A BELLY BAND:
Never, ever workout postpartum without warming up your core properly. DO NOT plank, do crunches or any other ab moves that work the outer ab muscles. We want to work the inner ab muscles that will help pull your abs back in. In all the workouts I have in my program, we warm up the core before and in the middle of the workout, to ensure we are engaging the inner ab muscles throughout. A Pilates-centered workout is a great place to start!
Make sure you work on contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. (This is possibly the most important of the post-pregnancy exercises.) I teach this in my program (and what that means), and it is SO IMPORTANT when starting your postpartum workout routine. Many decide to do kegels, not knowing the proper way to do them with breathing, and focusing on contracting, when relaxing is just as important. You can read these exercises to get you started on how to strengthen your pelvic floor.
Having a good pair of underwear can make ALL of the difference – especially when you’re trying to workout postpartum. The last thing you want is to accidentally pee a little and ruin one of your favorite pairs of jeans. I have personally tried this underwear here, and I think they’re a great option if you find that you’re struggling with urinary incontinence.
Accidents during workouts are normal in the beginning. They should be greatly reduced if you work through healing your core and pelvic floor, though. (Just one more reason why you want to get going on your postpartum workouts ASAP!) I can now do jumping jacks no problem, but still have trouble with jumping rope. I wore a pad to the gym to give it a shot, and just couldn’t quite hold it. Which, tells me I’ve been slacking on my regular core work and pelvic floor relaxing and contracting.