postpartum fitness

I am truly surprised at how out of shape I am after having my baby. While it seems obvious that I would lose some fitness while being pregnant, I was not ready for just how much I would lose. Having your abdominals stretched out for nine months is clearly going to do a number on them but it was still a shock when it’s hard to get up off the floor.

Immediately after giving birth I knew I couldn’t do too much but I wanted to get out and start walking as much as possible. The first couple weeks I mostly just rested, tried to recover and took a few short walks. I will admit I started to feel a little bad that I wasn’t up and about as much as I thought I should be or as much as other new moms I have seen on social media. I had to remind myself that I had a little more to recover from than some and thankfully less than it could have been! Comparison really is the thief of joy.

They may not be epic mountain trails but these little neighborhood walks with my family feel pretty great #momlife #cmcn

After about three weeks I felt up to doing a little more than walking. My doctor said before coming in for my 6 week appointment I could do exercise that I felt up to doing with the exception of swimming and anything too high impact. I didn’t feel up to cycling (no thanks to sitting on a saddle) so I added in some short amounts of time on the elliptical and some jogging mixed in with my walking. I didn’t have a plan at all and just did what felt good each day. Getting a little more active really helped work some of the soreness out of my body after delivery and SO MUCH SITTING while nursing my newborn.

Putting some time in on the elliptical before I am cleared for higher impact exercise and it feels great! Plus it gives me time to read Triathlete #5weekspostpartum #roadbacktofitness #fitmom #cantwaittorunagain

As we approached six weeks postpartum I began to think about what I wanted to do to get back in shape. After having Cannon my main goal was to work on my strength. My body feels like a stretched out rubber band so it is really important to me to focus on building muscle and agility. Also I knew I wanted to return to running, I figured I didn’t have time to get back to swim-bike-run and focus on strength while getting used to life as a mom (well I guess I could but I wasn’t going to prioritize it). So I decided to focus on running since it is my happy place and just fit swimming and biking in for fun/cross-training when I could.

Loving early morning miles #coloRADo #roadbacktofitness #7weekspostpartum

Ideally I would have loved to work with an endurance coach, personal trainer and nutritionist to make a plan to get back in shape. Unfortunately babies and daycare are expensive so I decided to make my own plan. I felt capable of making my own plan as I have taken some time to educate myself.

While I was pregnant I decided to go through the Ironman Certified Coach program. I couldn’t train for an Ironman and had a lot more time on my hands so I figured I could use the time to learn more about the sport I love. I also have been coaching a few athletes and that has been a great way to stay invested in sport while sidelined.

After doing some research I found these resources helpful in building my plan:

Hab-it – I found this through reading Nicole’s blog where she talks about getting back into working out after having her ADORABLE daughter. Getting my pelvic floor strong again was really important to me after giving birth. This short program was developed to help strengthen the pelvic floor by a physical therapist.

Blue-Wave Fitness via Witsup.com – For stability and and mobility training

Jamie Eason’s Post Pregnancy Fitness Trainer – For all over strength training. This is also just good resource all around.

Physical Therapy – I saw a physical therapist about 5 weeks after giving birth. I thought this was really important so I could be evaluated on where my imbalances and weakness are. I left with specific exercises to work on my core and hip strength that I am to do twice a day.

I used the resources to come up with my own plan for strength training that I plan to complete three times a week. The PT exercises I do twice a day as directed.

For running I plan to run 3-4 times a week with easy runs, hill training and progressively longer distance runs. I will incorporate speed work when I feel stronger, right now running still feels a bit like a baby giraffe trying to stand up.

And for now swimming, biking and yoga will be included as time allows (meaning usually not). And lots of walking with my family.

So that is that the basics of my “plan” to get back to endurance training. I will check back to report on how it is going. Long term I am not sure yet what races I will be looking at for 2017, I want to take my time and see what I am feeling up to. I am hoping for a 50k sometime in late winter or spring depending on what I can get into.

Anyone else come back from an extended time off? Any tips?

When I first imagined my pregnancy I thought things would go very differently than they did. I assumed that after years of Ironman training that I would enjoy lots of running and strength training especially during the first trimester. I even told Cory that I wanted to run a couple half marathons while pregnant. That is not how things went for me.

I don’t want this to sound like a list of excuses on why it’s ok to sit around and be lazy for nine months. It’s not excuses, just my story. The biggest thing I learned is that everyone has a different experience with pregnancy so you shouldn’t judge, compare or assume that you are in control.

As someone who lives on routine giving up control and loaning my body to someone else’s well being was difficult. And while it was overwhelmingly worth it, that doesn’t mean it was easy.

Enjoying some early fall scenery in the high country #Leadville #TrailRun

Missing fall trails

The story of my not so fit pregnancy started just coming off Ironman training. When I first found out I was pregnant I was happy to take a break from training, I needed it mentally and physically. I was 35 and pregnant for the first time so I was very nervous about miscarriage. I took it easy in the early weeks and just wished for this little life to stick.

I assumed that after a little break that I would get back into running. Unfortunately I had some scary symptoms early on and was diagnosed with placenta previa and put on modified rest. This was not bed rest (thank goodness) but my doctor wanted me to rest and do as little as possible physically. I could go to work but I was to be “chained to my desk”. So no running, biking, swimming, fall hikes, etc. for me. Going from so much training to none was really hard mentally but I was glad that for the most part placenta previa does not harm the baby and in most cases clears up before delivery. My only option to keep my baby safe was to listen to my doctor, slow down and wait to see if things improved at my 20 week ultrasounds.

Saturday snuggles #Frenchie #pug #besties

Less running more snuggles

Lucky for me the placenta had moved by my 20 week appointment and I was cleared to resume light activity. I blissfully went back out roads for a few runs.

The pug took the me and the bump for a run

Fairly quickly I developed a bad case of plantar fasciitis. I couldn’t walk without limping and running was off the table again. It’s not too surprising that I ended up with PF. I gained a total of 36 pounds while pregnant, just above the 25-35 pound recommendation. Honestly I am a little surprised it wasn’t more. Six of this pounds were gained in the last couple weeks and were mostly water, I was so swollen.

I saw my physical therapist and left with exercises and instructions not to run (and wear more supportive shoes, boo).
After all the setbacks I got a bit discouraged. I did a bit of strength training, elliptical and walking.

So after recovery this leaves me really starting completely over. There were a few more things I wish I had done, like swimming and more strength training. But in the end I gave birth to a healthy baby boy so I wouldn’t change anything.

Now the fun part begins while trying to get back in shape now that Cannon is here!

Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Road Back to Fitness – Post Baby Plan

My Not So Fit Pregnancy