Postnatal Restore - Return to Exercise

Did you know that food can have a huge impact on how you recover? Making sure you fuel yourself with enough protein and the right antioxidants, vitamins, fibre and more can all impact how your body recovers after giving birth. One of my favourite breakfasts is a chia pudding, as you can make a big batch and leave it in the fridge for a few days making it a quick meal when you don’t have lots of time. You can add your own combination of fruit, nuts and seeds on the top as well. Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, fibre, antioxidants, protein, iron and calcium. For a basic pudding, mix (or blend) 4 tablespoons of chia seeds with 250ml of nut or coconut milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Do you practice mindfulness? When we have children it is hard to find the time and space we need to be mindful. However, adding in five minutes of mindfulness each day can have a dramatic impact on your mental health and energy levels. Mindfulness can come in so many different forms – it could be going for a walk in the fresh air, sitting in a bath relaxing or closing your eyes and trying to focus on your breathing. See if you can add five minutes of mindfulness each day this week and notice how you feel? My Postnatal Program helps to encourage you to practice movement mindfully as we workout. You also have access to a meditation that you could do when baby falls asleep on you or you have five minutes to yourself. Head over to my website (link in bio) for more information.

There are so many functional movements that we should practice during our recovery, to bring us strength both on the mat, but also into our everyday life. My postnatal classes focus on these movement patterns, so that we work our whole body in a safe and efficient way. Being able to hinge safely at the hips is of great importance to us when we are bending down to pick up baby, or their toys or even to put our shoes on. We want to make sure that we don’t put any undue stress on our back, that we engage our abdominals and glutes to help maintain our long spine and to lift us back up to standing. If you want to learn more about safe movement practices or to get moving yourself, please visit my website (link in bio) where you can find out more about my Postnatal Program.

Prolapse is a condition where organs fall down or slip out of their place. This diagram shows the most common types of pelvic organ prolapse. It is estimated that at least half of women who have more than one child have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse! It is important to note that prolapse can also occur in the months AFTER childbirth, from over exertion or returning to running or high impact exercise too soon. Rehabilitating your body after childbirth to help address or prevent prolapse is crucial. My Postnatal Program was designed to help you find a safe way to return to exercise after giving birth, with low impact exercise in mind, that will still strengthen the whole body. Please visit my website (link in bio) for more information. If you have any symptoms such as heaviness in your va**na, a lump or bulge, aching, pain during in*******se, urinary incontinence, bowel problems or backache, it is worth having a check up with a doctor.