Get the best tips and advice on how to work out postpartum when you have little time and little sleep.
It is no easy task to work out postpartum when you have little time and little sleep. It is definitely an uphill battle.
But just because you are climbing a mountain doesn’t mean you are never going to make it to the summit. With the right guide leading you up the mountain, coaching you and encouraging you along the climb, you will eventually make it.
Just put one foot in front of the other and eventually you will reach the top. The same goes for your postpartum fitness journey. Even with little time and little sleep you can get your workout in. Let’s learn how you can do this with less stress and less exhaustion.
If You Are Lacking Sleep, Exercise Can Help Give You Energy
The number one complaint after having a new baby is lack of sleep. It’s inevitable. And when you are lacking sleep, there’s no way you would even consider working out when your energy levels are practically on empty.
But what’s important to understand is that working out, whether postpartum or not, has been proven to give you more energy.
It’s always hard to get started, but once you work out and get the endorphins flowing through your body, you will feel that post-workout “high” and be running around your house with a full tank of gas. You’ll be at “turbo speed”!
Avoid Burnout With Postpartum Workouts
The most important thing to remember is not to go too hard too fast. You will get burnt out if you do too much in your first workout as a postpartum mom. When it’s time to squeeze that workout into your exhausted day, just pick something that is light, yet challenging at the same time.
What I mean is, you want to get your heart rate up but you don’t want to burn out your muscles to exhaustion.
A good example is speed walking with your baby in the stroller; add some lunges and squats every 5 minutes to get some muscle toning incorporated with your cardio. Finish your walk with some calf raises and gentle stretching of the hamstrings and quadriceps.
This basic workout could take you 15 minutes or 45 minutes.That’s up to you and your schedule, and your ability to stay awake!
Do Postpartum Workouts First Thing In The Morning
If you are falling asleep come 3pm, I recommend doing early morning walks. Evening workouts are extremely unlikely to happen as a tired mom who gets no sleep.
If you are to take one thing away from this article it would be this, work out within the first 2 hours of your day.
Set a timer from the moment you wake up and make it your mission to work out before your timer goes off. You will feel so accomplished when you achieve that small goal.
Helpful Mommy Hack To Help With Sleep Deprivation
And this next tip is not a workout tip but just one of my favorite mommy hacks that I just had to share with you. My absolutely most favorite way to stay energized as a mom is to take 20 minutes or longer power naps while my baby takes her afternoon nap.
No matter what else you have on your to-do list or whatever other plans you have set in your mind, cancel all things.
Taking that power nap mid day while your baby naps will give you hours back in your day later on (in terms of energy and efficiency in completing your tasks and to-do’s). Trust me, it’s a complete game changer for years and years to come.
Your Postpartum Workout Needs To Be A Priority
So we tackled the lack of sleep dilemma, but let’s talk about the lack of time hindrance on your ability to squeeze a workout into your busy day.
I think it’s just inevitable that the world we live in is forever busy. Busy with work and career growth, being a parent, house chores, email management, personal projects and hobbies, maintaining relationships with the friends and family you are closest with, all the things!
Our life is busy and there’s no changing that right now. Oh, and with a new baby comes a whole lot more responsibilities. It’s the name of the game. So how are you supposed to manage your life, your baby’s life, your husband’s life and add one more thing into your daily routine, such as a workout?
It all comes down to setting a priority.
Work Out When You First Wake Up
What is your number one priority in life right now? You may have more than one, and that’s ok. Let’s break it down to be more simple.
What is your number one priority to accomplish first thing in the morning?
Is it starting a load of laundry? Is it checking your email? Is it browsing Instagram? Is it eating a nourishing breakfast?. Whatever it is, let’s see if you can make your workout a priority first thing in the morning for 3 days a week.
Have A Workout Routine, Goals and Habits
Set a reminder in your phone, get your workout clothes out and ready the night before, have your water bottle set up with your workout station in your home and make your workout simple to start.
Ten minutes is fine if that’s all you have in your morning to commit. The goal is to get a habit in place so it becomes automatic to you and your routine.
Sometimes just not knowing what workout to do can be enough friction in the habit to cause the habit to break. Get your workout lined up for the week or the month in advance and have it printed so you can physically touch it and look at it every day you enter your workout room.
Reduce Screen Time To Allow More Time To Work Out
And lastly, I want to encourage you to reduce your screen time in the mornings by 50%. Check out the analytics in your phone about how much time you spend on screen time in the morning hours. If you are on your phone for 2 hours in the morning, I want you to set a goal to reduce it to 1 hour.
I don’t want you to work out for the whole hour that you gained, but work out like I previously explained for 15 minutes to start and then gradually increase the amount of time you commit to your workout over the next few weeks.
Now that you gained an hour in your day, do you want to fill it with 30 minutes of working out and 30 minutes of cleaning? The possibilities are endless.
But let’s ditch the phones first thing in the morning. Plus, our brains are the most creative when we wake up anyways and phones deter from that creativity.
If you are not sure what workout to start with in your first 15 minute routine, I encourage you to join the 30-Day Postpartum Ab Challenge.
You’ll have your entire month set making it super simple and easy to follow along to when you print the calendar. Join the challenge here.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
**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.
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