Learn the 5 secrets to success in postpartum fitness so that you can ultimately feel better faster as a new mom and get back to your normal lifestyle.
Postpartum recovery is hard, but after reading about these 5 secrets to success in postpartum fitness, you’ll find that your first few months after childbirth are not as taxing as most new moms claim it is.
Yes, the first days after childbirth are taxing and the nights are long. Yet there is a breaking point when things start to fall back into place, (albeit not perfectly but to some degree) and when that starts to take place it’s easier to focus more on mommy care alongside baby care.
You’ll know when the time is right for you. Some say its at 6 weeks postpartum. Others say it’s a few weeks earlier or even a few months later. Every woman heals differently and the recovery time for each new mom is completely different. But I do have 5 tips that will help you “up” your postpartum recovery game when it comes to fitness and gaining your body back so you don’t feel or look pregnant anymore.
You’ve had 9 months to feel that way; let’s not feel like we are pregnant for the rest of our lives. It’s time to make a change, and the time is now. Whether you got clearance from your doctor to begin working out or not, you can always work out in your mind. And that’s the beginning stage to setting healthy habits.
I’ll explain more below, so be sure to continue reading.
1. Mindset Matters
Success to postpartum fitness starts with the mind. Having your mindset in the right place is the key to getting started and sticking to a new healthy fitness routine.
Whether you actually start working out now or not, you can start working out in your mind. Start imagining what workouts you are going to do postpartum, how long will your workouts last, what time of day you prefer to work out, etc. Imagery can help improve your likelihood of following through with that set task. Imagine yourself in your vision.
Picture yourself in a specific room in your house, wearing a certain workout outfit and doing a specific exercise. If you can’t start working out right at this exact second, that’s ok, but try your hardest to make the vision become a reality later on in the day. Get your mind focused on dreaming about yourself as a fitness mom fanatic and eventually you will become one.
2. Make It A Priority
Us moms have huge to-do lists, each and every single day. They never stop, and they will never stop as our babies get older. But what is going to go on the top of the to-do list each and every single day is up to you.
I recommend you at least put working out in the top 3 of your to-do list. And I recommend doing this for at least 66 days to set good healthy habits. Research states on average it takes 66 days to form a habit. Those moms who remain healthy during postpartum recovery do so by sticking to a routine of working out, a routine that is automatic.
That’s the beauty with habit forming, it becomes second nature and it takes very little effort to do something. Autopilot is another term commonly used to explain how a task becomes a habit.
Related: 66 Healthy Habits of Busy Moms Who Always Stay Fit
So if you want your postpartum journey to be effortless, I first recommend making fitness part of your daily routine early on in your journey so that after 66 days have passed, working out seems like part of your norm rather than a chore.
3. Smart Goal Setting
Write down your goals, but not just any goals: create detailed, descriptive and time-dependent goals. It is proven over and over again that those who write down their goals and set a time limit on them are significantly more likely to achieve them than those who don’t write the goals down and just create them in their mind.
So get a piece of paper out and write down the numbers 1-3.
Write down 3 goals that pertain to health, fitness and habits. Set a goal that states how many days you want to workout the first month you begin exercising.
Set a goal related to weight loss and pounds you desire to lose each month. Try setting a goal related to something fun, like fitting into your favorite pair of jeans in 4 months.
Whatever your goal is, write it down and make it a habit to read it at least once a week as a refresher.
4. Follow A Plan
Having a plan in place is key to success. Just going at your postpartum workouts on a whim can lead to multiple problems and to failure. You won’t know what exercise to do after you get dressed so you waste time looking up videos online and eventually your baby starts to cry and before you know it you just accomplished 1 minute of stretching with nothing to really show for it.
Or you get so bogged down with the question of, “Will this workout actually give me the results I want?”, that you don’t even attempt trying because it’s not worth your time.
If you have a program or a plan in place, something that you know you can come back to each and every single day you work out, you are more likely to see results and commit to the idea of fitness being a part of your new mommy lifestyle.
Related: The Safest Postpartum Ab Workout Program for New Moms
5. Accountability Is Key
If you have someone to keep you accountable, you are 95% more likely to succeed, according to the American Society of Training & Development . Why would someone want to fail in front of another person who is there for the sole purpose of making sure they succeed?
If you find the right accountability partner, someone who will check in on you, ask you questions, make sure you don’t give up and cheers you on each and every single day, you are bound for success.
Who is that person going to be? Think hard about this because this decision can really improve the likelihood that you set good habits for the rest of your life.
I always recommend surrounding yourself with like-minded people, and if you find friends and family who also love fitness, those are the people with whom you want to spend your time. Plus, following 2-3 influential women on Instagram can also be a huge encouragement for your postpartum journey.
Follow All 5 Tips For A Successful Postpartum Fitness Journey
Whether you are scared to start your journey as a mom involving postpartum fitness or you are fired up and ready for anything, it’s important that you follow these 5 secrets to success.
Having the right mindset, making fitness a priority in your day, writing down your fitness goals, sticking to a workout plan and having an accountability partner are surefire ways to successfully recover postpartum.
The feeling of having your strong body back after 9 months of pregnancy is a feeling unlike any other. Holding your baby and having the energy and strength to do so effortlessly makes every single moment spending time with your baby that much better.
Learn how you can start working out after having a baby with this highly recommended beginner core exercise from physical therapists.
*It is important to always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program and get medical clearance. Always warm up thoroughly and stretch after all workouts. LiveCoreStrong.com and Jena Bradley will be not be responsible or liable for any injury sustained while exercising at home, gym or elsewhere. Perform exercises at your own risk.
