Best Fitness Tips & Products for New (and second time) Moms

• *UPDATED 7/9/24 - as my little sister awaits the birth of her second kiddo….here are my best fitness tips for AFTER you have recovered sis!

• Pursuing a fitness routine before you're a Mom can be a challenge. Getting back to your fitness routine after a baby or kids are on the scene is even more challenging!
• A few months after having my first baby, I started practicing post-natal Pilates and Yoga at home. Easy at first, since baby either slept or lay contentedly on a blanket next to me while I exercised. Then baby learned to crawl....! A swing, bouncer, or jumper would work for a bit, but then she'd cry to be free or near me. The portable crib was too small to keep my daughter contained and happy for long. So when I found this amazing item, it proved to be a lifesaver Mommy's fitness-time saver!

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What fitness challenges do most Moms encounter?

• Adjusting to the post-baby body
• finding time to work out
• having the energy to move/workout
• having a safe place to workout out at home
• having simple props to enhance workout
• recovering from your workout

Fitness Solutions for Mom

Healing tips

Early on, the "challenge" will be to patiently wait to be healed and recovered enough from giving birth to workout safely. Everyone's body, pregnancy, and delivery story is different, so please listen to your body and your healthcare provider when determining when is the best time to return to a fitness routine.

Do not feel pressured! In my opinion, there is too much emphasis on "getting your body back" asap after having a baby. Well, your body has gone through an amazing change and it's actually changed forever. So instead of focusing on "getting it back", focus on meeting your "new" body.

A very important aspect that's often overlooked is taking time to heal core function before attempting to get back into a regular workout routine. You may want to have a Physical Therapist, a friend, or just yourself, take the time to examine your body and determine if you have Diastasis Recti. If so, (which is likely and normal after having your abdomen stretched out in pregnancy) you will need to modify certain exercises until you are fully healed.

Be mindful that in the first weeks possible months after giving birth your body will still have a higher amount of the hormone Relaxin, which could cause you to be more flexible and prone to injury easier than you "normally" would. In my personal experience, I felt it took at LEAST an entire year for my physical body to be mostly recovered. And even another full year (so when baby turned 2) for my body and hormones to be nearly balanced and back to a new normal physically.

Be flexible on the time

An ever-changing challenge will be figuring out how and when to get your moments of fitness in around the schedule and needs of your growing family. You will especially need to remain flexible as you add more siblings or if you have multiple babies at once!

Simply walking is always a great place to start. It gets Mom and baby (or the whole family) out for some fresh air. It's also a great way to begin to tone the pelvic floor muscles. You can plan to meet up with another Mom friend and have some moments of adult conversation too!

With a newborn or infant, wearing your baby is a great way to get some exercise in, while baby can nap or look around and enjoy being close to Mom. Besides going for a walk, I've seen Moms wear babies for (gentler) dance or barre classes, and stroller classes. I myself wore my third baby while teaching beginner ballet classes after returning to work at the dance studio. Despite the loud music, he usually slept through most of it!

My favorite carriers were the Moby wrap and Becco Gemini. I loved the Gemini design because you can wear baby facing inwards, or outwards on your front, on your side or back, which made it usable for a very long time.

Once baby is crawling, try to work out while baby naps. I know that doesn't always work, especially when baby is #2 or #3 and you have other kiddos to deal with as well. The bouncer, swing, jumper, or my favorite as mentioned in the introduction, the Pop n Play Portable Playard, can all provide some safe space for baby to be active and play while you get some fitness in.

The Pop n Play is extremely easy to set up and folds together into a bag for storage and ease of transport. I liked to use it indoors sometimes to keep baby contained but give him enough space to play with some toys. I would also take along to the park to set up while older siblings played nearby. I could let baby crawl around in the playard and be hands/baby free to move around and workout a bit. My version was the original, but this new addition including a sun cover looks amazing!

Ways to Boost your Energy

Once you are cleared to begin exercising, the next challenge is working out again! Finding the time, feeling like working out again, or most likely working out when you don't feel like it, don't have the time and probably don't have the energy either.

