5 Top tips for a safe return to (and more effective!) running
Do you love to run? May you just want to know how to run? Or perhaps, you want to improve your running? Well, you’re in the right place!
Whether you enjoy a light jog around the neighbourhood, a 5k fun run or you are a full blown marathon enthusiast, nothing quite beats the feeling of a run. The fresh air, that feeling of freedom, the breathlessness and even the sweat!
For a lot of our clients (mostly mums themselves), getting back in to running seems to be a common goal and for most there is no reason why they can’t! BUT once you have had a bub, returning to this type of intense exercise takes patience, awareness, some education and a little bit of hard work…yep we said it, you gotta work at it – but not in the way you might think. Unfortunately, a lot of women go from 0 to 100 and throw themselves back in to intense exercise and running too quickly. FACT: up to 80% of these women will injure themselves within 12 months and will increase their risk for potential issues and long term damage. Personally we have seen beautiful, fit women suffer from pelvic organ, even rectal prolapse because they didn’t know how to read the signs their body was giving them.
Hmm, so what does this tell us?
We are NOT educating ourselves, we are NOT giving ourselves the time to heal and restore properly post birth and we are NOT doing the work. For the lovers of running, we know you are not going to sit around, do nothing and just wait for the ‘right time’ (nor should you!). You can still be physical and get your exercise ‘fix’ the right way…so where the hell do you start?
Well, here is a great place! Our 5 Top Tips for a safe return to (and more effective) running:
| See a Women’s Pelvic Health Physio |
This is our #1 tip for a reason. We are very passionate about this important step for women in their post natal recovery (whether your baby is 6 months or 6 years old). Do you ever wonder if those ‘things’ you are feeling or experiencing post birth are normal? Do you wet your pants (like, ever…even just little bit)? Do you experience pelvic or lower back pain? Do you feel generally weak and unstable through your tummy? Do you experience any of these things and think ‘oh well, I’ve had a baby so I’m sure that’s all quite normal, right?’. These are common complaints from many of our clients (particular those who run or exercise regularly) and this was us too! BUT mumma we are here to tell you that these post baby ‘issues’ should NOT be considered your ‘new normal’ and there IS something you can do about it, pretty great right?!
Insert your Womens Pelvic Health Physio.
There is so much incredible value in seeing a Women’s Pelvic Health Physio for a variety of reasons and a good Physio will cover many aspects of your physical health – but the standard check is a comprehensive core and pelvic floor assessment. This assessment is about evaluating where your body is at. It is not about discovering all the things that are potentially ‘wrong’ with you, to then be given a long list of do’s and don’ts. It’s about helping you acknowledge the changes experienced in pregnancy and child birth and to encourage you to take the right steps to help heal and strengthen your body. Your Physio will teach you body awareness, they will give you the knowledge, the tools and strategies to help you look after your body now and in to the future.
Want to find a WHP in your area? Click here for further information. Otherwise get in touch at hello@soulsisterhealth.com.au we would be happy to help!
| Set a strong (yet mobile) foundation + build a booty |
Building strength from the inside out. You’ve probably heard this before, but maybe never really taken the time to appreciate what it really means? We must take the time to ‘rehab’ our bodies post birth. We need to re-form a solid connection with our entire core and pelvic floor system through targeted activation and strengthening exercises (also known as ‘kegels’ in the pelvic floor world) before you can move on to more intense workouts. This rehab work is an integral step in the safe and effective return to running or more intense exercise. To ensure you are doing this part right, our best advice? See a Women’s Health Physio for guidance and learn to ‘connect’ properly!
Beyond the ‘rehab’ stage, a targeted and consistent strength program is a must to compliment your running. We are not talking about hitting the gym 7 days a week for intense weight sessions! Body weight exercise (anytime, anywhere) is an extremely effective method of building and maintaining strength. So ask yourself, how is the body effected during running? What areas typically take the most load? A whole body approach to strength training is our general advice and in particular we recommend lots of targeted glute strengthening work. Yes, we want you to build a booty! Glute muscle strength will do wonders for your pelvic floor and entire core function, for your pelvic and hip stability and to ultimately assist you in more effective running.
