Vitality And Neville Help New Mums Get Active Again

Former England netball coach Tracey Neville has fronted a new campaign by health insurance provider Vitality to highlight the barriers to exercise faced by new mums.

The firm says a new study asked 1,000 mothers of babies aged 0-12 months old about the pressures they have faced as new mums and how their effects have been exacerbated by the coronavirus lockdown. 

According to Vitality, some 62% of new mothers say they have felt ‘cut off’ from support networks throughout lockdown, with 51% say they are unable to leave their baby with a friend or family member in order to take exercise. 43%, meanwhile, say they would rather stay indoors to reduce the risk of exposure to either their baby or themselves.

In a bid to overcome these challenges and help mums get back in to exercise safely, Vitality has launched a new Baby to Baller series – a free, six week exercise programme created especially for new mums by Neville who gave birth to her first child in March.

“As a new mum, I understand and identify with those feelings of loneliness, exhaustion and overwhelm that can make it so hard to find the motivation to get moving again after a baby – even more so during the pandemic,” said Neville.

“I hope that by sharing my own journey back to being active through this new Vitality Series, new mums everywhere will feel reassured that they can feel strong and confident again – both mentally and physically while also rediscovering a love of netball.”

Nick Read, Director of the Vitality Programme added, “All of us have a role to play in supporting mums to know that it’s okay to prioritise their own wellbeing, just as they would other things in their lives. 

“Our research has shown that new mums in particular find it hard to take those first steps to get moving so we’ve created the Baby to Baller series to give mums reassurance and help them to feel good about doing one of the hardest jobs there is. At Vitality, our mission is to help people to live healthier and more active lives, and this programme will help to motivate new mums to take those small steps to being active that can improve mental and physical wellbeing over the long-term.”