Exercising Postpartum

I've been itchin' for a switchin' and now I'll probably be hurtin' for certain.

I tried running last Thursday. It didn't go so well. I went about 1.5 minutes on the treadmill and had to stop because my lower abs hurt so badly. I got on the bike and felt pretty good riding, though I sweated like a hog--even more like a hog than usual, if you can believe that. I went less than 20 minutes total. I've been sneaking in stomach crunches and push-ups, and though I'm weak, it feels SO good to work my muscles some. I've had to mentally coach myself into why resting after giving birth is so important. I worked out hard for my entire pregnancy, had less than 2 hours of labor, gave birth (ouch!), and after a day or two mentally felt like I should be right back out there hitting the pavement. But what I have had to come to grips with is the fact that I'm not just recovering from the day I gave birth; I'm recovering from 9 months of major change in my body. Everything has to get put back together, so to speak. And it doesn't happen over-night.

Today, I tried running again. I loaded up Eli, Asher, and Finley in the van (Brandt is at the farm with my parents) along with the jogging stroller and Asher and Eli's bikes and drove to a big parking lot in the sports complex. While the boys rode around, I pushed Finley in the stroller. She was perfectly content as long as I was moving. I ran 30 minutes total and felt very good. We'll see how I feel tomorrow...