In addition to all this strength work, we place mobilisation (i.e. dynamic stretching) work at the top of the list. As mums we can hold typical postures and positions they aren’t ideal for our alignment and thus, the stability of our entire body. We find ourselves ‘stuck’ quite unknowingly in postures, that if and when translated to more intense movement, can cause us some form of injury or discomfort. Thoracic, hip, pelvic and even ankle mobility are all major areas of importance. Done right with the appropriate strength regime alongside, your body will benefit 10 fold from consistent mobilisation work. We have heaps of great stretch tips and videos on our IG account @soulsisterhealth or you can grab a copy of our comprehensive Stretch Series Guide now online for loads of great stretching and mobility inspo.
| Learn to stand, learn to walk, learn to run (alignment) |
How you sit, is how you stand, is how you walk, is how you run…so why does this matter? Following on from our point above – your every day alignment (posture), i.e. how you carry yourself day to day – will not only impact how you run, but how successful your running is and how well your core and pelvic floor system will cope with running in to the longer term. Alignment plays a critical role in how well your core system will engage through every repetitive movement, how your body (and bladder!) will hold up each time you drive your foot in to the pavement and ultimately how long your body will last before you begin to experience symptoms of core or pelvic floor dysfunction.
Here is a quick guide to help improve your Alignment for better more efficient running:
- In standing (in the mirror!) practice putting yourself into a ski jump position where your ribs settle softly over your hips (i.e. you don’t force them down with ab engagement!), your body weight is in a slight forward lean and your spine is long. Why?! This is the most optimal position for your core system engagement (i.e. diaphragm speaking to pelvic floor) and will allow for appropriate hip extension and glute activation while you run!
Want to see this in practice? Check out this clip from Julie Weibe (Womens Health PT) “Tips for Runners”.
| Practice optimal breathing |
Yes, it’s a thing! There are many reasons we can be practicing inefficient breathing patterns…and pregnancy is a big one! This non optimal breathing can be carried through well in to your post natal days and then translates in to your exercise and running. This can be problematic for your core and pelvic floor system.
You must learn how to effectively use your diaphragm (breathing) muscle. As research in the area of ‘the core’ system becomes more prevalent, the diaphragm has come to be lovingly labelled the ‘King of the Core’. It sets your entire core system up for optimal functioning through all movement…but how?! Through your breath!
Alignment and breath go hand in hand.
In order to ensure your diaphragm is doing its thing, you need to set up that core, i.e. get in front of the mirror and get your ribs over your hips. This will ensure you are using less upper chest breathing strategies and more focus on filling the lower rib cage. Additionally, the diaphragm is now well positioned to ensure that upon its decent (on inhale breath), this downward pressure will allow for the “piston” like effect on the pelvic floor muscles (as per Julie Weibe’s explanation in the clip above).
Confused?! Check out our quick “How-to Breath and Why?” video now and get breathing (the right way)!
| Be patient |
Building up to longer runs takes time and patience. The amount of time is, and will always be, different for everyone and will of course depend on a number of factors. How much exercise you have been doing, your fitness level, your stage of post natal recovery, etc. While this approach is very individualised, we always recommend adopting a basic level walk/run strategy to begin. Incline walking in particular can be a hugely beneficial way to build strength and fitness while taking the pressure off a potentially compromised core system.
How do you incline walk (properly!)? Check out this clip from our fave Women’s Health PT Julie Weibe “Programming for female runners”
Ok there you have it, our quick top 5 guide to a safe return to running. We hope that these guidelines will provide you with some new information and perhaps a new appreciation of how important it is for us mums to really take care of our bodies and return to exercise the right way.
For those of you who are already running and experiencing symptoms of core and pelvic floor dysfunction, we encourage you to please take all of these tips in to consideration. There may be no reason for you to stop what you are doing, but you may need to temporarily scale back, seek some advice and adopt more efficient strategies (i.e. alignment and breathing).
We are passionate about ensuring that women are educated and make well informed choices when it comes to exercise. We have numerous resources and blogs which cover aspects of this and we have put together a comprehensive Pregnancy + Post Natal Exercise Guide for all women. Or perhaps you haven’t exercised in a while, so running might be a little way off – in which case we recommending reading our 5 Top Tips for a safe Return to Exercise first.If you have any queries or want to know how might be able to help you on your exercise journey, get in touch at hello@soulsisterhealth.com.au.
Anna & Em xx
