Safe exercise finder for every life stage

How does the finder decide what suits my stage?

Every movement in the finder carries a set of safety tags: how much impact it has, how much balance it needs, how much pressure it puts on your belly and pelvic floor, whether you lie on your back or front, whether you twist or bend forward under load, and how hard it is. Each life stage has its own rules. Some rules set a movement aside completely. Others keep it available but place it lower in the list, so gentler or better-suited options come first.

The rules are based on published guidelines, and they lean towards caution. Where a guideline leaves room, the finder takes the more careful line.

Your stage	Set aside	Placed lower
Period days	Nothing	Strong and jumping moves
Rest of the cycle	Nothing	Nothing
Pregnancy, up to week 15	Jumping, high balance, crunches, heavy straining, strongest tier	Moves with a high pelvic floor load
Pregnancy, weeks 16 to 27	Also lying on your back or front, and twisting under load	Moves with a high pelvic floor load
Pregnancy, week 28 onwards	Also moderate balance work	Kneeling and hands-and-knees moves
Postpartum, 0 to 6 weeks	Everything except gentle bodyweight work for breath, pelvic floor, deep core, mobility, upper back, shoulders, hips and glutes	Nothing
Cesarean birth, before the six-week check	Also lying on your front and twisting under load	Nothing
Postpartum, 6 to 12 weeks	Impact, crunches, heavy straining, strongest tier, heavier weights	Nothing
Postpartum, 12 weeks or more	Jumping and crunches, until 14 days without pelvic floor symptoms	Nothing
Perimenopause and menopause	Nothing	High impact, loaded forward bending, loaded twists

Your intention then sets the effort. Rest keeps to the gentlest tier, Release adds moderate mobility work, Patience is slow and steady, and Strength shows the strongest work your stage allows, never more.

Which guidelines are the rules based on?

For pregnancy, the rules follow the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Its committee opinion describes physical activity in pregnancy as safe and desirable when there are no obstetric or medical complications, and it lists warning signs that mean you should stop.^[1] The same opinion supports a gradual return to exercise after birth, as soon as it is medically safe.^[1]

For the return to impact after birth, the rules follow the postnatal return-to-running guideline written by three physiotherapists. It advises against running before three months after birth, and later too if there are any signs of pelvic floor problems.^[2] The finder applies the same caution to all jumping work, and adds its own 14-day symptom-free window.

For perimenopause and menopause, the rules follow the UK consensus statement Strong, Steady and Straight. It recommends resistance and impact exercise for bone strength, strength and balance work to reduce falls, and avoiding a high degree of forward bending of the spine, especially when it is sustained or repeated.^[3] The statement considers smooth, comfortable twisting safe, but because most women don't know their bone density, the finder still places loaded twists lower.

When should I talk to a professional?

Talk to your doctor or midwife before you start or change exercise in pregnancy or after birth, and whenever something feels different from usual. If you notice leaking, heaviness or pelvic pain, a pelvic health physiotherapist can assess what your pelvic floor needs. If you have osteoporosis or have had a fracture, ask a physiotherapist which impact level and movements suit you.

And on any day, rest is a valid choice. Stillness is part of the practice too.