Which Sports can you Practice After Pregnancy?

The last stage of the pregnancy period requires the future mother to reduce the amount of physical activity she does. Once the birth has taken place, and after a resting period, she can start practicing certain sports. 

The last months before delivery entail a decrease in a woman’s physical activity. After the birth of the baby, mothers must fulfill a strict resting period. However, not long after the pregnancy, there are some sports practices that can be undertaken.

Giving birth causes temporary consequences in women. On one hand, we have to consider the effort and internal status of their body after the newborn arrives.

There can be more complications to the female body due to cesarean section wounds; if it’s necessary to perform it. Hence, they should consider several physical activities, besides sports, that can help the body reactivate. We’ll describe them next.

The beginning is always progressive

Women who are close to the age of 40 can’t make great physical efforts. This resting period lasts between six and eight weeks after giving birth. Although, they can start doing certain activities progressively.

Your body will give you signs of what you should and can do right after pregnancy. If you force yourself, you could suffer painfully or even experience urinary incontinence.

First of all, we recommend performing posture and flexibility exercises that don’t require much body strength. With that in mind, Pilates and yoga are the two best practices to start with.

Pilates and yoga: preparing the body to train

With Pilates, you can start working on body poses. The basis of this discipline is to work on your personal body structure level. The positions don’t require much strength and each exercise can be adapted to the practitioner’s condition.

After childbirth, many women suffer from posture problems. This is due to the weight of the baby and the increase in breast size. In the midst of body readjustment, working with the spine and certain positions can help them resume physical activity.

On the other hand, yoga allows you to work on the balance between your body and mind at the same time through poses. Resistance is also stimulating but without the need to make extreme efforts.

Low-intensity exercises after pregnancy

The next step is being able to perform routines in which you can maintain full control of the movements. After the sixth week, you may already include some ab exercises, just pay attention to how your body reacts.

Push-ups are much healthier because they involve the chest and not the abdominal area. The latter is much more sensitive after pregnancy. Undoubtedly, it’s an excellent way to resume routines that are a little more demanding.

Walking or even jogging are also good options. Taking a walk will help you prepare your body for other efforts. It’s important to always be mindful of how you feel and to increase the activity’s intensity gradually.

After eight weeks, we can start swimming

The speed at which we can practice sports will depend on many personal factors. For example, mothers who didn’t undergo a cesarean section may have fewer problems. For them, swimming could be an excellent alternative.

Even when a C-section was performed, you could still consider swimming as an option . What’s important is to wait for the wound to heal and to consult your doctor. Keep in mind that having contact with water helps promote blood flow.

Remember that, in this state, it’s not advisable to dive or practice scuba diving. Nor can you jump in the water or make movements that are too violent. Swimming against the current is also not a good idea.

Kegel exercises after pregnancy

Women who have gone through childbirth should recover the strength in their pelvic floor. Kegel exercises are an excellent option to achieve this. Basically, it consists of pubococcygeal muscle contraction routines.

The biggest advantage of these exercises is that you can perform them at any time. While doing them, it’s important to tighten and release the muscles in a controlled manner. There are devices that women can use for focused work; although this isn’t advised when experiencing any pain.

Finally, it’s essential to make routine visits to the gynecologist. This is the only specialist who can tell you how the pelvic area evolves. The control will allow you to set your limits more clearly. You can start exercising progressively until you reach your optimum level.