Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Training Post Baby

I'm about two months into the start of post baby training.  It's been a very gradual transition.  A week or two after the little nugget was born I started back with planks and one or two other core moves.  Gradually adding back walking and increasing time.  Then introducing running again after walking felt completely normal. Swimming I was able to start back pretty quickly.  The first time back felt so weird swimming without the little one in my belly.  I got back on my bike as soon as I felt like I could stand sitting on the bike seat comfortably.

Everything is thrown off from pregnancy and child birth.  It's so important to build core and hip strength back and to be careful not to over stretch the first couple of months back, since your ligaments are still pretty loose from pregnancy.  Of course always consult with your healthcare provider about when is right for your body to resume activity and at what level.

This time feels very different than my return with my first child.  I gained a little more weight this pregnancy and the birth was almost half the time of the first one.  It was easier to get back to it this time.  I'm a lot more motivated after #2.  Before #1 I was very burnt out on training and racing before.  I had been racing for about 10 years when I got pregnant with baby #1.  It was time to take a break.  With the semi-retirement and the extra weight I'm very motivated to get back to it this go round.

Balanced training helps me to be a better mom, spouse, and person.  Mixing core/strength, foam rolling, yoga, meditation, swimming, biking, and running help enormously with the stress of raising a toddler and infant along with other daily life stressors.  It's a lot to fit in, but doing even 5 minutes of yoga and/or meditation daily along with my other training do a world of good.

I don't stress as much over missing workouts or schedule changes as I use to.  With one kid it's hard for sure and two even more challenging.  One kid is throwing a fit and the other explodes their diaper and needs to nurse all when you need to head out the door for your workout at the only time slot of the day you have... workout not done.  C'est la vie.  Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities.  I've learned over the years, and especially since having kids, of letting things go.  Meditation really helps with being accepting things as they are.  (A very good tool to have in your toolbox for race day!)

I was introduced to the meditation app Insight Timer recently.  It's a great tool that has guided meditations or you can do custom sessions.  There are so many yoga videos out there... dvds, apps, online courses.  These things make it easier to incorporate into your daily training with hectic schedules.

It's especially hard to fit in training when you are so tired... getting in at least a 10-15 minutes workout is a great way to feel that sense of accomplishment but not totally zapping the rest of your precious energy when returning post baby.

Snuggle those little ones then get out for some training!

Happy training!
~Coach Angy