Fitness After Your Pregnancy
After you have your baby, your first thoughts are of your newborn, and taking care of all her needs. Eventually, however, you soon start thinking about you can get back to your life and get back to your old body. Getting fit again will help you start to feel like yourself again. Here are some things to keep in mind and to do when you want to get fit after you deliver your baby.
Chat with your physician about how soon is okay to exercise. Your body is still healing for a few weeks after you have your baby. After all, you have just given birth to a child! Your doctor will be able to give you an idea of what you need to do in order to start exercising again. Don't try to out-doctor the doctor; heed his advice and don't try to start exercising before he has given you permission.
Start slowly with stretching exercises. Don't jump right into your pre-pregnancy Zumba class! Take it easy and do a lot of stretching and flexibility exercises at first. Do low-impact exercising like swimming and walking. These exercises are completely safe and can help you get back in the swing of things. Try to get to exercise about three or four times a week, whenever you have time.
Be very careful with abdominal exercise. Don't stick to crunches, either. There is evidence that crunches may not be the best exercise to battle your "pooch", so do some research to find out which exercises are best for your new mom abs.
Exercise with your baby. This can be a fun way to get out of the house with your new baby, and to get some exercise in. For example, you might take your baby in the stroller for a hike. Or, you might be able to do some light lifting with your baby as the "weight"--after all, that's about seven to eight pounds, after all. Just remember to keep it safe for your baby; no one arm lifts!
If you're a breastfeeding mom, you just have to remember to keep your calories up. That can be a challenge when you're so busy with everything, but if you are going to be exercising, your caloric needs are higher than if you were sedentary. That's why you need to make sure that you get the right amount of calories. Not only that, but be sure to wear a nursing bra, as exercise can sometimes induce the letdown reflex. You don't want to soak through your clothes, so be sure you are properly padded.
When you are able to get back in shape after your pregnancy, you will feel like yourself again. You will have more energy and be back to normal. Use the information set forth in this article to really get a feel for what you have to do in order to get fit again. It will take some time, but you can do it if you commit to it and give it as much attention as you possibly can.
