Get Back to Moving your Body

Whether you’re new to exercise or just getting back at it after having a baby or taking a break, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Go Slow!

It's tempting to jump into a fitness class or exercise regime with lots of gusto and enthusiasm, but I encourage you to take it easy.  Remember, you can't get fit in one class!  It takes time for your body to adjust and to respond to the new demands that have been placed on it.  Whether you’re attending our In-Person classes, one of our Live, Online classes or trying out one of our On-Demand workouts, you’ll be encouraged to take breaks when you're tired or reduce the number of reps you’re doing, especially if you’ve just had a baby. It's important to listen to your body and build your strength & stamina over time. Keep your intensity low and follow a slower progression towards higher weight loads & repetitions over a period of 5 - 10 sessions. Doing so will reduce the likelihood of experiencing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and will allow you to avoid over-exertion and will reduce your risk of injury.

Schedule your first 5 -10 workouts in your calendar.

The key to success and maintaining a healthy new fitness routine is to schedule your workouts into your calendar. This may seem like a really silly thing to do, but we only prioritize what we write down. Scheduling in your workouts will also help to shape your routine which then leads to a habit, something you do everyday like washing your face or brushing your teeth. The more ingrained your routine becomes the more consistent you will be. You may also want to consider a back up plan for when you need to miss a scheduled workout. What will you do instead? Here are a few things you can consider:

• Go for a walk

• Do a 15 minute dance session in your living room

• Access our on-demand content library (included in every unlimited pass)

• Follow a short online workout (like this one that I shared on Facebook)

It's more important to do something - even if it's less intense than what you normally do, to stay consistent. Ditch the all or nothing attitude - trust me, that mentality is holding you back from enjoying your life!

Recover Smart! 

The amazing human body adapts so beautifully to the demands that exercise places on muscles, tissues, joints and ligaments, but it’s also important to allow time to properly recover between sessions. Recovery allows the body to replenish energy storage and repair following your workout effort. Remember to replenish your fluids, eat foods that aid in recovery and rest (never underestimate the value of sleep and rest, since this is when the body is truly changing and adapting!). If you’re new to exercise, you may want to avoid back-to-back workout sessions to help minimize the risk of injury. Walking, dynamic stretching (check out one of our restorative workouts in our on-demand library!) or using a foam roller between workouts, can be very helpful for your body’s recovery.

Follow the FITT Principle for Cardio & Resistance Training.  

The guidelines shared below (Table 1-1 and 1-2) are general programming guidelines that apply to most healthy adults. For postpartum people (which is pretty much anyone who has been pregnant!), we also include the following guiding principles:

• Obtain clearance from your health care provider before resuming or beginning an exercise program (this usually happens at your 6 week post partum checkup)

• Begin slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workout. The goal is to become consistent, not to earn a badge for getting their in the fastest way possible!

• Start early, with walking or light exercise, several times a week

• Avoid excessive fatigue and dehydration

• Wear a supportive bra

• Stop any exercise session if unusual pain occurs

• Eat healthy meals, primarily made up of proteins, fruits and vegetables

• Address core function by building a strong foundation of pelvic floor and core health. See a pelvic floor physio during pregnancy or in your early post partum recovery period to be sure everything is healthy. Complete a self assessment to check for abdominal separation or have one of your FITMOM coaches teach you how to do it

• Ease into fitness - it’s recommended that you have 4 to 6 weeks of strength training BEFORE attempting any plyometric training (this means keeping both feet on the ground) AND that your core is functioning well and can handle the increased intensity.

• Be aware that the risk of injury (especially in activities that require quick reactions) is higher during the prenatal and postnatal recovery period due to the presence of the hormone relaxin, which causes laxity and looseness in joints and ligaments.

Remember your WHY! 

What made you decide to become more active? Think about that goal/reason and celebrate each workout you do that brings you closer to your goal or desired outcome. Instead of focusing on weight loss, try paying more attention to how you feel during and after each workout.

• Do you notice an increase in stamina?

• Can you complete more repetitions than when you first began?

• Do you notice that your intensity level is increasing as your body adapts to the demands and effort you place on it during each workout?

These are often the first results people observe in themselves (as opposed to weight loss) and research shows that when the emphasis is on these types of outcomes, people are more likely to be successful in maintaining an active lifestyle. Yay for that!

As we all embark on an active and healthy lifestyle, we hope that you keep these best practices in mind on your own fitness journey. Being smart about exercise planning will not only help you reach your goals, but even better, it will keep you motivated to maintain your new routine!

Table 1-1: Aerobic (Cardiovascular Endurance) Exercise 

Frequency  >5 Days a week of moderate intensity exercise OR >3 Days a week of vigorous exercise. A combination of  moderate to vigorous exercise 3-5 Days/week  is recommended for most adults

Intensity  Light to Moderate intensity for new exercisers Moderate to Intense for most adults

Time  30-60 minutes/day of light to moderate cardio exercise OR 20-60 minutes/day of vigorous exercise  A combination of moderate and vigorous exercise per day is recommended for most adults 

Type  All Muscle Groups

Volume  A target volume of >500-1000 MET- minutes per week is recommended (MET is the product of metabolic  equivalents and minutes of exercise) Increase the total number of steps/day by 2,000 until >7,000 steps/day is achieved  It is recommended that most adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate/intense physical activity each week

Pattern  One continuous session or bouts of 10 minutes of cardio 3x’s each day

Progression  Gradual Progression of exercise volume adjusting duration, frequency and/or intensity until goal (maintenance) is  attained.

Table 1-2: Resistance Exercise (Strength Training) 

Frequency  Each major muscle group should be trained 2-3 days/week

Intensity  60-70% 1-RM (moderate to vigorous intensity) for novice to intermediate exercisers to improve strength

Time  No specific duration of training has been identified

Type

• Resistance exercise for each muscle group

• Multi-joint exercises that affect more than one muscle group is recommended for most adults

• A variety of equipment and/or body weight can be used to perform the exercises

Repetitions  8-12 repetitions are recommended to improve strength and power in most adults 15-20 repetitions are recommended to improve muscular endurance

Sets  2-4 sets is recommended for most adults to improve strength & power

Pattern  Rest intervals of 2-3 minutes between sets are effective A rest of >48hours between sessions for any single muscle group is recommended

Progression  A gradual progression of resistance, repetitions, sets of frequency of sessions is recommended

(Table 1-1 and Table 1-2 are adapted from the American Council on Exercise PersonalTrainer Manual, Fifth Edition 2014 Pages 90-91)

If you’re looking for something active for yourself or something to do with your baby, be sure to check out our Fitmama Strong Programs! We run live, online Prenatal Fitness and Prenatal Yoga classes that you can do while pregnant. Once you’ve had you baby, join us for in-person Babywearing Fitness or Stroller Fitness classes that you can do with your baby. Or try out our live, online Express Classes, where we have something for everyone! Our Express Strong classes focus on low impact strength training, while our Express Elevate classes are a chance to challenge yourself and add variety to your workouts.

For workouts when you want, try our on-demand workout videos in our Content Library.

We hope you’ll join us soon!

#startwithus and #growwithus