7 Best Core Exercises To Do After Pregnancy

The Most Important Exercise

As a new mama, the most important “exercises” to do during the first few weeks after birth are to rest and get to know that sweet little baby. Realize that it may take your body many weeks to recover from the changes of pregnancy. Your muscles have been stretched and weakened and need time to heal as you have just experienced one for God’s greatest miracles by bringing new life into this world. With pregnancy and childbirth, your core has been compromised, so its important to regain muscles and restore your core strength. Here are my top 5 best core exercises to do after pregnancy.

Shift Your Mindset

Before we begin, I want you to take a breath and celebrate all that your body has done, has been through and its wonderful capabilities. Try not to put expectations on your body “bouncing back” in a certain time frame or try to rush immediately to regain your shape. I know we all can’t wait to get our “pre-baby bod” back, but instead we need to shift our focus to just taking simple steps that treat our body well and take care of what God has given us.

How Pregnancy Affects the Core

When you think of the core, chances are you think of the abs. However, the core actually consists of all the muscles that encompass your midsection, including your back and hips. Growing a tiny human can wreak havoc in all of these areas. These core exercises are essential in helping to restore the compromised muscles and help your core act as a corset to hold you upright and balanced.

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The Best Exercises to Restore Your Core

Some of the best types of exercises to tone and tighten your postpartum core are those that work your transversus abdominis, or lower belly muscles. The transverse abs act as a girdle for your lower belly. Get the go-ahead from your doctor before performing core exercises. Incorporate two to three sets of each of these exercises, holding each one for at least thirty seconds, working your way up to one to two minutes, into your workout routine.

1. Pelvic tilt

Lay on your back and come into a bridge position with your feet hip width apart. Lift your hips, then do tiny pulses tucking your hips under and lifting your pelvis.

This will help tone and strengthen your abdominal & glute muscles and relieve backache.

2. Scissor Kicks

Lay on your back and extend both legs. Using your lower abdominals, raise one leg and bring it towards your chest. Feel the stretch in the back of your hamstrings. Grab and hold, then switch. Alternate 20x.

This helps to target those hard to reach lower abs and also improve flexibility in your hamstrings.

3. Flutter Kicks

Lay on your back and brace yourself so your lower back stays flat to the floor. Extend both legs and raise one higher than the other in a rapid motion, then switch. This move also targets the lower and upper abs.

Pro tip* In order to target your lower abs, isolate them by breathing deeply and keeping your back flat to the floor. Start with your legs straight up and slowly bring them lower while keeping your back flat to the floor so that you are working your abdominals and not your back.

4. V-sit

There are different variations you can do for this move depending on your fitness level. I would start by doing the first move pictured and work your way to the third move. Start by sitting, bracing your core with your arms behind you. Raise your legs until they are parallel to the floor. Move your knees towards your chest and back out again. Repeat 20-30x.

Next variation is holding your arms in front and balancing, bracing the core and breathing. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

Once you feel ready to try this variation, you’ll start hugging your knees, then extending arms and feet in opposite direction. Repeat and flow through this, grabbing your knees again and extending, working your way up to 20-30x.

5. Forearm Plank

Start on your knees and then place your elbows on the floor directly below your shoulders. Extend your feet out behind you and keep your core stabilized. Keep your hips in line with your shoulders and hold for 20 seconds (or longer).

This is an isometric full body toning move that focuses on your core.

6. Shoulder taps

Starting in a “push-up” or plank position, lift one arm off the floor shifting your weight onto the other arm and touch your opposition shoulder, then switch. Alternate right and left arms 20-30x.

7. Knee Pulls

Last but not least, we will begin in this plank pose and pull one knee in towards your chest. Place it back down in plank, then bring the other knee in. Keep this move slow and controlled and focus on bracing your core when your knee is in.

Repeat this entire core strengthening sequence 2-3x as you are able. You may have to work up to the repetitions I recommended, and thats totally fine! Just listen to your body and be in tune with what you are able to do with correct form. You’ve got this mama!

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Hope this post helps you as you start to get your core strength back. Let me clarify, these moves are not going to spot reduce the lovely baby pudge. We all know spot reduction isn’t possible and the only way to get visible abs again is through consistent exercise, eating healthy foods and giving it some time. These are just a few moves that will help restore the core strength lost during pregnancy. In case you missed the first blog post in this “Focus on Fitness” series, you can read that here. The next post we will cover in this series is the logistics of getting in a great fitness routine even when you have a busy schedule. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss a post! Thanks for being here!

Xoxo, Dorothy