Use Everyday Movements To Build Strength

Let’s face it, whether you’re looking for a workout or not, everyday mom life will make you work. Maybe it’s placing your child slowly into to the crib so as not to wake her, or carrying a heavy diaper bag to the car. Perhaps leaning, reaching and twisting to get your child from the car seat is a challenge. These are all unavoidable tasks that can become daunting for a new mom. But, if done without fear and if the body is PREPARED for the challenge, you can do these movements comfortably and effectively. And looking on the bright side, these challenges provide an opportunity to strengthen the body for the postpartum recovery. So, how can we prepare the body for heavy daily activities?



Practice (Specificity Principle)


The more we do a task, the more our body prepares to accomplish it. We’ve heard this since childhood, “practice makes perfect.” Well, in this case, we’re not looking for perfect. In fact, there really is no such thing as perfect movement. We’re looking for our body to adapt and succeed at a movement as well as variations of it. If you want to get better at a task, do that task. “Better” can be different depending on your goals. Maybe better means you can do it without pain. Maybe it means doing it without getting short of breath. Maybe it means continuing the task even as your baby gets bigger. Whatever it means to you, make it a goal and practice!


Progressive Overload


The stronger you are, the less challenging any one task will be. This makes a great case for getting stronger. If lifting your child or moving the car seat only taxes you a little bit, you might have a lot more energy left over at the end of the day. The way to build your system up is to use “progressive overload” in your workouts. This basically means that you gradually increase the demand on a muscle to actually build its strength and ability. This could mean performing extra repetitions, adding weight, or slowing down to increase the time that the muscle is working. Whatever way you choose, be excited that the stronger you get, the easier everything else will be!

Build a “Movement Vocabulary”


We’ve established that we’re not looking for “perfection” with your movements, and that is because there is no perfect. Set your mind at ease knowing that there is a variety of ways to perform a movement. If one technique doesn’t work, try another. This may be a time to work with a professional who can help you find your options or adaptations. Or mix up your options on your own and see what feels good. You might try changing your stance, working with your breathing, or possibly rounding the spine a little bit. See what feels best and see that there are many options for movement. The bottom line: the more options we have, the more we can move throughout the day in various scenarios, and the more control we have to change something if it’s not feeling good.