6 weeks post-partum considered to be the safest time frame for starting exercise

Going through pregnancy followed by strenuous labor is actually a marathon on its own. They tend to push the human body as far as possible. Now, if you have been planning to start your exercises post partum, you are good to go after 6 weeks of delivery. This is especially true when the exercise regimen you have opted for includes scaling 26.2 miles.

According to Dr. Julie M. Levitt, an OB-GYN, mom, and marathoner working with the Women’s Group of Northwestern located in Chicago, mostly as one reaches the 6-week threshold post-pregnancy, one can opt to exercise as they are healed from the damages done during the delivery session. The uterus goes back to its original size with the bleeding ceased. Additionally, the ligaments and tendons have started to return to the phase that is tight and toned enough to keep the risk of injury to the lowest.

During pregnancy, hormonal changes tend to promote a hint of joint laxity that can easily make your joints unstable while proving them prone to various injuries from exercise. However, being healed doesn’t actually mean that you are ready to run for a marathon. Levitt added that exercising is great after pregnancy to get back in shape but being healed doesn’t necessarily mean that the mother is ready for a hardcore training session. It is necessary that one creates a full-scale training strategy to ensure that it fits their current body status.

When starting exercise, you need to access the achievable goals. If you used to run 4 miles per day prior to pregnancy, you definitely should not opt to run more than that after pregnancy. Make sure you start small and work your way up slowly and steadily. Pushing yourself more than your body is ready for can lead to additional injuries that worsen the post-partum issues.

For example, the patients that underwent cesarean section have a longer healing time as opposed to the patients that went through normal delivery. This compromises the woman’s ability to use the core muscles properly and stabilize the pelvis and spine as they run. Now, some women can easily run all throughout their pregnancy phase, the patients suffering from anemia, preeclampsia, or even cervical insufficiency cannot do so easily. The key here is to take some time and work things out for your body. Try and understand what works positively for your body and what doesn’t.