How do we fit in movement into our day when we are juggling motherhood, work and other demands on our time?
There is a simple solution to this and it has two components:
- Little and often
- Resistance training
Let me explain: the body was designed to move every day. It doesn't like sitting still, for example at a desk, for too long. Nor does it like to be standing for too long either. Both muscles and tissues in the body want to be regularly worked and strengthened otherwise they wither away.
This is good news for busy, overwhelmed mothers who are often short of time: finding little pockets of time throughout their week to move their bodies is usually achievable and more realistic than, say, travelling to a local gym for a one-hour fitness class.
And the most effective form of exercise for mothers - from pregnancy through the menopause - is resistance training. And one of the best things about it is that it can be done in a short period of time and from home.
Resistance training simply means using a form of resistance to add effort to your workout so that you're working both harder and smarter, strengthening those muscles in the process.
That resistance can be in the form of your own bodyweight such as a push-up. It can be using a resistance band which is a cheap and easy tool that takes up no room in the house or in your bag but it is very versatile and strengthens both your upper and lower body. And then there are free weights such as dumbbells and kettlebells as well as obviously fixed equipment that you will find at a gym but don't necessarily have at home.
Why do mothers need resistance training? Our bodies start losing mean muscle mass in our 30s and there's a steady decline which speeds up around the time of the menopause, which is currently age 51 in the UK. At the same time, the decline in oestrogen during the perimenopause leading up the menopause means that our bones are also losing density, making us vulnerable to osteoporosis.
But it doesn't have to be this way; building in resistance training (as well as getting enough calcium and vitamin D) is the best weapon we women have in future-proofing our bodies.
There are so many benefits to this type of training including reduced anxiety and stress, better sleep and reduced risk of injury and pain.
But surveys show that many mothers in the UK are not doing this form of exercise, often citing not knowing which exercises to do or fear of injury as common reasons why not. That is one of the reasons I set up my company Mamaste Fitness Well-being: to help mothers - be they pregnant, postnatal or perimenopausal - to connect to and move their bodies in a way that increases their physical, mental and emotional well-being.
To find out more about Caroline and Mamaste Fitness and Well-being, visit https://mamaste-fitness.com/
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