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Jess Guevara

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October 25, 2025

9 Exercises You Can Do In the Immediate Postpartum Period

You just had a baby! Yay! Don’t you wanna celebrate with burpees and deadlifts??

No, no ma’am. 

Here at Crossfit Renew, Coach Sadie and I believe strongly in slow and steady when it comes to ~rebuilding~ postpartum fitness, and even more than that, we believe in letting your body recover from the beautiful insanity that is childbirth. That means taking it easy for the first few weeks, making sure that you get the go-ahead for exercise from your doctor or midwife before you start getting into anything strenuous. But we know, those weeks can get a little itchy with restlessness, especially for the mom who previously had exercise built into her routine. But the newborn phase is famous for throwing our routines out the window, so if your athlete brain is making you anxious to start reclaiming your body, let’s talk about some ways that we can get gently moving again. 

Birth to 1 week postpartum

Supine Diaphragmatic Breathing: In other words, breathing while laying down. No joke. You just had a baby, so let’s stay horizontal as much as possible, particularly in that first week postpartum. Let your partner and village treat you like the queen mother that you are, and while you’re waiting on your ice water refill or for your partner to change the diaper before a feeding session, take a moment to focus on intentional breathing 1-2 times/day. 

Inhale slowly by letting your belly relax and expand upwards into your hands, feeling your chest expand in every direction. Relax your pelvic floor (no kegels or tension down there) as you inhale. As you exhale, feel your belly shrink as your diaphragm compresses the air out of your lungs. Long, slow, controlled exhales. Your belly spent the last few months expanding to let that baby grow, so we are slowly reconnecting to those muscles that were so stretched and relaxed. 

1-6 Weeks Postpartum

Supine March: The big key with this one is to keep your lower back glued to the ground. Inhale before you start, and slowly exhale as you walk your feet out, keeping that lower back on the ground.  

Kneeling Side Plank: Remember to breathe as you keep that straight line from the top of your head to your knees! On your hands or elbows, whichever is more comfortable.

Single-Leg Good Mornings: Squeeze that butt and exhale to stand back up straight!

Kneeling Squats: Keep that chest nice and upright, ribs down. 

Bird Dogs: The key here is to not arch your back! Exhale as you extend your arm and leg, pressing your bellybutton up into your spine. If that feels too hard to balance, switch to only extending an arm or only extending a leg at a time. 

Glute Bridges: Exhale as you lift and squeeze your butt! 

Deadbugs: Extend one limb at a time along with your exhales.

Stroller Walk: Take that cute lil’ beb for a walk! Get yourselves some fresh air. While you’re walking, fight against the post-pregnancy urge to tuck your butt under you and stick your hips forward. Think about our favorite Brianna Battles mantra: tits over toes. Give yourself the slightest hinge forward at the hips, so that your butt is turned on, and you have good gentle tension keeping your ribs tucked down over your hips. Don’t forget to breathe. 

Sound overwhelming? Confusing? Does your body feel slightly foreign to you? We totally get it, and you are not alone! Find yourself a postpartum-certified coach or trainer in your area, or on the interwebs. A knowledgeable coach keeping eyes on you and your form and your breathing is absolutely invaluable to the weird and foreign journey of reconnecting to your postpartum body. This is why we created Rebuild–the prenatal and postpartum fitness program here at Renew–  so that women can recover safely and effectively following childbirth. Sadie and I would love to come alongside you and help you navigate this crazy journey!

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Sweet & Spicy Korean Turkey Spring Roll Bowls

serving of meat makes 8 servings: Calories — 565⁣ Protein — 40g⁣ Fat — 21g⁣ Carbs — 33g⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐲⁣ 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥: ⁣ ⁣ 3 lbs lean ground turkey⁣ 9 tsp garlic, minced about 9 cloves⁣ 34 cup brown sugar, packed⁣ 34 cup low-sodium soy saucetamaricoconut aminos⁣ 6 tsp sesame oil⁣ 1 tsp ground ginger or 2-3 tsp minced⁣ 1 tsp crushed red pepper⁣ 1 tsp black pepper⁣ Sliced green onions for garnish⁣ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞⁣ 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥:⁣ ⁣ 10oz bag of shredded cabbage⁣ 10oz bag of julienned carrots⁣ 10oz bag of broccoli slaw⁣ 12oz bag of sea kelp noodles ⁣ 5oz greens of your choice, roughly chopped⁣ 5-10 mini cucumbers, sliced⁣ 1 bunch each of cilantro, mint, and Thai basil, roughly chopped⁣ 13-12 cup peanuts, chopped⁣ Sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish⁣ ⁣𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠⁣ 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥:⁣ ⁣ 12 cup olive oil⁣ 6 tbsp rice vinegar⁣ 4 tsp honey ⁣ 2 tsp minced garlic⁣ Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste⁣ ⁣ To prepare: ⁣ — Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.