Get Sleep (if you can)

Being sleep deprived is a part of motherhood, especially during the infant years, so on the one hand, get used to it! On the other hand, try to do things that help yourself get the best and most sleep you can.

When I was pregnant with my first, a fellow Mom friend encouraged me to consider side-lying nursing as a way for both Mom and baby to get more sleep. This was some of the best advice I ever got. Although we were never officially a bed-sharing or co-sleeping family, learning the safe ways to bed share and to nurse lying on my side was very helpful in increasing the amount of sleep I would get, especially when baby wanted to nurse at night.

If you are bottle-feeding, I've seen nifty combination bottle coolers/warmers (like this) so that you can keep the bottle by your bed, warm it up right there, and feed baby promptly in bed with you.

We've all heard this one, nap while baby naps. But it's SO hard to follow! There's always a pile of dirty dishes, bathrooms that need cleaned, or other to-dos that need done. And when are you supposed to do them if not while baby or toddler is napping?

What helped me, was sometimes doing the things, and sometimes napping. Sometimes, a 15 minute power nap really helped and I still had time to be a bit productive. Other times, especially during fussy times, I would just have to leave the things and enjoy the snuggles and nap along with baby.

At least when you only have one baby, enjoy that time. When you have an infant and toddler, or even more siblings...well, until the oldest child is old enough to help with the youngsters, you're not going get any bit of napping in.

Iron

New moms, remember to keep taking your pre-natals (I took mine as long as I was still nursing). Even with your pre-natal, you may struggle with low iron. I had to take an extra iron supplement for a while, on top of my pre-natal, after my firstborn. If I forgot to take the extra iron, I would really notice my energy level drop that day.

*I love THESE multi-vitamins with IRON that DO NOT make you constipated!

Hydrate

Besides being excellent for your skin, and improving your immune system, staying hydrating will have a positive impact on your energy levels too.

A general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in fluid ounces per day. If you are nursing or pregnant, you will need to drink even more than this amount.

Since I am a mostly stay-at-home-mom, I like to fill 3 of my favorite water cups at the beginning of the day. Each holds 24 ounces of water. As I empty one, I switch it for the next, so I don't have to stop and re-fill right then. I know that I feel best with about 90 ounces of water per day (which is higher than half my body weight. I think my body got used to a high water intake during my professional dancing years) so I make sure I refill at least 1 cup once more and finish drinking it by bedtime.

*One of the BEST Hydration supplements out there - I’ve used this for over 10 years now!

Supplements

I already mentioned pre-natals and iron, but consider other supplements that may boost your energy. Which supplement by what company will depend on your own personal dietary restrictions, preferences, and nutritional standards.

Speaking purely from my own personal experience, I used and had a wonderful experience with AdvoCare's Spark, Rehydrate, ProBiotic Restore Ultra, OmegaPlex, and CorePlex with Iron during pregnancy, post-natally and while nursing all 3 of my kids. Please note, some of those products contain caffeine (Spark) and Sucralose (Spark and Rehydrate) but all products were examined and pronounced safe for me to consume by my OB and Midwives. I had great energy, stayed hydrated, and was never constipated or nauseous on my Pre-natal vitamin.

*UPDATE: AdvoCare has been coming out with more alternatively sweetened options, like this version of SPARK sweetened with Stevia!

Most recently, however, I prefer to use Zurvita's functional nutritional beverage Zeal. It has no sucralose, some natural caffeine (there is a completely caffeine free version too), a vegan, gluten-free and kosher option, and over 50 vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and botanicals. I have personally switched from my previous vitamin supplements regime to using just Zeal and feel great.

Shop for Zurvita HERE

Side note, probably related: I think some of that great feeling is linked to the fact that my youngest is now 3, and on any given night I'm getting 5 or more hours of sleep in a row in my own bed without a baby next to me so....if that's not you yet, hang in there! Sleep will come back to you...one day...

