One of the many things you don’t realise until you have a newborn is just how much people congratulate you simply for leaving the house. “Well done for getting out and about,” they say, with the cheerful camaraderie of People Who Know. Going outside may sound like a low benchmark, but during those early weeks summoning the energy to put on clothes, pack a bag, and then using that narrow window between sleeping, feeding, pooing and screaming to cross the threshold into the world can feel like the grand sum total of all human endeavour. Screw the frescoes of the Scrovegni chapel: Mama made it to Budgens.
Which explains my reaction when I read that new guidelines published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine say that new mothers should be strongly encouraged to do at least two hours of moderate to vigorous exercise a week, in addition to “daily pelvic floor muscle training”, and further that they should develop a “healthy sleep hygiene routine”, avoid screen time and “maintain a dark, cool, quiet environment before bed”.
