Benefits of Prenatal and Postnatal Exercise

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Mom Crew caught up with Ania Schietzelt, founder of MommyFitNYC and prenatal/postpartum trainer, about the benefits of exercising before and after baby. Check out her tips and recommended exercises to try…

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Pregnancy is a very special time In your life. Your body is changing and your fitness routine should also be different to accommodate those changes. You are training now for a new life ahead of you. Your goals are to get stronger, to prepare for labor (the biggest HIIT training you will experience in your life), and then get ready for the demands of motherhood. These days, many doctors recommend prenatal exercise even to women who never exercised before, because the benefits are so vast – not only for physical health, but for mood and mental health too.

What are the benefits of exercise for moms-to-be?

  • Increases your energy

  • Improves your mood

  • Improves your posture

  • Promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance

  • Reduces backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling

  • Helps you sleep better

  • May help prevent or treat gestational diabetes

  • May reduce the risk of preeclampsia

How do you get back to exercise after pregnancy?

When you are ready to start back up with a healthy fitness routine after having your baby, it can be hard to know where to start. The safest way is with core rehab program, because you need to retrain your core and pelvic floor again. A growing uterus stretches your muscles, pushes your organs to the side to make room for the baby, and makes it hard to take a deep breath using your diaphragm. Now it’s time to get things back to normal.

If you worked out during pregnancy, you should have learned how to breathe properly and engage your core while performing squats, lunges, etc. Breathing and activation exercises are the first steps to take postpartum. Once you get a handle on how to activate your core again, you can follow that with a more advanced program.

When can you find the time to exercise with a baby?

Start small! It doesn’t have to be all or nothing – even a few minutes of exercise a day is good, and just a few core rehab exercises will help with your healing.

3 postpartum exercises to try

Try starting with these three postpartum exercises to rehab your core. This set only takes 5 minutes and you can do it anywhere.

1. 360 Breathing

Lie down on your back with your legs in a table-top position, your hands on your ribs and your thumbs on your back. Breathe into your belly, back and sides at the same time and feel your rib cage expand. Do 10 breaths.

2. Quadruped Position

Get down on all fours. Lift your knees an inch off the floor while exhaling and pulling your core in and up, with your pelvic floor engaged at the same time. Do 10 repetitions.

3. Modified Side Plank

Lay on your side, propped up on your forearm with your elbow in line with your shoulder and with your knees bent. Exhale as you pull your core in and your pelvic floor up, and lift your hip up off the ground. Do 10 breaths per side.

Ania Schietzelt, founder of MommyFitNYC and NASM certified prenatal/postnatal trainer, is on a mission to help women find balance, get healthy, and feel physically strong and empowered during and after pregnancy. She offers in-home personal training to help you achieve your goals and feel your best.

Special Offer:

Save 20% on your first 5-pack of sessions with her when you mention “Mom Crew” – making it only $432 (normally $540).