BUILDING STRENGTH POST NATAL

Let me make this clear from the beginning; your post-natal recovery is one of the most important things you will do for yourself and something which you need to make sure you find time for. I see far to many women later in life with big issues which have resulted from not addressing their post-natal recovery. “I’ve never been right since I had my baby 6-years ago” was something a client said to me recently. This isn’t how it’s meant to be and you can absolutely feel really good, pain-free and strong again. 

I have two babies and at the time of writing this they are 9 months and 3. Whilst I had trained in pre and post natal Pilates in the past, nothing trained me quite like carrying, birthing and recovering from my own babies.

The physical demands placed on your body as you adapt to your growing baby, and the marathon of a session during birth, means that for most of us, we’re left with a body which feels seriously out of whack for sometime afterwards. Whether that be hip pain, lower back pain, pelvic floor dysfunction or even neck pain (this was me!). 

Add to this a lack of sleep (did you know that a lack of sleep dehydrates your tissues?) and a lack of time and it makes prioritising yourself in any way super difficult. And let’s be honest you really want to fit into your clothes. Not because you don’t want to honour that your body has done this amazing thing and that it has changed it, but mostly because it’s super annoying to buy new clothes and to try and figure out a style which suits this new body. 

You must spend time finding a balanced and pain free body before you build strength
If you start strengthening a system which isn’t balanced you’re training in, in-balance. You’re making this in-balance last longer and cause more issues long term. You must find balance and ease in your body before you train strength in. 

Your body needs time to find it’s way back
You can’t force this. It needs to find it’s balance and space again and your movement needs to enable it to re-discover it’s efficient patterns again. Post birth does not mean you’re your pre-baby self again movement wise. Try not to fight yourself, be cross at yourself when you meet restrictions, and instead move with a sense of curiosity. Think of your initial post-natal journey like rehab for your entire body. 

Your pelvis is key to your physical wellbeing 
Whether I’m working with a post-natal client or someone in pain of any kind, I always start at the pelvis. When the pelvis is balanced you’re on a winning streak with the rest of the body. 

Your pelvis has had to change enormously in pregnancy and even more during your labour (your pelvis gets wider and wider and your baby engages) so it’s not surprising that it will take some time for it to find this balance again. But movement can majorly help this along if done in the right way. 

You don’t need much time
I created my Post Natal Recovery series to address all of this, to show you what I’ve learned with my own body and through my teaching experience. I wanted to keep it simple so it was achievable despite all the “to-dos” in your life. 

4 x 20-min classes you can do no matter how exhausted you are. They are slow, considered, breath focused and will build balance throughout your body, restore your pelvic floor, help your pelvis and lower back feel released and when you’re ready, lead you neatly into any class you want to do. 

I came back to these movements time and time again. Yes I got frustrated that they were slow. Yes I wanted to do more hiit but I was patient and then it came back. My abdominals healed, my pain reduced, I stopped leaking when I jumped and then I knew that it was time. Now 9 months in I feel ready to take on any movement challenge. In fact I’ve just started Pip’s 10-Day Challenge and it’s amazed me how my body is now welcoming the challenge and not fighting it. 

You can view this plan as a member on any of our membership plans!

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By Nic Lenny 
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The MoveBetter.TV powerhouse. Nic is profoundly committed to helping people not only learn to move better, stronger and with more fluidity, but every day feel better and live happier with more energy. 

With 15 years experience, a background in the corporate world, a near breakdown, a history of chronic pain in her 20s and now two young kids, she’s perfectly placed to understand the real world and its challenges. To support and guide you with real world, tangible, advice which can actually work with the life you’re living. 

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