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By: Jennifer
Tucker, MA
As a new mother you are facing hundreds of new challenges,
scores of lessons to learn (usually the hard way), days full of wonderful AND
mundane experiences and a body full of sore, aching muscles with which to cope.
In Our
Store
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Fit
For Motherhood
An exercise book to help expectant
moms prepare for – the marathon of new motherhood. |
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The
Totally Fit Mom
"Essential Exercises" and "Essential
Stretches for the New Mom: Your guide to releasing stress
and easing muscular tension. |
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If you have prepared properly for the physical challenges
of new motherhood by exercising and eating right during pregnancy then you have
most likely done a fine job of minimizing your amount of bodily agony.
However, no matter how good of shape you are in going into new motherhood, your
body will be facing situations it will none-the-less find strenuous and stressful.
Finding a way to decrease tension and stress before it accumulates and leads
to a crippling strain is just as important as catching a quick nap - and certainly
more important than folding another load of laundry!
Mood Food:
The importance of having time for yourself should not
be underestimated. Without time to tune in to our emotions, time to
take a few releasing breaths, time to prepare for the next hurdle, time to quietly
(or raucously) enjoy our own personal space, we can become tense, overly sensitive
and short with those close to us.
Everyone needs a few moments each day to themselves.
As pregnant women and new mothers we especially need time to adjust to our new
reality.
Take the time you need each day to remember who you
are and why are living your life the way you are. Use the time to get
the kinks out of both your body and your mind. If you’re unhappy, use
the time each day to strategize ways you can be happier.
Don’t feel guilty about taking five or ten minutes
to yourself each day. The house cleaning can wait – it won’t
go anywhere (if only!), your children won’t starve (even if it sounds
like they may), and your husband or partner can definitely hold down the fort
for a few more minutes so you can renew and reinvigorate yourself.
This tiny investment in yourself will pay off exponentially.
A fantastic way to spend your five to ten minute “me
time” is to do a relaxing stretch. While you hold the
stretch, force your mind to be completely blank. As you feel the stretch release
built-up tension in your muscles, allow your mind to stretch as well. Let your
mind wander aimlessly for just a few minutes. No making mental grocery lists,
no thinking about paying bills – just let your mind carelessly stumble
from random thought to random thought. See where you end up. It is thoroughly
rejuvenating!
A wonderful stretch to try is a yoga position called
Child’s Pose. The pose is restful and relaxing while allowing your back,
buttocks, chest, shoulders and neck to get a great stretch.
Child's Pose
Primary muscles stretched: back, buttocks,
chest, shoulders
The classic child’s pose. 1) Kneel
on a towel or mat. 2) Lean forward until your forehead touches the floor
and stretch your arms out over your head. 3) Let your buttocks rest on
your heels and relax. Hint: If your pregnant belly
needs more room, simply open your knees a bit to accommodate it. |
Variation #1
Variation #2
Breathing Your Way to Better Health:
There is a fantastic breathing technique I want to discuss
that goes hand-in-hand with the relaxing stretching I recommend doing during
“me time.” I learned this particular breathing technique while studying
exercise physiology. The purpose of the breathing is to decrease accumulated
tension your body builds up in response to stress. In weight lifting,
for example, tension is accumulated by contracting your muscles against the
resistance of the weight. If you allow too much tension to build up within your
body while lifting weights your blood pressure can skyrocket. Inexperienced
weightlifters can rupture blood vessels and tear tissues due to tension overload.
The simple breathing technique helps release excess
tension. It works beautifully during physical exercise, but works equally
well in everyday stress situations. It also feels wonderful to employ this breathing
technique while you relax to get rid of stored up tension you may be carrying
around.
Try this while relaxing and stretching:
- Position yourself at the beginning of a stretch. Inhale
deeply through your nose.
- As you begin the actual stretch, slowly exhale through your
mouth.
- When you reach the end of a comfortable exhale, use your
abdominal muscles to push out all the air remaining in your lungs.
- Continue to hold the stretch and inhale again through your
nose.
- As you slowly exhale, see if you can get a deeper stretch.
- Relax every muscle in your body. Do a mental inventory of
each body part to be sure you are not holding any unnecessary tension anywhere.
