Running post-baby can be incredibly freeing?and a great way to bond with your baby?but it can also be dangerous (hello, prolapse!). We spoke with running moms and running pros (who are also moms) to get the deets on how and when to don those jogging shoes.
Before you run
It?s important to strengthen your core, including your pelvic floor, before returning to high-impact activities like running, says Dannan Siano, runner, mom of three and owner of Viva Physical Therapy, which specializes in women?s issues related to pregnancy and postpartum.?If you don?t give your body enough time to build up a strong core after having your baby, you may experience lower back pain, pelvic girdle pain, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor dysfunction or even pelvic organ prolapse,? she says. Siano recommends that before running, women do a pelvic floor and core strengthening program (this typically involves exercises like pelvic floor contractions, lumbar strengthening, abdominal strengthening and breath work.) A run/walk program can also be a good way to transition back into running post-baby, as it will ease your body back into this type of movement. That?s what Jacquelyn Baston, a certified personal trainer, 10-time marathoner (she will be doing her 11th marathon in November of 2018) and mother of one did after her son was born. She started strength training and swimming six weeks postpartum, and resumed running at six months with a walk/run interval routine on the treadmill. ?Mentally, I w...