you’ve had a C-section. The first exercise you will do is deep belly breathing. This is a good way to start to tighten up your adominal area. You can also continue to do your kegel exercises. You want to keep your pelvic muscles strong!

Continue the deep belly breathing and kegel exercises for the first two weeks after giving birth. After the second week, you can start taking short and easy walks. The walks can be anywhere from 5-15 minutes long. Keep them gentle and do what you feel you can do. If you experience any pain, dizziness, fatigue or an increase in bleeding, stop the exercise and check with your doctor or mid-wife.

Weeks 4 through 6 you’ll want to maintain your routine of short and gentle walks. Don’t rush yourself. Give yourself the time you need to slowly see progress, especially if you’ve had a C-section.

Remember, gentle exercise will aid in healing and improve your mood! Stay tuned for exercises you can incorporate in the second 6 weeks.

By Nancy Karabaic, owner of High Energy Fitness © Copyright 1999 High Energy Fitness Nancy C. Karabaic. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.