A Guide for Running in the Postpartum Period

Our members often ask us when it’s safe to return to running after they’ve had a baby.

If you’re a member of our Community you may have heard us say that running isn’t always the best sport/activity to jump back into right after a baby is born. Instability of joints, as well as pelvic floor weakness, can contribute to a less enjoyable running experience for many, especially for those who are early in their postpartum recovery. Returning to a high impact activity like running without the proper training and recovery time can increase the likelihood of injury (knee pain, hip pain and back pain) and can exacerbate symptoms related to your pelvic floor, such as stress incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.

Our recommendations:

We recommend that your baby is at least 6 months old or older, although some people may be ready to return to running a little earlier (4-6months). Running earlier than the 4 month mark is generally an uncomfortable feeling for most people and we feel that the first 12 weeks of postpartum recovery are better spent doing lower-impact exercises, strength training and foundational/ restorative work, which all help strengthen our bodies for the longer term and go a long way towards injury prevention.

Ideally you’ll have 4 to 8 weeks of strength training such as squats, lunges and other body weighted exercises, before you begin running. This base of strength and support will help reduce the instance of injury and keep you strong! Our live, online fitness classes or our on-demand workouts can help you in this area.

We strongly suggest that you are assessed by a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist before resuming high impact exercises like running. We work with many Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists, so let us know if you need a suggestion for one.

A few more tips:

• Include mobility and balance work in your exercise regime to help reduce the risk of injury.

• When you’re ready to begin running again, start out slowly, with something such as a walk to run program, as it’s one of the best ways to ease back into running, especially if you haven’t run much since becoming pregnant.

• Pay attention to how your body feels both during the run (do you notice any heaviness or pressure in your pelvic floor or leaking when you run?) and after your run (such as heaviness or aching in your pelvis). Taking note of these feelings can help you adjust your running schedule and your strength training program.

Check out the video Jen from Fitmama Strong Durham shared with one of the local Durham Region Running Room marathon running groups! She was invited to speak on the importance of cross training when training for a marathon.

We hope this post helps you prepare to return to running so that you remain injury free and can enjoy running again post baby!

Interested in joining us? Our classes are a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Online has been operating classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.

We offer Prenatal Fitness classes, live from our virtual studio. Our series of Prenatal classes includes On-Demand Prenatal Yoga classes. Our 30 minute live, online Express classes our our On-Demand library of pre-recorded workouts are a favourite for busy mamas who enjoy consistency in their workout regime.

If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try one of our 3 Class Passes! You can use them at our postnatal Express Strong and Express Elevate classes. It doesn’t matter if your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all postnatal members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Grab a monthly membership and keep moving:)

Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness through our Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!

We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Find your Fitmama Strong Location!