How to return to the gym after having children

How to return to the gym after having children (no matter how long ago it was since you had them)?  

We feel so strongly about promoting the benefits of exercise for women before, during and after pregnancy. In fact, we are so passionate about promoting the benefits of exercise for everyone in general full stop.  

But this is especially important for both parents as training in the gym or just exercising in general, can fall by the wayside after having children.  

As your time, energy and focus immediately turns to looking after your baby, it is incredibly easy to forget about yourself in the equation.

And of course your health and wellness is absolutely paramount to being able to look after them to your best ability.  

You can show up for them as your best self when your health and wellness 'cup' is being topped up.  

How much better would it be cycling around Centre Parcs without needing to slow down, stop or without your kids saying, "hurry up Mummy or Daddy!"?

How awesome would it feel to play and run around after your kids without any aches or pains or without this absolutely knackering you out?  

Or how much more energy would you have to focus on other areas of your life such as your relationships or career?  

I could write another million sentences that have true meaning, value and importance but the main point is, life can be improved immensely through fitness. The possibilities are endless when your health and wellness cup is 'topped up' and you are looking after yourself both physically and mentally.  

So that leads me nicely onto the question of how do parents get back into the training or exercising again after having children? 

Here are our top tips: 

1. Work with us

We are experts at helping busy parents either return to training or even help them start exercising for the very first time. It is never too late to start. So whether you are 8 weeks postpartum or it's been 8 years since you had your children, we can work with you collaboratively to build a health and fitness routine which is sustainable for you and your family. We consider multiple factors including: your current health and fitness state, exercise history, time availability, goals, lifestyle, nutrition and many more.  

Our Small Group Personal Training is completely tailored to you as an individual and so we are really able to bespoke the experience to you. Feel free to reach out if you would like to start working with us. 

2. No amount of exercise is too little

Even a small dose of exercise is a net positive. In fact, exercising in small doses is actually referred to in fitness circles now as 'exercise snacking.' There are a vast amount of benefits from exercise snacking and so don't be put off if you can't train 3-4 times per week. Often this is unrealistic for the vast majority of parents starting out with their fitness or when returning to the gym. So if you've got a 20 minute window and that's all you have today, great! There's still some amazing things you can do in 20 minutes. Whether that be working on rebuilding your core strength, moving your body through a mini strength or mobility workout or completing a short 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. It is all extremely beneficial in improving your health, fitness and general wellness.  

3. Have a progressive plan 

Ensure that you gradually increase your strength and fitness overtime, one step at a time. It is far too easy to fall into the trap of training too hard immediately after having children to 'lose the pregnancy weight fast' or to rapidly regain your fitness.  

It is really important that you don't rush any step in rebuilding your physical fitness, strength or general health as overreaching or training too hard can lead to burnout, compensatory movement patterns, pain or even injury in some cases. This is why it is so important to work with a professional who can help you each step of the way.  

If you have any questions on any of this, or want to find out more, please get in touch today.