When Can You Come Back to the Gym After Labor?

Women are rarely satisfied with their physical shape after labor. There was hardly ever a novice mother that didn’t promise herself to get fit as soon as possible. However, not all of them keep their promise. Raising a child is not an easy thing to do, and it’s normal that you may not have the time and resources for the gym.

But if your life circumstances allow you, and you’re burning with the desire to go back to the gym or start your relationship with sports if you weren’t into it before, do it! Of course, the first question will be "when can you start?" There’s no universal answer for everybody, everything depends on the details of your labor.

Natural Labor Without Ruptures and Incisions

If you were lucky to have natural labor, without any injuries, you can start almost at once, as soon as you feel ready. There are special exercises that can even be performed right after labor. They help pelvic, chest and spine muscles restore, after the hard work they’ve done.

In two weeks after labor, you can have a little workout at home, if the amount of postpartum discharge has reduced. To go through a full workout in a gym, four to six weeks should pass. If you feel pelvic pain or other discomforts, you should consult your doctor before you start.

Natural Labor with Ruptures or Incisions

In this case, you can start any exercises no earlier than a month after labor. You shouldn’t start without the doctor’s approval. During the first month after this period, your only exercises should be warming up at home and nothing harder. If everything goes well, after this month you can go to the gym.

Labor with C-section

Regardless of the fact that C-section seems easier than natural labor, the process of recovery after it will take much longer. Your physical activity will have to wait for 1.5 to two months. Then you should go to your doctor, have a pelvic ultrasound exam, and only if everything is fine, you can start.

Start from easy warm-ups and carefully work on your pelvic muscles to help them recover. You shouldn’t go to the gym earlier than four months after the labor. Dangerous in this case is not the physical strain itself, but the sudden boost of it. You should come to the gym already prepared, and you can do this at home.

If you don’t feel very excited about training at home, and don’t think it can be effective, you are wrong. It’s the simplest way to get your body prepared for future gym exercises. And they can help you lose some weight too if you are persistent. You don’t need to think about who to leave your baby with, and can do it anytime you find it convenient.

If your conditions don’t allow you starting your workouts right now, there’s still a physical activity you can do—it’s walking. How insignificant this may sound, it is really helpful. Long walks outside with a stroller is what you need. You can buy a fitness tracker, and count your steps to help you get motivated. 10,000 steps a day is a healthy amount of physical activity.

There are even exercises that you can do while your baby isn’t asleep, together with the child. It will be great fun for the child, and will contribute to your bonding. Later, as your child grows, it will be very good to make him or her friendly with sports, and show your own good example. Where there is a will, there is a way; there’s nothing impossible for a person who is committed to reaching their goal.