Maternal Mental Health Week: easing back into fitness postpartum

This week is Maternal Mental Health Week and is dedicated to talking about women’s mental health whilst they are pregnant or after having a baby. The theme for this year’s awareness week is Your Voice, Your Strength. 

Looking after your mental health and taking part in exercise during pregnancy can help you feel ready to begin working out again once you have given birth. There are several ways you can ease back into fitness postpartum, beginning with more gentle exercise like yoga and pilates, to running and using a smart rowing machinewhen you feel more ready. 

This guide will explore the best ways to get back into fitness postpartum and highlight how you, as a new mother, can use your voice and showcase your strength. 

Getting back into fitness postpartum

Deciding when to begin exercising again after giving birth differs from woman to woman. Since exercise impacts mental wellbeing, it is important to consider when might be best to begin easing into gentle physical activity again after giving birth, to relieve stress and anxiety. 

Generally, it is recommended that you wait until after your six-week postnatal check before you begin exercising again, especially any forms of high-impact exercise, like running, but if you had a straightforward birth, you can begin gentle exercises, like walking, stretches and tummy exercises, as soon as you feel up to it. 

Other low-impact exercises you can try early on in your postpartum journey includes swimming, yoga and pilates. These are all good ways to start regaining fitness following your postnatal check and understanding your body and getting the input of a healthcare professional will help you build a fitness routine that works for you.

Postpartum yoga and pilates

Yoga can have both physical and mental benefits, and if you are currently in the postpartum period after giving birth, yoga is an ideal way to begin supporting your entire core, including your pelvic floor, back, hips and buttocks. Working on your core can also strengthen your lower back and reduce back pain. Boosting your mental health with yogacan relieve depression, reduce stress and ease anxiety.

You can begin postpartum yoga practice with just a few poses, including plank vinyasa, locust pose, pelvic tilts, legs wide pose and scissors. The Echelon Fit app features a selection of live and on demand yoga classes.

Postpartum pilates is designed especially for the body after a woman has given birth either via a vaginal delivery or a C-section and it is a gentle form of exercise that can help accelerate the healing process by boosting blood flow and oxygenation to help repair any damaged muscles. Pilates also helps to safely address the physical and mental demands of being a new mother. 

Some postpartum pilates exercises includes the lunge to kneeling combo, roll up, bridge and grandplié. At Echelon, we offer a comprehensive range of Reflectclasses, including pilates.

Using a smart rowing machine

When you feel ready to begin more high-impact exercises in the postpartum period, using a smart rowing machine can help you ease your way back into an exercise routine. There are plenty benefits of rowing, like building your strength, improving your cardio and burning lots of calories in a short period of time. 

Rowing workouts use upper and lower body muscles, meaning you can have an effective at-home, full-body workout, saving you time as a new mother. With Echelon’s smart rowing machine, the Echelon Row Smart Rowing Machine, you can exercise in the comfort of your own home, giving you more time to spend with your baby. 

Alongside your rowing routine, you can also incorporate other higher-intensity exercises, like running, to continue building upon your fitness routine during the postpartum period.

Choosing Echelon to get back into high-impact exercise 

You should always check with a healthcare professional before you begin any form of exercise after giving birth. 

When you are ready to incorporate a smart rowing machine into your postpartum fitness routine, choose the Echelon Row Smart Rowing Machine for a low-impact, total body workout that targets over 85% of muscles. 

At Echelon, we offer up to a 5% discount on our smart rowing machines for new and expectant mums, so you can save money on getting back to full fitness after giving birth.