Week 1

Welcome Mamas, by now you have been postnatal for at least a few months and have gotten back into some sort of workout/movement routine. This training plan is going to help address any muscle imbalances you might have that can be affecting your return to running. Feel free to continue doing your daily exercises/movements while you start to incorporate these new posture and movements. This first week is very important because it is all about posture. This might not sound like the most exciting topic, but trust me on the importance of it! Core exercises and strength training are awesome, but at most you would do them for an hour a day, well what about the other 14+ hours of the day that you are awake?

Sitting

• Stand with your feet a little wider than hip width apart

• Hands on your low back and stick your butt out so you have a slight arch in your back

• Make sure knees are not caving inward

• Keep bringing your butt back as you bend your knees and sit on the front half of your sit bones

• Draw your shoulders down away from your ears and lengthen through the crown of your head, try to keep your chin slightly tucked and your ears over your shoulders

Try to decrease crossing your thighs, rounding your low back in a “c” position, or sitting for long periods of time

Standing

• Feet should be about hip width apart

• Toes should be pointed forward or slightly outward

• Soften your knees (do not lock your knees)

• Shift your hips back so you feel a little more weight in your heels than your toes

  • This allows your hips to be stacked directly over your heels

• Drop your shoulders down away from your ears and lengthen through the crown of your head, keeping your ears over your shoulders

• Try to make this feel comfortable and relaxed

Try to decrease crossing your legs, shifting to one side, thrusting hips forward, hiking one hip out, crossing your ankles, locking your knees or wearing heeled shoes.