We all agree fitness is important, right? You don’t have to be mad about exercise to understand the need to look after your body. When you have a little one to consider, that need becomes even more urgent. A new addition has the ability to show us how important life is. So, getting into a fitness routine after childbirth is crucial. But, new motherhood is also the busiest time in most women’s lives. The chances are you have a lot going on! So, fitting in your fitness can be a challenge.
Even if you do manage to make time for the exercise itself, long recovery periods are a thing of the past. No more rest days for you. Instead, you may have to go straight from working out to carrying a baby. A light load, you may think, but it won’t be easy if your muscles are screaming at you. Of course, you don’t want your exercise to interfere with your ability to mother your child. So, what can you? We’re going to look at a few ways you can reduce the after-workout burn. If you follow these steps, you can spring back from your fitness exploits in no time!
START STRETCHING
You can improve your recovery speed by starting right. Stretching before you workout is essential, yet how many of us take the time? Too often, we skip this step and get stuck in. We warm up and do stretching exercises to get our body started slowly. Warming up quite literally ‘warms’ your muscles, and makes sure they’re ready for what you’re about to throw at them. If you jump into exercise on ‘cold’ muscles, you’re opening yourself up for injury and strains. And, that’s what could make life hard for you. If you want proof of how effective this can be, compare an exercise session in which you warm up to one in which you don’t. The chances are, you’ll see a huge difference.
If you warm up properly, you’ll see a significant difference in your recovery time, too. Your muscles won’t feel as tight, and those aches will be halved. It’s not enough to do some half-hearted exercises, though. Head to a site like Youtube and follow along with a video. That way, you can make sure you’re doing what you should. It may also be worth stretching a little after your workout to wind down in the right way.
REST YOUR BODY
Okay, so rest days may be a thing of the past. But, to speed recovery, it’s still crucial you rest your body after exercise. How you do this is up to you. You may want to let dad take over while you treat yourself to a bath, or have a lie-down. If you do everything else right, you shouldn’t need to rest for too long before you’re up and raring to go. And, giving yourself an hour off is much easier than giving yourself a whole day. It’s crucial you set aside this time. Otherwise, you may do a lot more damage and take longer to reach top condition again.
It’s also important to get enough sleep. If your body isn’t getting the necessary respite, both before and after workouts, it’ll suffer a lot more damage. It can help to stock up on mattresses specific for recovery, like these for back pain. That way, you’ll receive maximum benefits from your sleep. If you have a lumpy mattress, you’ll ache no matter how much rest you get. And remember that sleeping the right amount when you have a baby isn’t always easy. It might be worth letting dad wake up with the baby on nights before or after your workouts. That way, you can ensure you’re still getting the sleep you need.
DON’T PUSH YOURSELF TOO FAR
Often, our recovery time is dictated by how far we push ourselves during a workout. Test yourself to find out how far is too far, then make sure never to cross that boundary. This is important in exercise at any time, but it’s especially crucial if you need a fast recovery. When you ache after working out, it’s a sign that your muscles are healing themselves. While this is a crucial part of the process, extreme pain suggests you’re taking things too far. You need to break your muscles to make them stronger, but you don’t want to shatter them altogether. Take some time to listen to your body. It should tell you when enough is enough.
KNOW YOUR NUTRITION
It’s also important that you know your nutrition. We are all aware that what we eat after a workout is essential, but have you considered what you eat beforehand? Eating before exercise is equally important. Not too soon before, of course. You need to leave it at least two hours before you get stuck in. But, don’t wait until after you’ve worked out to bulk up on carbs and protein. Bodybuilders stock up on these food groups for a good reason. Both help muscles to rebuild at top strength. As such, they’ll help aid your recovery. Eat plenty beforehand, and make sure to grab something around fifteen minutes after working out. That way, your body will be in a much better position to heal. And, better healing power means shorter recovery times!
IN CONCLUSION
Following the above steps is the only real way to ensure you don’t ache for days after your workout. As stated, these can help anyone who wants to get the most out of exercise. But, if you’re a parent with responsibility on your shoulders, they’re even more important. Anyone who says ‘no pain, no gain’ is wrong. You shouldn’t have to hurt your body to reap the rewards of exercise. It’s also worth noting that you aren’t going to be able to workout as often. That’s okay. All you need to do is make sure you’re making the most of the time you do get. And, the above points will help you do that!