Make a Safe Space

Obviously, when finding time to workout at home or maybe in a park, make sure you have room, and proper equipment!

What you need will depend on what fitness genre you are pursing of course.

For Yoga and Barre, there are tons of great mats out there. I've even found great ones for cheap at Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and Ross. If you prefer Amazon, here are three great choices:

Don't forget proper footwear! For Pilates and Yoga this is usually just your bare feet. For Barre routines, you are going to want some type of sticky sock. Some slipper socks will work in a pinch. Obviously, athletic shoes for any kind of HIIT or boot camp style workout.

I found that compression socks helped me feel stronger and have more energy during workouts following my third baby. I had to wear them near the end of that pregnancy due to an uncomfortable varicose vein in one leg. After giving birth, I continued to wear them until the varicose vein was healed and while participating in more active workouts. I was pleasantly surprised by how much they helped.

Lastly, keep you hair out of your face with the ONLY headband I've found that stays put!!! (I have thin hair though, would love to know if you have thick hair and have used the Junk headbands if the work as well for you!) Shop for any kind of style you want from Amazon here.

Add Simple Props

My absolute favorite prop for Pilates, Yoga, or stretching after working out is the Thera-band. Many options exist, I prefer to use the ones made by the Thera-band company. You can find a great beginner set here.

Thera-bands are a great way to add gentle resistance to a workout or stretch routine. If you've never tried them you can find lots of inspiration on YouTube. Also, if you don't have one on hand, you can use a rolled-up, longer towel, a belt, stretchy tubing, jump rope, or yoga strap instead.

Speaking of Yoga straps, they are a great prop to add if you are practicing yoga. They are different than the Thera-band, because they are not stretchy, but you can use them for stretches in a similar manner, and for support in certain poses where you would not get support from an elastic thera-band.

If pursuing Barre classes, you may want to add light 2-5 pound hand weights. I have used soup cans, or small bottles filled with rocks in place of weights. I've even used an old milk jug filled with water in place of a kettle bell for certain fitness classes. Don't let lack of a prop keep you from getting your fitness completed!

With Pilates and Barre classes you may encounter needing a small ball. Obviously, you can buy one, but if you already have kids, chances are you have a small playground ball that will work just fine. You may need to let out a little air so it's a bit on the squishy side instead of super firm.

Plan for Recovery!

Recovering well is half the battle. The more sore you wake up the next day the less likely you'll want to workout again! So how can a busy Mom recover well?

Consuming a post-workout recovery drink always helped me, but as a busy Mom I would not always have time to go make one, drink it, or maybe I forgot to bring it with me if my workout was not at home.

However, more often than not, I could remember to swallow this Nighttime Recovery product as I went to sleep at night. I always woke up refreshed, and barely sore, no matter how hard the workout had been. Pretty magical.

I LOVE love using foam rollers. They are actually a great prop for Pilates as well. Using them to massage tight and sore muscles is the next best thing to getting a professional massage.

I've had the OPTP roller for over 8 years now. Has not lost it's firmness and I still use it today. I have recently started using this TriggerpPoint roller, which is fantastic as well.

Speaking of massages, since getting out for a professional massage is probably not on your Mom calendar, this little item can work wonders for a tight knot that's just beyond your reach.

There are great essential oil combinations for relieving sore muscles as well. My favorite is Deep Relief in a roller form, by Young Living.

Oh and try to get good sleep that night. How much sleep you get the night after a good workout is most likely out of your control though so...good luck!

The Last Thing You Need to Know about solving New/Second time Mom Fitness Challenges

The most important things you'll need on this fitness Mom journey are patience and flexibility. Be patient with yourself, let yourself heal and find your new body. Be flexible on when and where to find the time to work fitness into your new schedule. Have patience if your energy is not there and you don't feel like working out. Be flexible on the space, and add some simple props that will enhance your results and recovery.

Are you a Mom of 1 or more kids? Do you have another great tip to add? I love hearing from fellow Moms and finding out what worked for them (or what didn't!) Let me know your tips in the comments!