Even after I got cleared by my doctor to exercise again after having a baby, I felt that my core and pelvic areas were too loose, my groin area and lower back too tight, and actually the small tissues, joints, muscles around my whole core area needed some type of strength and stretch work before I started to run again. However, I had no idea which type of postnatal exercises I could safely do. So I looked for professional help from a physical therapist to guide me.
After one month of doing very basic and simple postnatal exercises, I was excited on how good and stronger I felt. I shared my experience with new moms, and I was surprised to hear that most of them didn’t have a chance to do any type of postnatal exercise, or they never even heard about it. That’s when it came to my mind the importance of sharing these gentle movements with all new moms.
Each pregnancy, labor, and recovery is very unique, but I believe that no matter how hard or easy the journey was, every new mom should have a chance to thoroughly repair their bodies through some type of postnatal exercise routine, so they can heal and/or prevent any chances of future issues.
With all that in mind, here a video sharing these “New Mommy Basic Core Exercise”. All the exercises on the video were designed by my Physical Therapist, Rose Tamayo, from Queen`s Medical Center. They should be safe for most new moms but always consult your physician before performing any exercise.
I usually did these exercises in the morning while Sky was working on her “tummy time” playing or after I put her to nap. When I was rested and felt good, I dedicated 30 minutes to doing these movements, but when I needed a nap, or when Sky asked for my attention, I just did the exercises for 10 minutes or less. No matter how long it was, the good feeling afterwards always made it worthwhile.
The idea was to film this video a year ago at my house with my baby playing and lying down next to me, to show exactly how I did these daily exercise routines. However, time flew, and only now we finally put this video together, but now Sky is one and a half, and running around. Can you imagine the extra challenge to capture her on the filming process? So instead of filming at home with my baby, we shot in a beautiful park to hopefully inspire mommas to take some time to breathe and heal their bodies from inside out with these gentle and effective core exercises.
* IMPORTANT *
Consult your physician before performing these exercises.
Make sure all incision sites or tears have completely healed. Also, start slowly. Listen to your body. Be mindful of your current health and any restrictions that are appropriate for you. Seek medical attention if there are any unanticipated changes to your physical condition at any time.
New moms: If you have a chance to do these exercises, I would love to hear your feedback.
mariane
photo & video by: Delo Dayondon
aerial drone footage: Robert Oehler
outfit by: Lululemon
