8 Best Postpartum Core Exercises To Rebuild Strength
In a society that often pressures women to “bounce back” to their pre-pregnancy bodies, it's so important to shift our focus toward creating a strong core, instead of working out for aesthetic reasons.
Benefits of postpartum core exercises
Yes, toning the core is often a goal women have post-pregnancy. But recognizing that the benefits of postpartum core exercises goes way beyond aesthetics is a good way to stay motivated to make them a priority. They are essential for rebuilding the foundation of your body, which has undergone significant changes during pregnancy and delivery. A strong core also helps support the spine, improves posture and reduces the risk of back pain.
This is especially important to help prevent strain and injuries as you lift and carry your baby, and supports you as you recover from pregnancy and delivery. As a woman’s belly expands during pregnancy it can create a separation in the abdominal wall called diastasis recti. Engaging in targeted core exercises can help in healing the abdominal separation, strengthen the pelvic floor to prevent incontinence, and enhance balance and coordination.
Postpartum core exercises
Ease back into exercise and start rebuilding core strength with these postpartum exercises. Performing them a few times a week will help you to restore stability and build confidence in moving your body again post-pregnancy.
Kegels
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. As you exhale, tighten your pelvic-floor muscles (the muscle you contract to hold your bladder when you have to urinate) and hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds. Try to use your pelvic floor muscles and avoid tightening your upper abs, thighs or glutes. Then, take a deep breath in for 3-5 seconds and relax the muscles. Repeat for 10 reps.
Tyler Essary / TODAYPelvic tilts
Lying on your back with your feet on the floor, open your feet as wide as your hips. Reach your arms toward your heels. Take a deep breath in through your nose and fill your stomach up with air. Then, exhale through your mouth and pull your naval in toward your spine. To exaggerate this, as you breathe in slowly arch your low back up off of the ground, keeping your tailbone planted. Then, as you exhale press your low back into the ground as you tilt your pelvis toward your ribs. Repeat these pelvic tilts forward and back 10 times.
Tyler Essary / TODAY360 Belly Breathing
Place your hands on your ribcage and take a deep breath in inflating your ribcage while imagine it opening up like an umbrella. Feel your abdominal muscles push outward and your pelvic-floor muscles lengthen down. As you exhale, picture the diaphragm pushing the air up and out of your lungs, letting your abdomen contract while keeping your chest still. Repeat for 10 breaths. Try in different positions while lying down, sitting and standing.
Tyler Essary / TODAYDead Bug
Begin by lying down flat on your back. Ensure your shoulders and low back remain flat on the floor. Next, lift your hands above your shoulders. Then, lift your legs and bend your knees, with your knees over your hips at a 90-degree angle. Exhale, engaging the core, as you slowly lower your opposite arm and leg (left leg and right arm), hovering them above the floor. Return to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side (right leg and left arm). Repeat for 5 repetitions on each side.
Tyler Essary / TODAYBridge
Lying on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground as wide as your hips. Reach your fingertips toward your heels so that they’re able to graze the back of you heel. Press down through your feet and pull your naval in toward your spine to lift up into bridge pose. Squeeze your glutes and make sure your knees do not open out wider than your hips. Slowly lower down to the starting position. Repeat for 10 repetitions total.
Tyler Essary / TODAYMarching bridge
Lie on your back with bent knees and feet hips-width apart. Relax your arms by your sides. Pull the navel in toward the spine as if you’re zipping into a tight pair of pants. Slowly roll the hips up, then low back, then mid-back off the ground. Press down through the feet, then lift the right foot off the ground as if you’re beginning to march. Return the right foot to the ground and then lift your left foot. Keep the hips steady as you lift each foot off the ground. You can place your hands on your hips to ensure that they are staying stationary. March five times per foot.
Tyler Essary / TODAYHalf roll down with oblique twist
Start seated on the ground with your knees bent and heels on the floor. Reach your arms straight out in front of you. Tilt your pelvis back and engage the abs before slowly rolling back toward the ground, stopping halfway. Holding this position, twist your torso toward the right, bringing your arms with you. Twist back through center, and then toward the left. Come back to center and then curl back up to sitting tall. Repeat for 10 repetitions.
Tyler Essary / TODAYHollow hold
Lying flat on your back, start with your arms and legs reaching straight up toward the ceiling. Exhale as you pull your naval in toward your spine and slowly lower the arms behind you and the legs in front of you. Only go as low as you can without allowing your low back to arch! Start with a 5 second hold and work your way up to 10, 20 and eventually 30 seconds.