Try this breathing technique the next time you
get angry. Before responding to the source
of your anger, inhale deeply though your nose and exhale slowly through your
mouth, pressing out all the air in your lungs. You may want to take several
breaths before responding, your choice, but take at least one. By releasing
the tension that you immediately accumulated when you became angry, you may
not be as hostile or short in your response.
A great neck stretch:
Neck rolls are a terrific, quick fix for neck tension.
Do them during “me time” or whenever you get a second and need a
release. Remember your breathing!
Primary muscles stretched: upper back, top
of shoulders, neck
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1) Sit cross-legged on a towel or mat.
Sit up tall and hold your abdominals tight. Let your arms relax in your
lap.
2) Drop your head to one side and hold.
Your ear should be very close to your shoulder.
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3) Slowly roll your head to the front until your chin
rests on your chest. Hold. Remember to sit up as tall as possible. |
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4) Slowly roll your head to the other side, ear to shoulder
and hold. Remember to sit up as tall as possible. |
Anything Else?
What else can you do to get rid of stress and be a happy, healthy
mom? Try some aerobic activity once in a while. Don’t
think you HAVE to exercise; don’t treat exercise like a penance; and don’t
think of exercise as the price you have to pay to be happy with your appearance.
Step out of your old mind-set and don’t even think of exercise as exercise.
Think of it as special, stress releasing activity that will make you feel great
in the long run.
I know how difficult it is to find time to be active. And sometimes,
when you do get some free time, all you want to do is rest! Believe me, though,
the advantages of being active 3 – 4 days per week are tremendous. I’m
not going to give you a bulleted list of the benefits of aerobic exercise. I
know you probably are aware of them. I just want to focus on one, underrated
benefit – Stress relief.
In addition to building stamina and strength (must-haves
for new moms!), regular, moderate aerobic exercise helps stabilize hormone levels.
Hormones affect our response to stress, our sleep patterns, our weight, our
mood and our sex drive. Pregnant women and new moms have hormone fluctuations
all over the map which deeply affect all areas of our lives, especially our
health and happiness.
Aerobic activity can help even out these hormonal fluctuations
and life a little more bearable not for ourselves but for those close to us.
And nothing decreases stress more than a happy household.
Tips:
Finding time to be active is difficult. Some solutions
are very obvious.
- Hire a babysitter (and DO NOT feel guilty about it. You
are becoming a better mom!)
- Many fitness facilities, YMCAs and YWCAs have affordable,
hourly childcare for members.
- Swap time with your partner. If your husband wants to golf
on Saturday morning, he should watch the baby in the afternoon while you do
something.
- Get up early and exercise before work or before your partner
goes to work.
- Exercise with your baby – my personal favorite. Babies
usually love to go along for a stroller ride while you walk or jog. Invest
in a high quality jogging stroller, even if you only walk, and you’ll
never have an excuse not to go.
If you can only manage a few minutes of “me time”
and still want a heart-pumping exercise try walking lunges.
They strengthen your thighs and buttocks and will definitely get your heart
rate up! Perfect for short-on-time stress relief.
Walking Lunges
Primary muscles strengthened: gluteus group,
quadriceps, hamstrings.
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1) Stand tall with your abdominals held
tight. Feet together. |
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2) Take a big step forward with your right leg and let
most of your body’s weight transfer to your right heel. Lower yourself
to a 45-90 degree angle at your right knee. |
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3) Lift yourself forward and up with your right leg and
stand up straight. Bring feet together. Hint: steps 1-3 are performed as
one smooth motion with no pauses or stops. |
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4) Repeat with the left leg. |
As a final word, remember that nothing – not your appearance,
your aching body or your altered mental state - is as important as enjoying
your new baby. Take care of yourself and your baby and time will take care of
the rest. Enjoy your new life and happy mothering!
Other articles you may find interesting:
Breastfeeding
- Breast is Best
Six
Reasons to Exercise during pregnancy
Welcome
to the World of Parenting!
Read
Jennifer Biography
*The articles published on this site undergo our review process.
We found the information in this article to be very useful and informative. |
