3 Tips For Increasing Your Running Speed After Having A Baby

Posted on: 2 December 2015

Although there are many joys to having a baby, the condition of your body soon after giving birth is often not one of them. An estimated 47% of pregnant women gain too much weight during pregnancy and one recent study established that almost 25% of new mothers still carried more than 20 pounds a year after giving birth. Therefore, if you were a runner before your pregnancy and find that you are unhappy with your weight or body now, it is important to speak to your doctor to see when you can return to that healthy exercise.

#1-Prepare For Your Run Before You Actually Can Run

Since it may have been months since you last ran, you should plan to start off slowly and increase your running speed over time. You may even find that your runs will need to start as walks, so you can build up your endurance.

In addition, your doctor may suggest starting pelvic floor exercises soon after giving birth. Pregnancy and childbirth can weaken those muscles and in some cases, it is not safe to start running again until they are stronger. Simply flexing and relaxing those muscles a few minutes times a day can help you get back into your running shoes.

#2-Check Your Shoes

Although you probably suspected that your pre-pregnancy clothes would not fit you properly right after your baby, you may be surprised to find out that your shoes also do not fit well. It is not unusual for a woman's shoe size to increase by about half a size during pregnancy. Therefore, it is important to have your feet professionally sized and then buy the appropriate shoes.

Losing weight and getting in shape after having a baby is hard enough. The last thing you want is to do it in ill-fitting shoes.

#3-Make An Appropriate Running Plan

If you used to run a few miles first thing in the morning or the last thing at night, it is easy to assume that you will return to doing so now. However, that may not be true, as going for a run at 5:00 in the morning is a lot easier when you were not up with a baby half the night.

As a result, it is a good idea to become flexible when planning your run. For instance, you may find that splitting up the run throughout the day works better for you now. You could also choose to join a gym with a good daycare so that you are free to concentrate exclusively on running. Finally, the treadmill is a popular choice for many women as well.

In conclusion, it took about nine months for your body to nurture your child and you should not expect it to return to its pre-pregnancy weight and appearance overnight. After speaking with your doctor to verify that it is safe for you to begin running again, the tips mentioned above will help you love your body. As you build endurance and weight over the next few months, you will also be able to increase your running speed.

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