Feeling loose and flabby all over and weak in the abdomen after giving birth? The key to change is here...

Pregnant women can exercise, and postpartum women should also start exercising after their wounds have healed. It may seem like it’s just to maintain or restore your figure, but in fact, maintaining an exercise habit during pregnancy and after childbirth can save you from many possible troubles in the future!

Such as: "No gain of weight", "Reduced incidence of stretch marks", "Avoid postpartum urinary incontinence", "Avoid mother's hand", "No back and shoulder pain"... and most importantly, it can greatly improve "postpartum depression" and "new mother depression"!

You must pay attention to the three periods when women are prone to gain weight:

We see many mothers around us gain 10 kilograms after each birth and are troubled by the inability to lose weight. One of the reasons is that we all ignore the period of "growing fat cells"!

The following four periods are the most likely times for a woman’s fat cells to “increase” in her life:

"Once you have more fat cells, they will follow you for the rest of your life and you will never be able to do without them"!

There are two forms of fat cells: one is that the fat cells "become bigger", causing weight gain; the other is that the fat cells "increase" and cause weight gain. When you lose weight, the inside of fat cells will become empty and their size will decrease, but the number will not decrease. Therefore, women who have gone through the third trimester of pregnancy have more opportunities to grow fat cells than others. If they do not control it well, they will have many more fat cells in their bodies after giving birth.

Fat cells have another characteristic: they get hungry very easily!

After you lose weight, the fat cells are empty inside and start calling the brain to eat. As a result, your appetite becomes particularly strong and you always feel hungry. Excessive calorie intake causes your weight to go up like a balloon and it is very difficult to gain it back. Even if you succeed in losing weight, it is extremely easy to gain weight again.

When to resume exercise

After childbirth, regardless of whether you have recovered well or not, you must first consult your doctor whether you can start exercising. Usually, the physiological changes caused by pregnancy will continue until six weeks after delivery, so it is safer to start exercising "six weeks after delivery". But if it was a caesarean section, it will take more time to recover, and it is safe advice for doctors to restart exercise after three months.

But in fact, there are still exercises that mothers can practice in the first six weeks after delivery! It is recommended that mothers start with "walking" and "Kegel" exercises after giving birth.

Postpartum rectus abdominis separation test

During pregnancy, the rectus abdominis and the connecting connective tissue will be deformed as the uterus grows. After delivery, it is possible that the rectus abdominis will not return to the perfect condition of adolescence.

But there is still a measurement indicator to judge whether you have recovered well! It is recommended that you ask an experienced coach to help you do a "rectus abdominis test" before starting exercise. When the separation between the rectus abdominis muscles exceeds three fingers, exercise will increase the risk, so be sure to seek medical diagnosis and treatment.

Usually the rectus abdominis needs to recover within six weeks after delivery. If the space in the middle of the rectus abdominis is 1-2 finger widths (or within three fingers), it is normal. However, if the space in the middle of the rectus abdominis may reach 3-4 finger widths (or even wider), mothers are advised to seek evaluation from a rehabilitation specialist first. Because the rectus abdominis separation will lead to reduced supporting force, the body must turn to the muscles on both sides of the spine for help and compensation, causing the spine to bear more pressure than before. In addition to being prone to back pain, it is more likely to develop into disability problems in other parts of the body!

When the rectus abdominis and core muscles are unable to properly support the trunk, the internal organs may begin to compress the bladder, gradually making the "urinary incontinence" problem more serious! Therefore, recovery exercise is one of the maintenance methods!

As for how to detect the degree of rectus abdominis separation?

To do the rectus abdominis test, lie on your back with your knees bent and your shoulders slightly lifted off the ground.

Test from three points: below the navel, above the navel, and above the rectus abdominis. Usually the largest separation distance is near the navel.

Therefore, starting to develop a habit of exercise is the only way to stay in shape and healthy.

The first step of postpartum exercise: start doing more fascia massage

Because the mother has just recovered from pregnancy and has to hold the baby frequently and sit for a long time, her chest, back and hips are usually very tight. You can use fascia tools to press these parts more often.

Postpartum exercise step 2: walking and pelvic floor muscle exercise

Regardless of whether it is a natural birth or a caesarean section, don’t forget that walking is the most fundamental thing for human beings. Start by walking more! In order to restore the function of the pelvic floor muscles that bear a large amount of the weight of the uterus during pregnancy, we must start doing pelvic floor muscle exercises. The "clock contraction method" would be a good exercise.

Clock contraction method

Imagine a clock cutting horizontally through your pelvis. When lying on your back with your knees bent, the point close to the anus is 6 o'clock, close to the ceiling is 12 o'clock, close to the right hand is 3 o'clock, and close to the left hand is 9 o'clock.

The first step is to pull the muscles at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions together and keep them tightened; then pull the muscles at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions together.

Maintain the force for 10 seconds and then relax. Continue practicing several times.

The third step of postpartum exercise: start doing abdominal compression exercises

Start by using breathing exercises to reawaken your core abdominal muscles.

You can start doing abdominal compression exercises as soon as you think of it.

Step 4 of postpartum exercise: gradually resume normal exercise, focusing on the core muscles and pelvic floor muscles

After the mother starts to resume exercise, she can train her core and pelvic floor muscles and gradually restore her original movement pattern. There is no need for special contraindications (unless there are special pathological conditions).

Bridge pose + knee squeeze, exercise the buttocks and core at the same time, and strengthen the contraction of small muscles in the pelvis.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, and bring your heels close to your buttocks. You can touch your heels to the ground to concentrate more power on your buttocks. And place a roller or pillow between your feet.

Lift your hips until they are in line with your knees and shoulders. Remember to squeeze your hips inward, engage your core, and keep your feet and knees clamped on the roller. Then lower your hips and repeat 20 times.

Good habits that new mothers must develop

It is recommended to exercise at least three days a week, each time for 20 to 30 minutes.

The diet needs to be balanced and have enough calories to reach the basal metabolic rate (the minimum number of calories each person consumes in a resting state. If the calorie intake is insufficient, the body will activate its defense mechanism and begin to lower the basal metabolic rate, making it easier to accumulate fat and get fat), but not exceed the calories that may be consumed throughout the day after physical activity (basal metabolic rate multiplied by 1.2~1.4). If the mother is breastfeeding, she must consume 500 more calories per day.

Pay attention to your posture at all times and use fascial release tools (such as a roller) to perform fascial release every day.

This article comes from: Muscle Mom Blog

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