Fitness classes for mum and baby

I'm completely out of shape (as you would expect) after pregnancy and birth and the early days of having a baby are just so physical, it's no wonder my back is whinging and I get puffed walking up the stairs still.

So as well as a gentle easing back into running I've signed up to a couple of fitness classes for me and the little guy to help get my poor old body back up to speed.

First up is mum and baby yoga. There are tons of these sorts of classes about. I tried to find one that was equally balanced for baby and me. I have found many classes do tend to be much more for baby when what I really want is a bit of time to do a set of downward dogs and stretch my back out back to its normal height.

I've found a fab class that progresses each week as you improve. Honestly I feel like I've been for an hour long massage it's that good. Plus the little guy loves it too and usually conks out midway through. 

Yoga or Pilates is so important for mums to do. First it helps with regaining core stability and strength and second it helps with realigning the body back into a good posture. My body at the moment is mainly spent hunched over my baby feeding him, or carrying him around in a sling which tilts my posture out of shape. Finally it just makes you feel good and is a bit of time well spent just for you.

The second class for general postnatal fitness that I do is not quite as common as mum and baby yoga but classes can be found in most areas. Again I've been really lucky as this hour-long session concentrates solely on mum but babies are welcome to attend. The class focuses on strengthening and toning all major muscle groups plus working on core strength post birth - so no sit ups but lots of bridges, pelvic floor work and so on.

I feel like a knackered old mare in these classes as the moment but am so excited to have found this sort of class as  its more important than ever to build my strength and cardio back up if I want to get back to running effectively.  I can't just rely on running and shouldn't either as I've lost so much strength through pregnancy. 

There are lots of other mum fitness classes available. Buggyfit run classes countrywide. They are held outside with babies in the buggies and Busy Lizzy (only in the Southeast) run a membership scheme for mums to attend various postnatal fitness classes such as yoga, pilates, boot camp and aerobics. I feel a bit sorry for the little guy as first time round I spent all my time doing classes and groups for baby, but this time round I'm being a bit more selfish and doing stuff for me, but happy mum equals happy baby so the downward dogs will continue. 

First six weeks of newborn life - take two

Okay cool. I'm still writing this blog. It may be a bit sporadic but that's newborn life. I'd forgotten how it was. You have five minute windows to do stuff, so stuff is often left half done. Then you forget about said stuff to be done, only remembering two years later when no one gives a fuck anyway.

I did have time to read this post yesterday on the great website The Pool about fit "moms" (god I hate that word) of Instagram. It argued that we shouldn't get all judgypants over these women parading their washboard stomachs days after giving birth, but we should accept that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to motherhood and fitness.

While I agree with some of the sentiments, I also do think this type of image does create unhelpful messages, similar to looking at celebrities online who have apparently "just snapped back into shape", though possibly worse as many women on Instagram are supposed to be just like you and me (but with added filters). No one really knows what effort has gone into that one image. Those fit mums out there may well have had huge amounts of time or money to dedicate to fitness both pre baby, and after birth.

The reality for me is I have no help, other than my husband who often works late, and my wonderful childminder who looks after my toddler 3 days a week. I have my baby 24/7. Some mothers don't even have this. So finding time to exercise can be tough, particularly if you only get five minute windows of me time, and then all you want to do in that time is close your eyes.

They say the first three months of newborn life is like the fourth trimester. Don't expect too much too soon. Try to relax and enjoy the time with your baby, however chaotic and tiring it can be. Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up that you haven't done any exercise yet - you've just created a human being FFS!

I have to remind myself when I look in the mirror that I.AM.NOT.FAT.I.HAVE.JUST.GIVEN.BIRTH.AND.EATING.CHOCOLATE.BISCUITS.IS.OK! It can be a bit demoralising (particularly when looking at washboard stomachs of women post birth) but wobbly post baby bodies are normal and should be admired. It takes nine months to make a baby. It should take nine months (or more) to get your old body shape back, should you want it.

So this first six weeks I've really done bugger all exercise and I've enjoyed sitting on the sofa eating too much chocolate with my new son, thinking about all the exercise I will do soon. You can see what exercise II managed with my first son in the first six weeks here. I love running and I miss it, but I have embraced not doing anything other than resting for the first half of the fourth trimester. There will be plenty of time to post my inspirational posts of Instagram. I doubt they will be of washboard bellies, but they will hopefully be a realistic take on how fitness can fit into family life.

Pregnancy yoga

Pregnancy yoga is fantastic. It helps relieve any aches and pains you will probably have, and is great for preparing your body and mind for giving birth. When I was pregnant with Freddie I went to these London-based classes called Yoga Therapy London which were well worth it. As well as coming away feeling really relaxed and stretched out, I also learnt about different breathing techniques and positions to use during childbirth - and they did come into use.

This time round I googled all manner of search terms to try and find a pregnancy yoga class either near where I work or at home (we have moved since my first pregnancy - more on that at some point) but nothing really came up - either location was too far, or timings were not right. I decided to opt for a pregnancy video that I could do at home. I would still advise going to a class if you can. It's far more motivating, plus the teacher can correct your mistakes, and you may well meet some like-minded buddies too.

However if you are short of classes, time or money, a pregnancy yoga video can work nearly as well. I found these options to choose from;
Nadia Narain 
Tara Lee
Lesley Fightmaster (you tube)
Gaiam (you tube)

I went for Nadia Narain but there are many recommendations for Tara Lee as well. I find the Nadia Naraim video really good as it's split into 3x 20 minute sessions so you can chop and change around. I've found some pregnancy yoga sessions quite tame and I don't really feel that stretched afterwards, but Nadia's workouts do make me feel like I've had a good stretch. There are also great sections on visualisations, breathing techniques and relaxation.