Barre3. And bonus, the studios have childcare. I know the studio on 14th St in DC is bringing it back and I would expect the others to do so too because it's really popular. That was basically my first "leave my baby with a non-family member" experience during my maternity leave and it was a good first step to getting used to it.

Anonymous wrote:I’m doing Get Mom Strong’s SLAM Bridge program (SLAM = strong like a mother) and am loving it. It costs money but feels worth every cent. It is cardio with a focus on pelvic floor and ab health as well as functional strength moves that have definitely been beneficial (bucket car seat carrying and the poopy baby carry). I plan to do SLAM and SLAM Advanced as well.

I'm so glad to hear a real life person recommend her! I have been contemplating doing Bridge because I need help getting back in shape, and I think the emphasis on "you've had a baby" would help me. Even though my "baby" is 4....

Kayla Itsines' Sweat program has a post-partum version. I'm not sure what it's like since I do the normal one, but the normal one is hard and definitely keeps me in shape.

I’m doing Get Mom Strong’s SLAM Bridge program (SLAM = strong like a mother) and am loving it. It costs money but feels worth every cent. It is cardio with a focus on pelvic floor and ab health as well as functional strength moves that have definitely been beneficial (bucket car seat carrying and the poopy baby carry). I plan to do SLAM and SLAM Advanced as well.

TIU has a post-natal program on its app if you like at-home work outs. Fit4Mom DC if you want something in person.

MommaStrong!

You can start with Hazy Days I think immediately post partum, then you slowly work your way up to the new momma and then momma courses. Very pelvic health focused, but also an all around good work out.

Not sure what beachbody programs you've tried, but I really like 21 day fix for getting back into things. I start out modifying everything, work my way up to doing the full exercises, then graduate to 21 Day Fix Extreme. It's not pelvic floor specific, but I like having a program to hold myself accountable. There is also a program called Core de Force that has fun cardio workouts as short as 20 minutes -- just be careful not to overdo it with the kicks.

Nancy Anderson Ab Rehab is exactly that, first couple weeks is pelvic floor and gentle core and then it slowly adds strength and increasing levels of cardio intensity for 12 weeks. I bought it after getting a lot of ads on Facebook and it’s really comprehensive, but my two critiques are:

1. It is time consuming and it was unrealistic for me to spend 30+ mins every day on it very early postpartum, so I kept falling off track
2. The trainers really focus so much on appearance and looking better and it contributes to that awful pressure on women to bounce back. I wanted a stronger core and more balanced approach to prevent back pain that plagued me for months after the first time I gave birth. It was grating to keep hearing appearance focused motivational comments like I was going to get a slim tummy back when I could f*cling care less and just want to be healthy for my kids.

Despite those 2 gripes I do think it is a solid program for postpartum fitness needs.

Maybe try a barre class once a week? The strength and conditioning work is so good for women, plus it is low impact and the after-burn is huge.

I'm about to have #3 - never successfully got back into a solid working out routine after the other 2. I had some fits and starts with beach body and running but never felt like I found my grove again where it wasn't a difficult slog and I was actually in shape to push myself.

I know the general guidance of start easy! do pelvic rehab first! etc....I'm hoping to find a program that will take me from the early slow pelvic breathwork through getting cardio and strength fitness back so I can see a path to actually feeling fit again.