Why Exercising is Essential for Your Journey Through Motherhood
Motherhood is beautiful and transformative. It’s filled with joy, fulfillment, and a mountain of emotions. It does, however, also come with some challenges – both mental and physical.
One key to thriving throughout motherhood – from preconception and beyond – is to build and maintain a consistent movement and exercise routine.
Regular physical activity not only enhances your overall health, but also plays a critical role in ensuring you have the energy, strength, and resilience to keep up with your growing kids and all the physical and mental tasks that come with motherhood.
Benefits of Exercising Throughout Motherhood
Enhanced Energy Levels – Consistent exercise boosts your energy levels by improving cardiovascular health, blood flow, and physiological mechanisms that help enhance the body’s efficiency.
Exercise strengthens the heart and improves its ability to pump blood more efficiently, which in turn, improves nutrient and oxygen delivery to your cells.
Exercise also stimulates the production of mitochondria in the cell. Mitochondria generates ATP (energy) needed for cellular functions. It also enhances the efficiency of existing mitochondria, increasing their ability to produce ATP.
Overtime, this transfer of energy is going to improve your stamina and vitality!
Strength And Endurance – Motherhood is very physical.
Think of all the times you pick up your baby, the car-seat, or your baby AND the car-seat. Think about how often you bend over to bathe or change your little one, pick up and hold your growing toddler while carrying a heavy diaper bag, load the stroller, etc.… I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
Strength training can help you build the muscle and endurance needed to lift, carry, and care for your kids.
By engaging in functional exercises that mimic motherhood (like the farmers carry, single-leg deadlifts, and surrenders), you’re going to have an easier time managing the physical demands that moms endure, reducing the risk of injury and fatigue.
Mental Well-Being – Exercise is a really powerful tool for managing stress, anxiety, and depression – all of which are common among postpartum women and busy moms.
Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters, helping you stay balanced, positive, and focused.
Improved Sleep – Quality sleep is so important for our health, yet many of us moms know a good night’s sleep is often elusive when we have a newborn or young baby.
When we don’t sleep, cortisol levels increase. Consistent, high levels of cortisol can interfere with production and balance of other hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone.
Prioritizing a routine for quality sleep – for both you and baby – is important. Though, we all know this is easier said than done. Don’t beat yourself up if restful nights are few and far between. In time, this will come with the right mindset and routine.
Try this: Practice stress relieving breath-work and mindfulness in the evening with baby in tow to see if you both can fall into a pattern of improved sleep.
Breath-Work Practice For Relaxation: Inhale 4 seconds (through your nose), Hold for 7 seconds, Exhale for 8 seconds (through your nose). Repeat this for 5-10 cycles.
Mindfulness Practice:
Hormonal Balance – Exercise has a profound impact on hormone regulation. Exercise influences various hormones crucial for our reproductive function, and overall health and well-being.
Exercise can regulate hormones that are critical for reproductive health and postpartum recovery.
Exercise enhances insulin sensitivity, meaning your muscles use glucose more effectively, lowering blood sugar levels. This helps prevent insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes.
Longevity and Disease Prevention – Regular physical activity reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and certain cancers.
According to Dr. Peter Attia, the author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, “Exercise might be the most potent “drug” we have for extending the quality and perhaps quantity of our years of life”.
Attia attributes daily training, specifically – stability, strength, aerobic zone 2 training, and anaerobic zone 5 training to living a long, healthy life.
Aim to strength train 2-3 times per week, focusing on upper-body, lower-body, and upper and lower-body combined strength training.
If you’re new to weight training, start with bodyweight. Be sure you can move without pain and without sitting into your joints for 12-20 reps. If you can achieve this, aim to hold weights that you can lift for 8-12 reps, for 3-4 sets without losing quality of movement.
For the days between strength training, supplement your workouts with things like walking, running, biking, swimming, hiking, rucking, pilates, core training, or yoga. Aim for 30-60 minutes of movement daily and don’t skip your recovery.
Looking for a little more detailed guidance? Join Realigned Mama!
Realigned Mama: Your Pathway to a Stronger, Healthier You
A few times per year, I offer a program called REALIGND MAMA. It’s a comprehensive 4-week training program that focuses on building a solid movement foundation to support the physical demands of motherhood.
In this program, you’ll reset your foundation so that you can train your body to move with better stability, stamina, and ease – and less pain and dysfunction. Throughout the program, you’ll learn how to strength train safely and how to train your core and pelvic floor to support you in the most optimal way for your life as a mom (and whatever else you desire!).
In this program you’ll:
- Correct Muscular Imbalances
- Improve Core and Pelvic Floor Strength
- Start Building Functional Strength
- Improve Flexibility and Mobility
- Reduce Stress
- Build a Routine for Consistent Exercise
Register today to join the September Cohort of Realigned Mama!
Are you ready to embark on a journey toward a stronger, healthier you? Register for Realigned Mama today and take the first step toward enhancing your longevity and life as a mom!
Early-Bird discount available now through August 15! Register today!
Need accountability? Join with a friend and receive bonus sessions!
Invest in your future health and well-being as a mom of growing kids.
Follow @mombellyfitness on Facebook and Instagram for more info!
