Don't know where to start, bad birth still not recovered need to exercise badly.

[TheHippyWhoWearsLippy]

So I had my DS 7 months ago. My pregnancy was awful with bed rest from about 24 weeks. My labour was horrific and I ended up with a 3rd degree tear & a bad back. I put on 2 stone when pregnant & was confident I could loose it once I started healing. The problem is that am still sore, I get very out of breath & my back aches all day.

Before I was pregnant I enjoyed running & ran about 4 times a week. Just 3 miles each time but I really enjoyed it & it kept my quite slim. I also lifted weights after each run. So now I've out in a subsequent 1.5 stone & feel like I'll never be able to get my body back.

Where do I start? When I go for short walks I feel so unfit it really is mentally & physically draining.

You start by taking a deep breath and allowing yourself AT LEAST a year to get back to what you will consider "properly fit"

you'll need to approach exercise as if you are 20 years older than you are to make sure that you build back up with everything in alignment

On the 5:2 threads there are lots of girls exercising for basically the first time as they lose weight.

Common approaches are
Jillian Michaels 30 day shred - all on youtube
Couch to 5 kilometres (often typed as c25k) - book I believe

the latest craze (started by eatriskier) is hula hooping
and wii fit yoga and wii sports are good to get you moving gently again

if you were pretty fit before but want to get your abdomen back into a happy place, try pilates and yoga
and set yourself simple targets that you can exceed within a week so that you build your self confidence back up too.

Thanks Talk. After my first I had no problems & was back fit as I was before in no time. This is depressing, but I've got to be patient I suppose.

Am going to start some yoga, I've a great DVD I used to do & I'll check YouTube for the shred. fingers crossed I'll get where I need to be :)

((((Hippy))))
if you are up for it - even on lurking status : come and join the land of 5:2 as we are a very happy place that loves to welcome new converts.

Hello, I had my DS eight months ago and am in a similar situation but a bit further along. After an episiotomy and infected stitches, and two stone weight gain, I felt crap. My back is also quite delicate. When DS was six months I decided to take action.

On advice from my DH (who is a fitness freak) I started eating 'clean' foods to help me feel more healthy and start to lose the extra weight. So lots of chicken broth and veg noodle soups etc. At the same time I started lengthening my short walks and aimed to do two per day - basically at nap time so DS slept in the pram. Last month I invested in a good baby carrier as my back felt stronger so I've been walking with him in that instead. I do pelvic floor exercises when I'm shh patting him to sleep at night! The weight's coming off and I'm beginning to feel fitter.

It's a slow process but worth taking it slowly. After all your body has been through the wars! Personally I think the 30 day shred is too much to start with and potentially damaging to your back. Couch to 5k is probably better suited to you as you used to run anyway.

I've been going to a postnatal Pilates class which has been great for building up my core strength and sorting out my bad back (can also take the baby so don't have to worry about childcare!). I'm wondering if there might be anything like that near you?

Have you had your iron levels checked? Worth considering since you're easily breathless. And did you have your abdominal muscles (rectus sheath / diastasis recti) checked for separation? Postnatal pilates can be good for that if the instructor knows their stuff.

Hi thanks for all the advice :)

I used to eat clean even when I was pregnabt I hated chocolate. Then after I had my DS I developed a liking for it, now it is my biggest vice. My diet is pretty bad compared to how it used to be.

I have low iron levels & am on tablets so hop that works soon. Been doing yoga DVD for a few days now, going to start waking again as soon as the storm is over.

I need to loose at least 2 stone, new year new me!