Are You Ready to Start a Postpartum Workout?

After you've had your baby, you probably just want to get your old body back. But everyone says you have to wait 6 weeks to start working out! Those six weeks can seem like an eternity as you nurse your little one and rue the floppy belly fat around your middle. So, how do you really know when you are ready to start an exercise routine?

Technically, that six week rule is just a guideline. Some women find their bodies are ready much earlier, while others wouldn't dream of working out until three or four months have gone by. It depends a lot on how traumatic the birth was, whether you had stitches and if the birth was vaginal or a c-section. Your doctor might want you to wait that month and a half, just to be sure, but many will approve you earlier if you have recovered quickly.

The key to getting back into the exercise routine is to start gradually and build your way up. Start with walking, which you can do within a few days of the birth, if you feel up to it. Put your baby in a sling or stroller and take a slow jaunt around the block. Once you feel ready, you can extend your walks and maybe even do some minor stretches before hand. If you had a c-section, you may have to wait a little longer.

You will be ready to get back into exercising a lot faster if you stayed active during your pregnancy. Women who were fairly sedentary or had to be on bed rest during the pregnancy shouldn't expect their bodies to be ready for a while. Take a short walk and see how you feel, but if your muscles are protesting, it is better to wait a little longer.

Part of the reason that professionals recommend waiting those six weeks is because a woman's ligaments and joints loosen up in order to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal. These don't get back to normal for up to a year, but the first two or three weeks after the birth, they are still very loose and it is quite easy to injure yourself if you push your exercise routine too hard.

Upper body exercises are usually fine to start with, since your arms and chest weren't involved in the birth process. Whole body exercises like walking and stretching are also ok fairly soon afterwards. However, doing crunches and the like is not recommended until your abdominal muscles have recovered. You can check this by lying on your back, knees bent. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, while stretching your right hand toward your knee. Use the other hand to feel for a space in the stomach muscles, above the belly button. This gap doesn't close for a while, but if it is only a finger or two wide, you can start doing stomach crunches.

It is a good idea to talk to your midwife or doctor before starting an exercise program. If you just plan to walk for now, you can go ahead and start without their permission, but for anything else, you should get approval. This is just a precaution to make sure that you won't injure yourself.