It’s something that is going to make monumental changes to your body, and with that a lot of new moms sometimes try and work too hard about reversing said changes through exercise.
Unfortunately, what worked pre-pregnancy, isn’t necessary going to be the case in the postpartum stage. This is of course one of the reasons why the mommy makeover has become so popular over the years.
If we return to the topic of exercise, today’s post will now take a look at some of the key mistakes that a lot of new moms make with this which ultimately hinders their progress.
You set the wrong goals
This is one of the biggest mistakes that a lot of new mothers make – and it is purely psychological. We all know your capabilities pre-pregnancy, but expecting to mimic these now is just asking for trouble.
This isn’t necessarily due to your physical shape, either. You are of course starting your journey further back, but the main thing stopping you is time. Put simply, you don’t have as much of it, and when you do there’s every chance that you will need to rest.
If you start out with unrealistic goals, you will quickly find that your motivation levels start to dip and exercise actually becomes something you detest.
You start too quick
It’s completely admirable attempting to start your exercise regime immediately after the birth of your child – but this isn’t necessarily safe.
Generally speaking, you will need to allow six weeks before you start your exercise plan, and even then you need to take it slowly. If you don’t, you risk doing more harm to your body, and ultimately setting your exercise plans back even more.
You forget about sleep
As a new parent, you are definitely not going to forget about sleep! However, the point we are trying to make is that a lot of new moms will look to prioritise exercise over sleep, and again this is going to work against you.
Let’s not forget that sleep is an important aspect of the healing process. Without it, your body is going to struggle to properly recover from exercise, and particularly as a new parent this is something that you just can’t afford.
You start with the wrong exercises
When we refer to these wrong exercises, we’re talking about the ones which affect your core. This could be sit-ups, planks or crunches – they all count.
Even if these weren’t your exercises of choice some time ago, a lot of new moms find that these are the biggest temptation in those initial months. This is simply because they are craving a flat stomach, and these exercises seemingly pave the way for that.
As it turns out, this can be a big mistake. If you don’t do them properly, which a lot of people don’t, you increase the chances of developing a split. Or, if you already have a split, this can now become more severe.
As such, if you do have your heart set on them, at least learn how to do them properly. Or, the easy way is to leave them for a few months until your body has naturally repaired itself.
