The Emotions You Feel the 1st Time You Exercise and Rebuilding Your Strength
Time to read: 3 mins
With a quick Google search about exercising postpartum you’ll be directed to hundreds and hundreds of articles about when it’s safe and what to expect physically for your new body. This article isn’t about that, we aren’t medically trained and only you and your healthcare provider will know when it’s safe for you to get back to some sort of movement.
I’m here to talk about the emotional impacts of exercising for the first few times after my child was born and the impact it’s had since.
Like many I’ve been exercising for over a decade with a medium level of fitness, I watch what I eat to an extent, but I have been blessed with reasonably good genetics and don’t struggle too much with my weight. I got pregnant in a year of covid lockdowns and even when restrictions had lifted there was still not a lot of research about how covid or the jab could affect pregnant women and their babies, so we played it safe and didn’t go out too much. In fact, a large majority of my pregnancy was spent in the house and as a result I put on half of my original body weight and felt really sluggish and lazy. I did online yoga sessions twice a week up until the last few months and I really ate everything within my reach. My pregnancy didn’t come off the back of a particularly fit period in my life and as a result I didn’t have a healthy or fixed fitness practice that I loved enough to see me through.
My birth was a difficult one with lots of interventions and some complications afterwards which meant I wasn’t comfortably walking without pain until around 3 months post birth. Luckily, I didn’t feel negatively about my body (as some of my mum friends had warned) and instead pleaded with the universe that I didn’t mind how I looked as long as I wasn’t in pain anymore.
After some mum walks which didn’t leave me in agony, I finally felt like I could do a little run, and I mean really little, but it would be something! Greg came with me to our local green one evening with our baby to cheer me on (and perhaps be there in case it took a turn, although he never actually said that). I queued up three songs on my iPhone and started to run, a few seconds later I was sobbing tears of absolute joy. I was running! After everything that my body had been through, I was running! I knew I could get through this tough time and that I wouldn’t get back to myself but grow into an even stronger (mentally and physically) person. Looking back a lot of the inspiration for MoveThru has been taken from that moment in time. From finding an inner strength you didn’t know you had (having a baby will do that to you) and not only moving through tough times but growing from them to become an even better version of yourself.
Now fitness is one of the most enjoyable and important parts of my day. I genuinely see it as a treat and some time for me to unwind, recharge, remove a block – whatever I need it to do on that specific day. I’ve exercised with our child, without our child, with Greg and with both of them and every time I’ve come away feeling better and stronger.
So we’ll go on to give some practical advice about how to exercise with your child but for now I just wanted to talk about the amazing mental impact it has and how if you’re at that stage where you can barely move or are unmotivated it won’t mean you feel like that forever. You too will have your first run / row/ walk/ swim and feel that sense that you can do this, and not only can you do it but that life is going to be even better than before.
Greg’s response
I’ve watched Zoe complete several marathons and climb Mt Kilimanjaro but I have never seen a reaction like the pure joy and emotion of completing her first run postpartum. It was a moment that will stay with me forever! I came to just support & cheer but I ended up seeing the end of the beginning stage of our parenting journey. It was conquering the element of recovery that was hardest for Zoe and something that had put strain on all of us.
So don't give up hope or faith that you will get this element of your identity back, it will come and the gift it gave us was understanding how we could also enjoy exercise collectively as well as individually.
TAKEAWAYS:
Just because you aren’t in a good fitness routine now it doesn’t mean you won’t be after children. I would say I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life right now and see exercise as a treat and something I will continue to do for my mental health.
Don’t rush, just slowly build up to it as and when you can. Then, once you start seeing the mental benefits you will want to make the time and effort to incorporate it into your weekly routine. No need to force it.
For those wanting to ease back into exercise slowly and safely we have created walking meditations you can do with your baby and a return to fitness program.
