Run Well by Juliet McGrattan (reading books for 5 year olds .TXT) 📕

keen to carry on), you should know that any exercise you do is beneficial and running will always be there when you are ready to try again.

Did you know?

The Chief Medical Officers’ Guidelines 2019 for physical activity during pregnancy are basically the same as those for non-pregnant women. They still recommend 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week and muscle-strengthening activities twice per week. They advise that if you’re already active you can keep going and if you’re inactive then you should start gradually. Listening to your body, adapting your exercise and taking care not to bump your bump are the other key pieces of advice.

Q How soon after giving birth can I run?

A The traditional answer to this is after your six-week check with your GP. In reality, this is very unhelpful. It is much more complicated than this and for the majority of women this is far too soon. The desire to be back out running can be intense, but equally it can be the last thing on your mind. Every woman is different and no one should feel under any pressure to get back to running until they want to.

Returning to running too soon or too rapidly can cause future problems of incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. This is true for both vaginal and Caesarean section deliveries. Even if you don’t feel you have any pelvic floor weakness (see here), you will benefit from returning to exercise in the correct way.

The Returning to Running Postnatal Guidelines, written by three physiotherapists with huge experience and knowledge in this field, were published in March 2019. Their expert opinion is that it’s not advisable to run before 12 weeks postnatal or beyond this if there are symptoms or signs of pelvic floor dysfunction. They recommend allowing your body the time it needs to heal, and following a low-impact exercise programme to restore your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles to full strength before beginning high-impact exercise. Ideally this would be a guided, personalised plan supervised by a women’s health physiotherapist. Exercises can begin immediately after your baby has been born, with gentle walking, core and pelvic floor muscle work. They suggest building up to power walking, resistance work and some weights work at six to eight weeks, and further progression to swimming and spinning from weeks eight to 12. Assuming both core and pelvic floor muscle strength have been adequately restored, running can commence gradually, from 12 weeks. A Couch to 5k programme is an ideal way to do this, because it combines short periods of running with walking. Any woman who experiences urinary or faecal incontinence, a heaviness or pressure in the pelvic area or a bulging of their abdomen, suggesting that the abdominal muscles are separated, should seek a referral to a women’s health physiotherapist for assessment and rehabilitation.

Patience is key. Running is an ideal way to guard against and treat postnatal depression, and will help you to regain your fitness and sense of self when the demands a baby places on you are intense. However, a planned and gradual return to running is the best way to ensure your body will be fit and able to run problem-free for years to come.

Q I’m ready to get back to running, but I’m still breastfeeding my baby. Is this OK?

A A study back in 1991 showed a significantly increased amount of lactic acid in breast milk ten minutes after maximal intensity exercise, but, by 30 minutes, the levels were almost the same as those pre-exercise. Most women will not be exercising at their maximum capacity and other studies have shown no increase in lactic acid in breast milk after moderate intensity exercise. There is no evidence to suggest that lactic acid in breast milk is harmful to babies anyway and maternal exercise hasn’t been shown to have any negative effect on the growth of breast-fed babies. A study looking at whether babies refuse breast milk due to potentially altered taste from lactic acid did not show any difference in the baby’s acceptance of the milk one hour after moderate or high intensity exercise. To date, the evidence is reassuring that running and breast feeding are entirely compatible. The benefits of a happy, exercising mother mustn’t be underestimated. Here are my top tips for running and breast feeding:

1 Feed your baby or express some milk before you run. Your breasts will be lighter. You can then relax knowing your baby has just eaten and you might even have time for a shower when you get back before the next feed!

2 Wear your most supportive sports bra with breast pads if you’re prone to leaking. If your nipples are sore, then protect them with some lanolin or petroleum jelly.

3 Drink plenty of fluid before and after your run. Running is thirsty work and so is breast feeding.

4 Make sure your diet is top notch with lots of fresh and iron-rich foods, and take 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily.

5 Be aware that some of the hormones still circulating in your bloodstream post-partum may relax your joints and ligaments, and potentially put you at increased risk of injury.

6 If you use sports supplements to fuel longer runs, then watch out for those containing large amounts of caffeine in case they affect your baby’s sleep. Up to 200 milligrams of caffeine daily is the recommended amount while breastfeeding, which is equivalent to two cups of instant coffee or one cup of Americano.

Did you know?

The average age of the menopause in the UK is 51 but the symptoms of the peri-menopause, which is the time leading up to the menopause, usually start when a woman is in her 40s.

Q Will running help me with my peri-menopausal symptoms?

A You reach the menopause when your periods have stopped for 12 months. The time leading up to this is called the perimenopause. The heavy or irregular bleeding coupled with tender breasts and fatigue often experienced by women during this