10 Tips to get More Exercise as a New Parent
How to MAKE MOVEMENT A MORE ACHIEVABLE AND REALISTIC PART OF YOUR DAY!
It can be hard to find the time to train the way you’d like to or the way you’ve exercised in the past, when you’re a parent. The demands of caring for children are tremendous and there never seems to be enough down-time for a workout!
If you’ve had a baby less than 3 months ago, we highly encourage you to focus on some rehabilitation work. Learning how to improve breathing mechanics, connect to your pelvic floor, finding those lower ab muscles and inviting them to start working again is SO important for a new mama. We also highly recommend an appointment with a pelvic floor physiotherapist, regardless of your mode of delivery, to be sure you’re all good for the exercise you might want to do in the future. At the same time, you can check out our Free Guide to Gently Moving your Body in the first few weeks after Birth. Most people are ready to start Fitmama Strong classes around 8 to 12 weeks postpartum, and some may be ready to start earlier, but that is less common. We find that when our members focus on proper rest, recovery and rehab in the first few weeks or months postpartum, they experience a smoother transition back into regular exercise. If you need more help and guidance on how to navigate those early weeks, please reach out!
Our Top 10 Tips to get More Exercise as a New Parent
1. Register for a class that’s designed for postpartum bodies and one that includes your baby
Our Babywearing Fitness classes, Stroller Strong Classes or Express Strong Online classes are perfect for this since your little one can be involved in the entire workout! Wearing your baby will reduce fussiness, minimize crying and often the movement puts them to sleep. Having your hands free when babywearing allows you to include free weights to build upper and lower body strength. Fun fact: Babywearing actually uses less energy than carrying your little one in your arms!
2. Embrace shorter workouts
Lots of science and research supports the benefits of shorter workouts. You don’t need to spend hours in a traditional gym to get great results! Our Live Online Classes are only 30 minutes and require no travel time. They’re a great way to sneak in a workout while your baby sleeps and are always included in our special series passes! Bonus: All of your family members can join in if they want to! We often see partners and older kiddos taking advantage of our workouts with their mamas.
3. Walk, walk, walk
Build up to 30 minutes of walking most days, if not every day. Those of you who have a dog have an advantage! We recognize this is harder to do in the winter months, but there are indoor tracks throughout the region and the local mall (think babywearing at the mall to make it a little harder!) is a great option too, just leave your credit card at home! Pro tip: When you run your errands park further away, take the stairs or wear your baby. Take your next phone call standing up and walking around (a great suggestion for those who are back to work!).
4. Adjust your expectations and enjoy a “good enough” workout
You’re not typically in the season of heavy lifts and personal bests during your first year postpartum. However, if you start now, you’ll be ready for more challenging workouts later! Also if you have little people underfoot, you can expect a lot of interruptions. That is totally normal! Pro Tip: Have snacks, water and other high request items for little ones, ready before you workout. Create a separate workout space for your kiddo to follow along. Our littlest members love connecting with their Fitmama Coaches and showing us how strong they are!
Remember prioritizing your needs doesn’t mean “me first” it just means “me too”.
— FITMAMA STRONG OTTAWA
5. Find a trainer that specializes in postpartum fitness, including pelvic floor health and diastasis recti
This is highly specialized training that goes beyond “do a kegal”. So you’ll definitely want someone who understands body mechanics, pressure management and how to adjust each workout to meet your needs (even in a group environment). Need Help? Be sure to ask your instructor. We’re here to help you safely and effectively move your body in the prenatal and postpartum period!
6. Be a priority and add your workouts to the family calendar
You’re allowed to be on the list! Schedule each workout and treat it the same as you would if your were meeting with your boss or had a date with your partner. If it's important to you, it will get done (and it will become important to others as well!). Priority: Remember prioritizing your needs doesn’t mean “me first” it just means “me too”.
7. Plan to fail… and have a back up plan in place
What will you do if your baby sleeps late, is sick or you have a workout scheduled but a personal appointment conflicts with your class time? How will you get your workout in?? Having a good back-up plan is key. When kids were smaller my back up was a home workout or a stroller walk vs a visit to the gym (gosh, I WISH I had the option to go to a live workout online back then!!). Eventually, the gym membership was just a donation and we dropped it, but I continue to reap the benefits of my home workouts! LOVE: Yay for 30 minute Express Classes!
8. Find a buddy
Maybe that's your partner (we often have our members’ partners join us online - it makes for a fun date night!). Also, you’re practically guaranteed to meet a new mama friend in our classes! Familiar faces are looking forward to seeing you every week and getting to know you. And your coaches look for your reservation each week! We track attendance for each class, which can be helpful, knowing we’re keeping tabs on you! Fun Fact: when my kids were older and able to stay on their own for an hour, my husband and I used to attend a Sunday morning fitness class together and then stop for a coffee on the way home. It was THE BEST!
9. Know your WHY
My dad died of heart disease when he was 56 (I was 21). I wish he was still here to know me and my family, but he’s not. I refuse to put my own family through this and I know that by exercising and staying fit, I drastically lower the risk of heart disease for me - especially when I know some of my risk is genetic. Also, parenting can be SUCH a struggle. Workouts are often the ONLY way to a better mood, less frustration and more patience with the people I love. Because I know how essential my workouts are to my mental AND physical health I ALWAYS find a way. It’s not always pretty, it’s not always perfect and I don’t always want to do it. But I ALWAYS feel better afterwards!
10. Invest in your health
Put a little skin in the game to help incentivize you to move more. There is no value in free. Its too easy to quit, pass it off and skip it. Remember, people are more likely to use the things they pay for. Incentive: We price our passes so that many people can access our classes, but recognize that the more you need to give up, the more committed you are to attending!
Finally, remember, a little bit of movement is better than nothing at all! We want to encourage you to ditch the “all or nothing” mindset that is so prevalent in our thoughts around what success looks like - especially around exercise. Be kind and gentle to yourself and do your best. Our goal at Fitmama Strong is to help support you as you cultivate the art of showing up! Remember, consistency is the most important muscle we want to see you flex!
Interested in joining us? Our classes are a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Ottawa has been operating classes in the National Capital Region since 2005. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.
We offer Prenatal Fitness classes, live from our virtual studio. Our 30 minute live, online Express classes our our On-Demand library of pre-recorded workouts are a favourite for busy mamas who enjoy consistency in their workout regime. Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness in a central location. We can’t wait to have you join us!
We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus (Formerly FITMOM Ottawa)