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Did you just have a baby and want to work out again? Follow my postpartum fitness tips for new moms to jump back into your new workout routine with ease. These tips are perfect for anyone starting a new fitness routine!
Losing weight after having my children has not been easy. A lot of people told me the pounds would just come off just by breastfeeding.
Ha. They were wrong.
If you got lucky and lost weight breastfeeding, great! But for many women like me we have to work hard to get the scale to move and get back into our pre-baby jeans.
Getting back into an exercise routine can be hard, especially after a baby. Check out my postpartum fitness tips for new moms below, but this is a perfect checklist for anyone beginning a new exercise routine that may not have been consistent before.
Postpartum Fitness Tips for New Moms
Talk to Your Doctor
Yep, that’s right. Those “Talk to your physician before beginning any exercise regimen” warnings are now for you.
Your body did something absolutely amazing but it might also not be the same as before. You could have a condition called diastasis recti or just not be fully healed whether it’s post C-Section or vaginal delivery. There are so many different reasons you might not be able to start a workout so it’s best to get cleared by your doctor first.
If it’s at your six week postpartum checkup or you’re getting a physical with your primary care physician, make your appointment and get the green light to hit the gym.
Start Slowly
Jumping back into a fitness routine doesn’t mean doing exactly what you did before. Start off slow. Start off with walking or something super low impact. Don’t grab those heavy weights you used to lift just yet. Work your way into it!
And I say “start slowly” with good intent. Jumping in heavy and hard can cause an injury. With beginning any new routine, especially after delivering a baby, you don’t want to do too much too soon. Listen to your body!
Because you’re just starting, doing a simple ten minute treadmill walk is a great way to start. You can add a few minutes every time you go and work up to doing a more challenging cardio routine. You can begin doing some wall push-ups instead of hitting the floor until you’re strong enough and ready to go further.
Stretch!
Before and after any workout, stretch! Your muscles will thank you! It also feels realllllly good to stretch after a particularly sweaty workout.
Stay Consistent
A mild, daily workout will do more for your fitness than one hard workout each week. Instead of focusing on your effort, focus on making it to the gym regularly or doing your home workout using my favorite YouTube channels.
When I first started, I made a plan to go 3 times a week and most weeks I have stuck it out! Even when I’m not feeling it after a rough night dealing with a teething baby who refuses to sleep, I go and jump on the stationary bike. The stationary bike is also great for scrolling Facebook if you want to. No judgment. I’ve been there. It’s called balance, right?!
Get Active with Your Baby
Taking the baby for a walk whether in a stroller or while babywearing is a great way to get back into an exercise routine. I also love the following video on YouTube for a babywearing workout!
Do a quick Google search to find if there are local mom meetups like Stroller Strides in your area. That’s a great way to meet other moms, connect and find a buddy system to stay motivated.
Keep it Fun with a Buddy
If staying motivated is really hard for you, find a workout buddy to keep each other motivated. If you know someone else is relying on you, you’ll be a little more motivated to complete a workout.
You can find more tips here to stay motivated and keep your workout fun.
Do Something You Like
Look, I hate running. And I hate burpees especially after my last neck injury.
You know what? I don’t have to do another burpee or run a mile if I don’t want to. I’m an adult and if I want cake for breakfast I can have it and if I don’t want to run I absolutely don’t have to.
Yeah, there are benefits to those workouts but there are more fun things to do too. Like dance! Or I love doing workout videos on YouTube because they’re just much more fun in my opinion. Do something you like to do. If HIIT is your thing with a trainer, do it! Love to run because you can see great results? Do it!
Mix It Up
Don’t do the same routine over and over and over. It won’t be beneficial in the long run. I like to keep my workouts fun using the machines at the gym, weights, videos and some at home workouts while the kids are napping or doing quiet time.
Pay Attention to Your Diet
If weight loss is your ultimate goal, you can do all the workouts every single day but nothing will change if you don’t pay attention to what you’re eating.
I was not seeing the scale move at all until I started adopting a low carb approach to my diet. It’s not Keto because I am breastfeeding, but I follow some Keto dinner meals and limit my carbs to 75-100 a day without sacrificing my milk supply.
Join MyFitnessPal and track your food. Remember to add more calories to your total if you’re exclusively breastfeeding to maintain your supply.
Track Your Progress
Personally, I think photos are a great way to track progress but I also love love love seeing those numbers move. At the beginning of every month I take my measurements, track my body fat percentage and weigh myself. I don’t like to do it too often because sometimes not seeing the numbers budge is detrimental to my journey.
I have a little notebook that I keep track of all of my numbers and do the math monthly. The summer hasn’t been kind to me, but I still lost two inches overall and 3lbs. That’s a step in the right direction! Doing it weekly just wouldn’t be worth my while, but if it helps you, do it!
Getting back into a rhythm at the gym or at home can be easy with a little bit of planning, hard work and motivation. Have you recently started working out after baby? What has your experience been?
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