New Moms, New Moves: World’s First Postpartum Exercise Guide

Canada has introduced the first-ever stand-alone guideline on exercise and sleep for new mothers, offering evidence-based advice to promote women’s health during the first year postpartum. Previously, new mothers were advised to wait at least six weeks before starting exercise. However, the new guideline suggests that women can begin exercising as soon as they feel ready, as long as they don’t experience any negative symptoms (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
World's first stand-alone guidelines on postpartum exercise and sleep released in Canada

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Recommended Physical Activity for New Mothers

The guideline recommends that new mothers aim for at least ,120 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week to reap the maximum health benefits, such as better sleep and improved mental health. Women who engage in such activity within the first 12 weeks postpartum can reduce their risk of depression by 45%. Following the guidelines can also help alleviate fatigue, improve pelvic floor and musculoskeletal health, and lower the risks of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Additionally, the guideline emphasizes that light-intensity exercise soon after childbirth can aid in the healing process.

Complexity of the Postpartum Period

Margie Davenport, a professor at the University of Alberta and the lead researcher behind the guideline, emphasizes that the postpartum period is much more than just the transition from pregnancy to motherhood. She explains that it’s a complex time, which is why it’s important to have recommendations specifically focused on the first year after childbirth. To make sure the guidelines were relevant, they were developed with input from both new mothers and their healthcare providers, ensuring they addressed the real challenges and questions that women face during this time.

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology supported the research, which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Reference:

1. World's first stand-alone guidelines on postpartum exercise and sleep released in Canada - (https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2025/03/worlds-first-stand-alone-guidelines-postpartum-exercise-sleep.html)

Source-Medindia