First of all, congratulations on your baby, you just started the most amazing journey of all, but now that the baby is here, its time to get your body back, and here are 5 amazing tips that will put you back on track in a safe and effective way.
The first question many mothers have is ‘When should I start? How do I know if its too soon,’ well, if you didn’t experience any complications during delivery, then now is the perfect moment, in fact your body may be craving some physical activity, but that doesn’t mean jumping into rigorous activity, like lifting heavy weights, your muscles and ligaments need time to recover, so do not overdo it.
It is very important to listen to your body, and not push it too hard, if you feel discomfort, pain, light headedness, nausea or experience bleeding stop immediately, if you are breastfeeding it is very important to drink plenty of water before, during and after your work-out sessions.
The next question is what to do? As we said earlier you are not going to start with your usual training routine, in fact you should focus on pelvic floor and core activation exercises, since almost every new mom wants to get rid of the mommy belly, but here is good news, the process burning off the mommy belly fat is not as hard as you think, especially if you consistently exercised during pregnancy.
The secret lies in a healthy diet and being consistent, which is the key to success. Prepare an easy workout at home, that way whenever your baby naps you can grab a quick 10-15 minute workout, which is all you need right now to feel amazing and full of energy.
Walking is one if not the most recommended activities, and you can gradually increase the intensity of your routine, and please remember to avoid crunch-type exercises, there are many great ”light” exercises you can do to bring your abdominal muscles back together, rebuild your core and help you regain a flat tummy.
Some of the best pot-baby-core- exercises you can do are:
The “drawing in” maneuver: Lie on your back, on your side or get on all fours and contract and hold your deep core muscles as you imagine drawing your belly button in toward your spine and hold for count of 10 as you breathe.
Plank variations, which are most effective when you perform sets of 10-second holds with a brief rest between sets instead of holding for 30-60+ seconds at a time.
Last but not least, remember to set realistic goals, you are doing this for yourself, not to impress anyone else, take it slow, and the baby fat will eventually burn off, do not get frustrated if you don’t see immediate results, your patience will pay off.
