You just had a baby, and you're itching to hit the roads again. Which is great—exercise boosts mood, gives you some much-needed "me time," and gets you out of your pajamas. But even if you worked out through your pregnancy, you need to ease back into a running routine. After all, your body has just been through quite an ordeal—if you take on too much, too soon, you could end up hurt. And the last thing you want is to be making bottles while balancing on crutches. So Jeanette Burney, a physical therapist with the Boulder Community Hospital who specializes in pelvic-floor muscle disorders and orthopedics, and Tim Hilden, a physical therapist, athletic trainer, exercise physiologist, and head of the Gait Analysis Lab at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, put together the following recovery plan to help you resume running in a healthy way. Keep in mind that these are just guidelines. The most important thing is to listen to your body. If any activity makes you feel worse the day after you do it, scale back. And consult your ob-gyn or a physical therapist for specific questions about your own body's recovery.

1-2 Weeks Post-Delivery

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Kegels: Visualize the pelvic floor muscles contracting and lifting up and in toward the chin, as if stopping a flow of urine. Start lying on your side or on your back. Start with five repetitions of five-second contractions, with five seconds of rest in between.

Pelvic tilts: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, hand resting on your belly below the belly button. Gently rock your pelvis back to press your lower back to the floor. Feel for the stomach muscles to gently pull in—belly button to spine. Hold for 10 seconds. Do one set of 10 repetitions, three times a day.

Cardio Activity

Start with slow, easy walks around the block for roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Listen to your body. If you feel wiped out the next day, scale back the amount of activity.

Strength Training

Don't worry about it yet. You're probably so tired that keeping yourself upright is a strength workout in itself.

2-4 Weeks Post-Delivery

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Kegels: Progress to doing them in various positions, like lying on your stomach, sitting, standing. Continue doing five repetitions of five-second contractions, five seconds rest. Do two or three sets. Then switch to doing two-second contractions with four seconds rest. Do one set of 10 repetitions.

Pelvic tilts: Continue one set of 10 repetitions, three times a day. Try in various positions: lying on your back, on your side, sitting, and standing.

Cardio Activity

Continue doing easy walking around the neighborhood for roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

Strength Training

Do push-ups and planks at home to build core strength. (Hilden says it's important to note that if diastasis recti exists, do not perform abdominal strengthening exercises; seek guidance from a physical therapist, nurse, or doctor trained in treating this condition.)

4-6 Weeks Post-Delivery

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Kegels: Progress to doing them during functional activities like walking, lifting things (groceries, baby), moving from standing to sitting, and so on. Progress to 10 repetitions of 10-second contractions with 10 seconds rest.

Pelvic Tilts: Continue one set of 10 repetitions, three times a day. Then add this variation: While lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, draw your belly button in and tilt your pelvis so your back is flat on the floor. Slide one heel away from the body, keeping the heel in contact with or on the ground. Try to straighten the knee. Return and repeat on the other side.

Cardio Activity

Increase the length and pace of your walks as you feel comfortable. Start cross-training:

Elliptical (Be aware of proper form to not stress the sacral area. Aim for a steady upper body, avoiding a bouncy motion or excessive rocking of the pelvis). Ride a bike (if comfortable—if not, use a recumbent bike.) Swim, Pool Run (Start with 15 to 20 minutes, gauge how you feel the next day, increase gradually from there).

Strength Training

Continue the same exercises, adding reps (push-ups) or time (planks), and add step-ups, lunges, hamstring curls, and balancing arm curls.

6-8 Weeks Post-Delivery

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Kegels: Progress to doing them during more activities like climbing stairs, doing squats. Progress to three to four sets of 10 repetitions of 10-second contractions with 10 seconds rest in between. Progress to three to four sets of 10 repetitions of two-second contractions with four seconds of rest in between.

Pelvic Tilts: Continue one set of 10 repetitions, three times a day. And continue doing this variation: While lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, draw your belly button in and tilt your pelvis so your back is flat on the floor. Lift one foot off the ground, lifting the knee toward the chest (thigh vertical). Return and repeat on the other side.

Cardio Activity

Start a walk-run program. Alternate one minute of running with one minute of walking for 30 minutes total (15 minutes of running, 15 minutes of walking). Progress to running for two minutes and walking for one minute for 30 minutes total (20 minutes of running, 10 minutes of walking). Run-walk every other day so your body has time to recover between workouts. You can cross-train on your non-run-walk days. But be sure to take at least two rest days a week.

8+ Weeks Post-Delivery

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Kegels: Continue doing them during various activities, even running. The goal is to do 80 to 100 contractions per day of combined 10-second contractions and two-second contractions.

Pelvic Tilts: Continue one set of 10 repetitions, three times a day. Continue doing this variation: While lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, draw your belly button in and tilt your pelvis so your back is flat on the floor. Lift one foot off the ground and slide the leg away from the body without touching the ground. Try to straighten the knee. Return and repeat on the other side.

Cardio Activity

If you feel ready, run for 20 minutes straight, every other day. Continue to listen to your body. If you feel worse the next day, scale back. Continue cross-training on off days. Be sure to take at least one weekly rest day.**

Strength Training

Continue all exercises, adding repetitions, and progressing to more advanced versions as you feel ready.

*If at your six weeks postpartum checkup you are leaking any urine during activity, ask your ob-gyn for a referral to a physical therapist.

**If you are running with a baby jogger using an infant car seat adapter, be aware that pushing the jogger requires additional abdominal strength to stabilize your midsection while you are pushing with your upper body. There is also increased gluteal and hamstring activity needed to push the weight of the jogger. And the altered running mechanics required to push a jogger (shorter stride, pushing with one or both hands, have the potential to stress the sacroiliac (SI) joint, especially for women who experienced SI joint pain during pregnancy. Tim Hilden, physical therapist at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, advises creating as much space as possible between you and the baby jogger in order to maintain a "regular" stride. He also recommends pushing with one hand, then switching off, or using the safety leash and pushing the jogger away from you on safe, flat, straight areas, and catching up to it.

Lisa Jhung Lisa Jhung writes about all things adventure and is the author of Running That Doesn't Suck: How To Love Running (Even If You Think You Hate It) and Trailhead: The Dirt on All Things Trail Running.

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