Start slowly with sports after birth

Women can start exercising slowly again after giving birth

11/21/2011

After birth, many women find it difficult to get back into shape. The child is there, but the abdomen is slow to recover. Unless midwife and doctor express any concerns, women can start exercising slowly after four to six weeks after birth. Prof. Ingo Froböse from the Center for Health of the German Sport University Cologne advises: „Mothers should not overdo it shortly after birth, longer walks can be a good healthy start.“ Since the female body is heavily burdened by pregnancy and childbirth, it is important to give the body sufficient time to regenerate. Gentle exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor and the back and abdominal muscles are suitable.

Which exercises are suitable for young mothers?
After a birth the body is enormously weakened. „Do not start from zero to a hundred. Ten minutes of gentle stretching exercises for the abdomen and back every two days are enough at the beginning“, reports Prof. Froböse. Already 20 to 30 minutes daily exercise, such as long walks on the fishing air would be enough to get back into shape.

To prevent a pelvic floor weakness, there are recovery courses. First exercises are often shown to women in the hospital by the midwives. After about eight weeks, yoga, Pilates exercises or kangaroo training can be started, provided that midwife and doctor have no objections. Froböse reports: „After two to three months, training in the gym, for example, is fine. Especially good are then squats or training devices such as the leg press. "Caution should be taken with caution Caution Mothers affected should their sports program necessarily agree with a doctor.Although the caesarean section is not completely cured, should be thought of exercise but not.

Healthy for mother and child
Since an infant needs care around the clock, often the only option for young mothers is to take their child with them. The stroller can become a sports equipment that push the mother while walking or light jogging in front of him. Relatively new is the kangaroo training, whose name is derived from the kangaroo „Kanga“ out „Winnie Pooh“ derives. In this training method, the child is placed in a baby carrier in front of the stomach so that it is very close to his mother. Exercises designed to increase endurance and strengthen the pelvic muscles and muscles in general are not only fun for the mother. (Ag)

Picture: Matthias Balzer