Mothers of New Babies and Toddlers

Physical Activity

Build Endurance

Walking is one of the safest and easiest forms of endurance activity for new mothers and their babies.

You may find it difficult (while breastfeeding and caring for your baby) to find the time to be active, have time for yourself, and enjoy the company of other adults. Walking with your baby in a stroller or an approved carrier allows you to do three things at once— do a physical activity, take time for yourself, and enjoy being with friends!

Photo from Active Living During Pregnancy: Physical activity guidelines for mother and baby, 1999. Used with permission from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

FITT Chart

Exercise guidelines for endurance activities during the first 6 weeks after childbirth (adapted from PARmed-X for PREGNANCY, Prescription for Aerobic Activity)
F	I	T	T
FREQUENCY	INTENSITY	TIME	TYPE
If it is difficult to find the time to be active. Try physical activities you can do with your baby, such as walking. Most new mothers can do low-level physical activities such as walking daily. If you are keen to get back into shape and want to begin an exercise program in addition to your active lifestyle, begin with endurance activities 3 times a week. Progress to 4 or 5 times per week during the next six weeks	Listen to your body. If you feel comfortable doing what you're doing, you are on target. If you have had an episiotomy (stitches), make sure you can walk or sit comfortably before you begin exercise that is more vigorous. During the first 6 weeks after childbirth, do only LOW to MODERATE INTENSITY exercise. Your body needs time to recover from the trauma of childbirth. Use the Borg Scale or the Talk Test to track the intensity of your efforts!	Attempt 15 minutes at a time, even if it means that you reduce the intensity to a light or weak Level. Short rest times (intervals) may be helpful in the first few weeks.	Do continuous exercises for large muscle groups, such as walking. You may want to avoid activities that involve sitting, such as cycling, rowing or water activities because of healing taking place in the pelvic region. If you had a caesarian section, you will need to wait for your stitches to heal before you do physical activities that use your abdominal muscles to a great extent (such as rowing or skiing). You may have to wait for 10 weeks or more for your abdominal wall to heal. Start slowly. If it hurts you are NOT ready!

Monitor your progress with a

Healthy Habits Log

Feelings of well-being
Hydration
Weight loss
Dietary intake
Energy levels

If you are not meeting your fitness or weight loss goals, you may need to adjust the frequency, duration, and intensity of your efforts.

If taking an exercise class:

Make sure you can see the instructor.
Do what the instructor says to do with body alignment and positions.
Pay attention to keeping a neutral spine.
Keep your knees bent and soft.
Go at your own pace!

The Talk Test
If you can talk to someone during your activity, you are in the correct effort zone. If you are working so hard that you cannot talk—other than gasping a few words at a time—you are at an intensity level that is too high so soon after giving birth. You need to REDUCE your intensity!

The BORG Scale of Perceived Exertion
This scale uses numbers to rate how you perceive the level of effort (or intensity) of the physical activity you are doing. Ask yourself how hard you are working. For the first 6 weeks after childbirth, your strongest physical activity should be NO HIGHER than a BORG 11 to 14 (moderate to strong intensity of perceived effort).

Intensity of Perceived Effort	Rating	What is my breathing like?
No effort at all	6	Resting
Very, very light effort	7	No change from resting
Very light effort	8	No change from resting
Somewhat light effort	9, 10	Slight increase in breathing rate
Fairly light effort	11, 12	Greater increase in breathing rate, can sing a song!
Somewhat hard effort	13, 14	Greater increase in breathing rate, can sing a song!
Hard effort	15, 16	Starting to feel out of breath, can talk but cannot sing a song
Very hard effort	17, 18, 19	More out of breath, can say only a few words at a time
Very, very hard effort	20	Completely out of breath

Click here for more information on flexibility.

Click here for more information on strength.