If you exercised during pregnancy, you will now feel the benefits of your prenatal workouts. Your muscles are toned, you are able to lose weight more quickly, and you can recover faster after birth. However, some form of exercise after pregnancy is necessary to keep fit and stay healthy. Aerobics, swimming, walking or yoga can help prevent post partum depression or mood swings. Exercise after pregnancy can be beneficial for you and your baby.

Benefits of Exercise

There are many benefits to be gained with regular exercise after pregnancy. Aside from promoting weight loss and helping prevent post partum depression, exercise will improve your cardiovascular health and boost your energy level. It will also help condition your abdominal muscles and restore overall muscle strength.

Breastfeeding and Exercise

As long as you stick to moderate physical activity, exercise should not have any adverse effect on your breast milk. Some studies, however, seem to indicate that high intensity workouts may cause lactic acid to accumulate in breast milk. This could produce a sour taste in the milk. If you breastfeed your baby, avoid strenuous physical exercise. You can also discard the milk produced in the half-hour after your workout.

You will also feel more comfortable if you nurse your baby before working out. Wear a supportive bra while exercising. Keep hydrated by drinking lots of fluids.

When to Start

If you had a normal delivery without complications, you should be able to start your exercise program a few days after giving birth or as soon as you feel ready. Even women who had a C-section are encouraged to begin walking as soon as possible. Start by walking slowly for 15-20 minutes every day, but not to the point where you feel fatigue. Gradually increase by 5 minutes each session until you can walk without getting tired for 30 minutes.

Women who had a caesarian operation should delay abdominal exercises for at least 4-6 weeks after giving birth and must avoid lifting heavy objects.

To be on the safe side, always consult your doctor or health care provider before starting your exercise after pregnancy. Stop exercising if you feel fatigue, pain, or experience bright red vaginal bleeding.

Exercises to Try

When you are feel ready to exercise, start with a daily walk or a few laps in the pool. You will eventually want to focus on core strength, cardio, and strength training. Exercises after pregnancy to develop core strength include pelvic tilts, leg slide, bridge, Kegel and back extensions.

To work on your cardiovascular fitness, remember to start slow and easy. Avoid high impact exercises such as running or aerobics when you are just starting out. Walking, swimming and working out on an elliptical trainer are excellent forms of exercise after pregnancy. As you get stronger, you may even consider adding a stroller to your walking or jogging routine and take baby along with you when you exercise.

When you start to exercise after pregnancy, always let your energy levels guide you in your workout. Back off if you feel tired, or increase the intensity when you feel stronger. Interval training can help you burn more calories and shed unwanted baby fat faster.

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There was a time when pregnancy was viewed as a medical condition where the pregnant woman was advised to rest, relax and avoid exercise. Today we know that prenatal exercise has many benefits. However, you should consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program for pregnant women. Your doctor can also give you some exercise guidelines based on your medical history.

Aerobic Exercise

According to most experts, you can continue any type of aerobic activity that you have been doing before pregnancy as long as you do not over exert yourself. Aerobic exercise conditions your body to process and use oxygen efficiently. It also tones your muscles and increases stamina.

Walking

This is one of the best exercises for pregnant women. Walking is easy on your joints and keeps you in good shape. If you have not been exercising before you got pregnant, start your exercise program by walking slowly. Wear a good pair of walking shoes that provide adequate support for your feet and ankles. Be sure to stay hydrated by drinking water while you walk. Build up your stamina until you can do a brisk walk for 20 to 30 minutes everyday. You can walk through the entire course of your pregnancy.

Swimming

Swimming is a safe exercise for pregnant women who want to strengthen their muscles, especially the abdomen and lower back. The buoyancy of the water lessens the strain on your joints and ligaments while acting as a type of resistance training for the muscles in the lower back. The breaststroke is recommended as this calls for the least exertion compared to other strokes. Walking in water up to your waist is also an effective exercise for the lower back. Be sure to warm up before swimming, and always drink water before, during and after your swim.

Kegels

The Kegel exercise is essential in any exercise program for pregnant women. It strengthens your pelvic floor and tones the inner core muscles. These muscles are particularly important during labor and when giving birth to your baby. When you perform this exercise, pretend that you are trying to stop the flow of urine. While doing this, try not to move your abdominal muscles and the muscles of your legs and buttocks.

Lower Back Exercises

Most women experience lower back pain when they are pregnant. While most women only experience mild discomfort, some may suffer extreme pain that prevents them from doing their regular daily activities. The pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including a growing uterus, weight gain, increased stress on the abdomen, and a changing center of gravity. There are several safe and effective lower back exercises for pregnant women such as pelvic tilts, leg raises and back stretches.

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Walking for weight loss works, but only if you work it! For many Moms walking is the number one fitness activity of choice.

Walking for weight loss is considered to be one of the best ways to strengthen the cardiovascular system and improve over all health. But only if your walking routine never becomes monotonous or predictable.

When walking regularly it can seem that over time your workout becomes less and less challenging and your weight loss results can feel less substantial. When this happens it’s time to switch it up!   Read more

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Do you want to know how to get rid of belly fat? Like many women who just had a baby, I bet you’ll do almost anything to lose it! I know because I’ve been there. Wait. I’m still there! And my ‘baby’ is almost THREE. 

But that’s okay because it takes CONSISTENT effort to lose that belly fat. And it requires that we work out our whole body.

So don’t commit to performing endless crunches and sit-ups a day in hopes of seeing some tummy flattening results.  This will only build muscle underneath the layer of fat and will actually increase the size of your waistline! Read more

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As Fit Moms, exercise is an important part of our lives! Getting and staying fit is one way to have enough energy to keep up with our little ones! After having a baby it can be really difficult to firm up certain spots on your body. But there are some toning exercises for women that can really target these spots and help you get rid of that flab. You can use just your body weight and you will see a difference in your muscle mass and bone density. Read more

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The wait is finally over. You now have your bundle of joy safely in your arms. All is well…except for those extra rolls and jiggles you feel as you tend to your baby.

Maybe you were one of the lucky ones and you only gained 25-35 pounds, but I was not so fortunate. I gained 50 pounds with both of my kids and when things settled down you better believe I was looking for a way to lose weight fast!

So how do you lose weight quickly after having a baby? By keeping things simple and easy.

Healthy Foods

Keep healthy whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low-fat cheese nearby. Have your Mom, husband, sister, Dad, Mother-in-law make themselves useful and cut these healthy foods into small serving sizes so that all you have to do is grab and go.

Light Exercise

As soon as your Doctor says you can exercise start off by walking. Finish you walk with some lunges, squats, and crunches. Walking was a great way for me to start getting back in shape. If it happens to be winter time go mall walking. If you don’t want to go out walk in place, turn on a DVD, or try these at home workout routines.

No Sugary Drinks

It’s a liquid. You wouldn’t think that something you drink could actually be the reason why many of us gain weight or do not lose weight quickly. Watch out for juices and other seemingly innocent beverages (that have Splenda and other sweeteners). Stick with water and home made smoothies.

Be disciplined enough to do these things on a daily basis and you will see results. If you are not losing weight quickly enough then increase your activity. Remember, you have to burn more calories than you intake in order to lose weight quickly.

What have you done to lose weight quickly after having a baby?

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