Pregnancy takes such a toll on the body. You will need to nourish another life within you so you undergo changes to help make this happen. You gain weight, your nursing sports bra, and your bones adapt to the stresses. Childbirth is extremely painful as well, although this at least signals the end of the pregnancy and the beginning of a lifelong love affair with your baby. Just make sure that you continue to take care of yourself post-partum. Give yourself a break by getting enough sleep and good food. Once your wounds have healed and you are ready to move more, you might want to think about including light exercises to your routine.

Improve Your Mental State

Make it fun by dressing up for your daily exercise hour. Get a nursing sports bra to keep everything secure while giving you easy access in case you need to provide milk for your baby. Think about other functional clothing items that can help you and inspire you to get this done. Exercise is self-care. You can use it to improve your mental state by inducing the secretion of hormones that improve mood such as endorphins. This should prevent you from succumbing to post-partum depression. You will also be able to stabilize your levels of progesterone, estrogen, blood sugar, and other health markers.

Give Your Energy a Boost

Simply thinking of exercise makes some people tired so they might question how doing it regularly could give them an energy boost. The fact is that the body is an amazing machine that adjusts to stimuli including exercise. Increasing your physical activities might initially tire you out but you will soon bounce back after resting. You will not feel as depleted the next time around, allowing you to do more. That extra energy will also last throughout the day so you won’t be tied to your bed. Exercise is so much better than coffee or sugary snacks that give a quick boost followed by a heavy crash.

Return to Your Old Figure

Most women will want to resume exercise in an attempt to return to their old figure. They want to fit into their old clothes and get back their former mobility. They also want to feel good when they look at the mirror. Those who regularly exercised prior or even during pregnancy can return almost right away because their bodies are used to the movements. However, those who are coming from a sedentary background should ease into this to give themselves time to adjust. Daily walks are great for the early stages. Increase the duration and make it brisk as you get comfortable. After a while, you can add bodyweight exercises at home to improve muscle tone. You can ask your doctor for advice on what you can and can’t do.