How I Prioritized and Maintained Health and Fitness Postpartum
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Read on to find out how I reprioritized my health and fitness with a newborn!
Hey mama! First of all, congratulations on your new little one! Pregnancy is a beautiful journey, and our bodies go through so much before and after we meet our little bundles of joy. One major surprise in my journey is how much I found it helped me to recenter in my journey to self love, body acceptance, and improved health. I always tried to prioritize my health and fitness as a means for longevity and vitality rather than focusing on superficial and stressful societal pressures to be “skinny”. Many women struggle with the changes to their body that come with pregnancy, and find it even more difficult to maintain a healthy diet and exercise with all the fluctuating hormones and cravings and limited mobility. It’s a roller-coaster at times, that deserves a medal all its own! And I think we all know about the pressure to bounce back to your pre-pregnancy weight, or even just the desire to immediately return to your previous fitness level after giving birth can seem daunting. As a new mom, I understand the struggle of finding the time and energy to prioritize health and fitness amidst the demands of motherhood. But fear not! I am here to share five secrets that helped me reprioritize my healthy eating and fitness postpartum, and I'm happy to share them with you.
After our birth experience, which was truly amazing, I felt bloated, weak and exhausted. I honestly felt like I didn’t know how I was going to find the energy to take care of my baby. Before giving birth, I had big dreams of sleeping on my stomach, drinking a nice glass of wine, and overall being able to return to “normal” activities right away. But even going for a walk around the block was out of the question, to be honest. I think that took me a whole week to work up to. Ultimately, coming to terms with my new body was more of a matter of accepting my weaker and still recovering body, and learning what I had to do to take care of it. I found myself struggling with the lack of energy I had to really do anything, let alone find time to exercise. I had to remember to respect my body and listen to every need in order to foster a healthy recovery and not push myself too hard. It is so important to honor the changes your body goes through and prioritize mental health on your road to recovery. I knew this would be key to maintaining my sense of self and regaining my energy to do the things I have always loved!
Between diaper changes and sleepless nights, self-care took a backseat, but I was determined to reclaim my health and fitness. Almost immediately I realized where I was at and devised a plan to reprioritize my health with implementing these 5 simple strategies and habits to make it as easy and mom brain free as possible. Yes, mom brain is a thing, as you’ll soon find out! However, through patience and understanding, and implementing a few key habits I found my way back to restrengthening my postpartum body, regaining energy and even trimming a few pounds.
Below are my top 5 habits I prioritized on my path back to health and fitness postpartum, and how you can easily implement them yourself!
Secret #1: Prioritizing Nutrition with Smoothies
Nutrition is always the absolute key when it comes to health and fitness, and it is no different postpartum. As a new mom, especially, finding time to prepare healthy meals can be A REAL CHALLENGE! That's where smoothies come in for me. Packed with nutrients, they're a quick and convenient way to fuel your body, nourish and hydrate during recovery, and boost your fitness journey once you’re ready to start exercising as normal! They require no mastery in the kitchen, and little to no time prepping! Plus, they're customizable to suit your taste and dietary needs. I credit smoothies for speeding my recovery significantly. Find an easy to follow smoothie regimen here! I relied on smoothies heavily as it really required no thinking on my part, I just bought the key ingredients and made most of my favorites on repeat! The fact that it’s so simple is why I found it easy to stick to, and I quickly started feeling better and could notice even the inflammation I was experiencing leave my body within the first week!
This program makes it easy to start implementing smoothies into your diet!
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Secret #2 Prioritizing Rest!
Okay, anyone who knows me knows I’m a nap queen! I just love to sleep and need my beauty rest. And pregnancy threw me into nap hyperdrive! Growing a human is hard y’all! So, after that, I was grateful to have my body back to myself (back to stomach sleeping!!), and hoped that would come with getting my energy back to myself. Oof, was I wrong. A whole new set of responsibilities takes over and it is just a new kind of tiredness. It is such a blessing, but it is a new obstacle to navigate. You have to find creative ways to get your rest. Sleep is absolutely vital to any fitness journey, but also during postpartum recovery and for breastfeeding mamas you’ll see a major boost in supply just by prioritizing sleep. Pro tip: I absolutely recommend taking turns each night with your partner, and by that I mean you take one night and they take the next. This strategy was a game changer for us after too many months of taking turns every time the baby woke up. We ensured we got full nights rest multiple times a week, which truly made all the difference
Secret #3 Prioritizing Self-Care
As a new mom, it's easy to put your own needs on the back burner. However, prioritizing self-care is essential for your physical and mental well-being. There are so many ways to do this, whether it's taking a hot bath, practicing mindfulness, or scheduling regular me-time, finding ways to recharge your own battery is absolutely crucial. I go into more detail on the importance of self-care, and my top tips in How to Prioritize Mom Self-Care-during the newborn phase — XO Marilyn Elizabeth
Grab my new mom Bundle for Your free printable selfcare checklist and more!
Secret #4 Prioritizing Postpartum-Centered Exercise
Navigating exercise postpartum requires a delicate balance of rebuilding strength while respecting your body's recovery process. Honoring your road to healing, you need to always be in tune with where your body is in the process. I was sure to not have unrealistic expectations of my body to resume any running or weightlifting regimens I was used to prior to pregnancy. I was unable to maintain that level of activity due to being placed on rest early on, so I had to reassess my level of fitness. I started slow, by focusing on step count, stretching and postpartum focused exercises. Incorporating postpartum-centered exercises, such as pelvic floor exercises, diastasis recti healing movements, and gentle core-strengthening exercises, can help support your body's recovery and prevent injury. These targeted exercises not only aid in physical healing but also promote confidence and empowerment as you reconnect with your body post-baby. A great postpartum exercise I recommend is Wall Pilates! I was able to incorporate wall Pilates daily a few weeks postpartum with the BetterMe app! The BetterMe app makes it so easy to get in quick workouts with guided videos! It even offered modifications of certain movements, to accommodate multiple levels of fitness; perfect for the postpartum mama!
Secret #5 Setting Realistic Goals!
Setting realistic goals is essential for success in any fitness endeavor, including postpartum. It is such a vulnerable time for a new mom, and it is so important to set goals being kind to yourself. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on progress and celebrate small victories along the way. I remember the first week I set my goal to just be able to go for a walk around the block with my new baby. In a few weeks, I worked up to walking the 5 blocks to my mom’s house, have coffee and head back afterward. That was so exciting for me and I was actually still tired afterward. And I accepted that is normal, and that is okay, and boy was I was so proud of myself. It was an achievable and realistic goal. Understanding your recovery timeline is going to make your fitness journey different postpartum, it is vital to begin planning your goals accordingly. I made a habit of reassessing how I was feeling every week, just to check in and be grateful for all that my body is capable of doing!
Want to kickstart your nutrition on your postpartum health journey?
Check Out The Smoothie Diet!
By prioritizing just 5 habits during postpartum I not only ensured my postpartum recovery by improving my energy, and steadily shed the baby weight, but I also felt more energized and nourished thanks to my improved nutrition. This 100% gave me a boost to get ready for baby #2, and now I have confidence and a plan on how to have my best recovery again! You can easily implement simple habits toward each of these strategies without feeling stretched in too many directions, and then you can focus on being healthy for you and for your new little one! I’m so excited for you mama!
If you’re not ready to go all in on the Smoothie Diet , start here by downloading my smoothie ingredient list and grocery list template!
