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Postnatal Exercise Advice
2010-03-01
If you’ve just had a baby it is not advisable to start a running programme until your baby is six months old, longer if breast feeding.
The desire to lose weight and “feel like the old you again” gets many new mums running on the treadmill or round the block much too soon. This is inappropriate even for an experienced runner but so often undertaken by mums with no previous running experience wearing inappropriate footwear!!
Your joints are still vulnerable from the continued effects of relaxin and this increases the risk of injury, particularly to ankles and knees.
Your stretched, weakened pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles are unable to provide sufficient support for your bladder and uterus and this increases the risk of prolapse. Bigger breasts and postural changes will also affect your running gait.
Even if you’re lucky enough not to experience any problems at the time it doesn’t mean you’ve got away with it – unfortunately these may manifest themselves a few years down the line or increase your vulnerability in your next pregnancy.
This also applies if you were an experienced runner pre-pregnancy as these structural changes have happened to you too! Don’t forget you’ve had time off so start with intervals and build up gradually.
Our Pushy Mothers on the Run programme is ideal for helping experienced runners get back into it using drills and gait analysis and teaches novice runners correct running technique and muscle conditioning for a pain free run. Ask your instructor for details and let Pushy Mothers help you push to the next level.
