Should You Be Running During Pregnancy and Postpartum?

Should you continue running while pregnant. What about postpartum and beyond?

Even if you have been running, and are postpartum or beyond, if you experience any incontinence or pelvic floor pressure it’s extremely important to take a step back and really rehab your core the safe and correct way.

This specific corrective activity can help you avoid additional pelvic floor dysfunctional issues later on in life too! It is NOT normal to pee your pants (even just a little) when you exercise – I can’t stress that enough. That is a major sign that your pelvic floor is not yet ready for that form of exercise. It’s not a ‘never’, it’s just a ‘not yet ready’.

Especially during pregnancy – it’s extremely important to minimize exercises that are putting extra stress on your pelvic floor.

Be kind and loving to your body! A workout should be more than just to burn calories or lose the baby weight. Done correctly, a workout should leave you feeling amazing after each session. You’ll feel stronger and more connected through your body while saying goodbye to those aches and pains. You’ll even stop leaking down there too!

Pregnancy & Running Recommendations

It is definitely something we look at on an individual basis. When you’re pregnant, your baby is pushing down on your pelvic floor. Putting pressure on your pelvic floor can cause over-stress if we aren’t practicing to strengthen the deep core. Although you may want to continue to run, if you’re experiencing pelvic pain or incontinence, it may not be the best way for you to exercise right now.

Working out through pregnancy is so beneficial, but it’s important to learn the concepts behind strengthening and conditioning the body for the prenatal body. So many women experience pelvic floor issues and suffer silently! There is ABSOLUTELY something we can do to correct and improve pelvic function, and you can come out of pregnancy even stronger!

If you’re a die-hard runner, and you’re not experiencing any complications or concerns from your doctor, it can be safe to continue to run. By incorporating pelvic floor strengthening, and becoming more aware of your deep core, you can improve your pelvic floor function AND feed your love for running without additional strain. My Knocked-Up Fitness and Wellness program will teach you how to train your body to stand up to the common (and avoidable!) discomforts associated with a weak deep core. So you can run free!