Promoting postpartum exercise: an opportune time for change.

The postpartum period is an ideal time for clinicians to promote the importance of physical fitness, help patients incorporate exercise into lifestyle changes, and encourage them to overcome barriers to exercise. New responsibilities, physical changes, and competing demands for time may make exercise seem impossible. By emphasizing weight control, stress reduction, and other benefits, clinicians can help new mothers establish healthy exercise goals for the rest of their lives.