FOR a lot of new mums, getting back into training after having a baby can be a daunting task, especially if you took a hiatus from training for quite a lot of the pregnancy. Exercise, however, can be very therapeutic at a hectic time in your life.

Being a new mum means long days and even longer nights with multiple feeds and looking after the little one, so for a lot of mums trying to get to the gym can seem daunting. For instance time is a factor, trying to manage around your baby’s feeding and nap schedule can seem hectic. However, being creative with your time and including the baby will allow you to get started.

Training post-pregnancy will be slightly different to training before you got pregnant, at least for the first few months.

During the pregnancy a lot of changes happened to the body which can cause a lot of stress, particularly on the back. As the baby develops, the mother to be becomes even more front loaded, with the womb expanding and the breasts enlarging, the strain on the back can be immense and back issues can arise not only in lower back, but the upper back as well due to the hunched-forward position.

This, coupled with possible abdominal separation and a possible C-section, means the body has gone under a great amount of trauma and needs some recovery time post-pregnancy. Usually this is around three months (12 weeks) but could be sooner depending on how active you were pre-pregnancy. Always check in with your doctor to see when is right for you the individual to be safe coming back to training.

How do you start training again?

The first task to get through is believing you can do it, and fitting it into your lifestyle. Having a baby means time will always be an issue, so finding ways to get fitness into your day, including your baby in the process, is the best way to achieve this.

Firstly, focus on getting moving and building up a base of fitness. This could be as much as scheduling in progressively longer pram walks each day. This will start to bring back your aerobic base, meaning you will feel less breathless in day-to-day life.

Investing in a resistance band can be an absolute lifesaver, especially for those with extremely rounded shoulders. My go-to exercise here would be the band pull apart. These strengthen up your upper back and shoulder muscles, which help in resetting your posture.

Reaching out to other mums, be it friends or in your local community, can keep you accountable to exercise. Once cleared by your doctor to do so, swimming can be a great low-impact way to increase your cardiovascular system and start strengthening up your muscles to get you back into a routine.

Muscular exercises you can do in the house to start off are bodyweight squats, push-ups and using the resistance band, keeping the sets and reps light and increasing as and when you feel you can.

So already we are starting to have a recipe for getting your fitness back, introducing some low-intensity cardio work and combining it with some low-stress muscular work. Pretty soon you'll start to build your base back up.

Seeking local gyms that cater to mothers and babies is another great way to get fitter as you can bring your baby and no need for a babysitter.

At our gym, Everyday Athlete, we run Bootcamp Baby, this is a six-week course that progresses from bodyweight work, to weight training and cardiovascular interval training to get the mums backs, posture and bodies stronger and increase their CV fitness. Not only is this great for their health and fitness, it is done in a group setting so allows them to interact with other new mums and build up friendships, something which is needed especially if during the day there is no-one in the house to help out.

If the mums are needing some extra attention they can see our physio team who run Cry Baby Pilates, which is a pilates class dedicated to new mums and their babies.

The main thing to remember when starting exercising after your pregnancy is that Rome wasn't built in a day. If you ran marathons before you will again but don't put too much stress on yourself all at once. Enjoy adding in exercise back into your life especially when including the baby and as the baby grows older they will see a strong fit mother who takes care of them as well as herself and keeping healthy and fit will be a family affair.

Everyday Athlete gym is located in the heart of Glasgow and provides a unique, fun training environment geared towards helping clients achieve their health and fitness goals. Unit 18B 100 Borron Street, Glasgow, G49XG; www.everydayathletegym.com