When it comes to getting back into working out after giving birth, everyone’s needs are different. For some new parents, walking to the bathroom a few times a day is enough exercise and honestly, we get it. Even once your body starts physically healing from labor, you now have a whole new baby to take care of. Who has the time to sneak off for a workout? Who has the energy??
Emma Lovewell gets it too. The Peloton fitness instructor welcomed her first child, Skylar, in August and has been taking her time returning to exercise (as she very well should). The influencer and author just posted her first post-baby workout to Instagram, and the caption contains a message every new parent needs to hear.
In the post, Lovewell notes that it’s considered a “general rule” that you can start working out at six weeks postpartum. Although, again, everyone is different; according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, it’s usually safe to begin exercising “a few days” after giving birth if you had a healthy pregnancy and normal vaginal delivery. If you had a C-section or complications, your doctor should advise you on the timeline.
But no matter when you get the green light, it doesn’t actually mean you have to start exercising right then. As Lovewell puts it, with a cheeky winking emoji: “you can wait longer.”
“I’m choosing to take my time,” the fitness expert explained, “but also excited about getting stronger.”
In the video, Lovewell moves through three different Peloton workouts — including one of her own, a 10-minute postnatal core class! — while little Skylar plays in her seat nearby. And for the record, Lovewell did find it “weird” to take her own class, “but I thought it was cute to show Sky her mama on the screen,” and well, we can’t argue with that!
And it was a good choice anyway, because rebuilding core strength is essential after a pregnancy. Your abdominal muscles have just spent nine-ish months stretching and lengthening to make space for your growing baby, and they naturally get weaker over that time. You might even experience diastasis recti, or separation of the abdominal muscles, which can cause back pain, constipation, and incontinence — none of which you need to deal with on top of a new baby.
Strengthening your core both before and during pregnancy, then gradually adding core work back in after giving birth, are the best ways to prevent this kind of condition, experts previously told SheKnows. Kayla Itsines, a personal trainer, founder of the super-popular Sweat app, and mom of two herself, recommends new moms focus on strengthening deep core muscles, aka the muscles that stabilize your trunk and core, like your diaphragm, pelvic floor, and transverse abdominis. “I’m talking about movements that are really slow and controlled or strength holds,” Itsines previously told SheKnows.
The gentle core exercises we see Lovewell doing at the beginning of her video are good examples: modified planks and bicycles and slow leg drops from side to side, all of which encourage core activation and strengthening without getting too dynamic.
And Lovewell’s attitude sets a great example too. “These were some of my first workouts since Sky was born (besides walking, hikes, and carrying a heavy AF car seat around),” the fitness pro wrote in the caption, and she was all positives afterwards. “I felt proud of myself for moving my body, no matter how short or simple it was. Feels good to sweat and move!”
Want more workouts? Check out these free yoga flows you can do at home: