Post-Pregnancy Exercises At Home
Motherhood is one of the world’s greatest miracles but it takes a physical, mental and emotional toll. Once you’re ready, you should allocate time for regular exercise. It will help you recover faster from the difficulties of child birth.But you should start out slow. Here are 10 effective post pregnancy exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home.
1. Hindu Squat
Hindu Squats are a bodyweight exercise that focuses on proper breathing. The movement of the arms acts as a guide on how you should breathe. Pull your arms in toward your lats as you inhale and descend to the bottom position. Then push your arms forward and exhale as you squat up. Hindu Squat is an effective warm up and a great way to develop the mind-body connection.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps
2. Walking Lunges
Women love training legs and Walking Lunges are one of the best ways to tone up the thighs, hamstrings, glutes, calves, lower back and abs. Start out with just your bodyweight but as you get stronger, don’t hesitate to add resistance. You can use a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells to create forward drag and work the thighs more.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps
3. Rear Lunges
Rear Lunges puts more emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes than the thighs. It also tightens up the lower back and abdominal muscles. This exercise requires more balance than conventional walking lunges but is equally effective in toning up your legs.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps
4. Hip Raises
Pregnancy can cause lower back pain. One of the best ways to address chronic pain in the lower back area is to strengthen and improve the mobility of the hips. You only need to use your bodyweight to get good results from this exercise. The 2 important things to remember with hip raises are to hold the bottom stretch and the top contraction for at least 10 seconds.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 5 reps
5. Standing Leg Raise
Standing Leg Raise targets the hip flexors, thighs, glutes and hamstring muscles. Bring your leg as high as you can or until you feel a stretch on the hamstrings, glutes and a contraction on the hip flexors. Without swinging, bring your straight leg back as high as you can until you feel a contraction on the hamstrings and glutes.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 15 reps
6. Standing Side Leg Raise
Standing Side Leg Raise works the adductor and abductor muscles. These are the muscles that are found on the inner and outer thigh respectively. Similar to Standing Leg Raise, keep the reps under control and avoid swinging the leg. Focus on getting a good stretch and a strong contraction to get the most out the exercise. This is a great exercise for strengthening the hips.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 15 reps
7. Heel Touches
Heel Touches help tone and tighten the abs plus the oblique muscles or the area near your hips. It also improves trunk mobility and flexibility which is important for reducing back pain. Do not rush through the exercise and instead focus on getting a good stretch on the oblique and trunk areas. Tighten your core section throughout every rep.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps
8. Quadruped
This is one of the most challenging and most effective bodyweight exercises for the abs. Quadruped also strengthens your lower back and develops mobility and flexibility. Perform each rep deliberately; pull in the elbow to the opposite knee and focus on the contraction. Your core has to remain contracted and tight to support the lower back.Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps
9. Elbow Plank
Doctors believe Elbow Plank is a safer abdominal exercise compared to sit ups and crunches because there are no compression forces on the lower back. The key to the Elbow Plank is to keep your upper back aligned with the lower back, glutes and heels. This exercise generates better results when performed using the principle of Time Under Tension.Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 20 seconds
10. Knee Pushups
Pushups are a proven exercise for toning and shaping the upper body specifically the chest, shoulders and arms. But if you have difficulty doing a strict pushup, Knee Pushups will do just fine. Knee Pushups distributes your bodyweight to your legs which makes doing a pushup easier. Keep your elbows in and your core tight.Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 10 reps
Before starting out an exercise plan, make sure to get the clearance of your doctor first. Do not push too hard; work up to a point where the exercise remains under control and you are not overly straining.
Feel free to adjust the recommended volume to a level you are comfortable with. Start out with 1-2 workouts per week then increase the frequency to 3-4 sessions as you get stronger.
Finally, be patient. It will take time to see results from your workouts. But with diligence, dedication, consistency and in combination with a healthy diet, you should eventually get back your pre-pregnancy shape.
