8 Ways To Get In Shape After Pregnancy

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A gradual weight gain after pregnancy is mainly due to one's lifestyle choices, such as eating the leftover food of the child, leading a sedentary life without any such rigorous physical activities such as watching movies, reading, sleeping more than needed, etc. 

Nearly one-third of the mothers never return to their pre-pregnancy body weight due to the above-mentioned reason. 

Achieving a slimmer body after a baby doesn’t have to be as stressful as it may seem. Surprisingly, exercising along with other physical activities may help you to achieve a physical, mental, and emotional state. It is also effective to reduce the chances of postnatal depression. 

1. Walking - As soon as your doctor gives you clearance to start moving physically after your pregnancy, walking is the best way to start with the process. You can simply choose to walk around your house or garden or even take morning and evening walks periodically. It is easy and puts less physical pressure and workload on your body. Gradually, try increasing the number of steps per day and avoid taking longer steps or climb higher elevations. 

You can also start jogging after a month of delivery in the morning or in the evening. 

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2. Perform basic crunches

Crunches can be hard at first and should be performed only after consulting the doctor. Place your hands just below your belly button (abdominal separation) and do the basic crunches steadily. This helps to retain the abs back together in their previous alignment. 

3. Breastfeeding

It has the double advantage of being beneficial for your baby as well as performing as an exercise for your muscles. Breastfeeding helps to shrink the uterus back down to pre-pregnancy size. It also aids in burning up at least 500 calories per day. 

4. Checking on calories intake

Basic exercises are not enough to lose those extra fats from your body. A balanced and nutritious diet is equally important in this case. A good dose of nutrients from your food is necessary for your body’s recovery. But it is important to minimize the consumption of fat-containing foods to reduce body weight. 

Fibers, Protein, and vitamin supplements should be taken in large portions. 

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5. Mix up different kinds of Cardio exercises

A basic and monotonous exercise routine that is not proven to be effective in weight loss for mothers. After 2 weeks, the mother might reach a weight loss plateau where she reached a stagnant weight even though she exercises. A variety of cardio for 40 minutes a day which is doable is recommended. It is advised to consult a trainer to give you a complete list of exercises. Kegels and pelvic tilts are effective in reducing belly fats. This also increases blood supply to the perineum and speeds up the recovery process. Brisk walking.

Running, Burpees, squats, High knees, Water aerobics, Cycling/bicycling, Bear crawls, swimming, etc are some of the few cardio exercises that are well suited to weight. 

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6. Yoga all the way!

Not all women are fond of cardio especially after pregnancy and find it difficult and less motivating to perform. Yoga is the takeaway for all mothers and is considered to be the safest and the most effective way to lose weight after pregnancy. 

The most common yet effective poses for weight loss after delivery are:

1. Marjariasana

2. Viparita Karni 

3. Trikonasana 

4. Gomukhasana 

5. Kumbhakasana 

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7. Strength training is important

It essentially helps in gaining lean muscle in your body substituting the extra fat. Muscles are thermally more active than fats and thus it will help to increase the body’s metabolic rate leading to an elevated rate of burning calories when the body is at rest (RMR- Resting Metabolic Rate). 

Along with the above benefit, strength training as the name suggests helps to build body strength with was once lost during the pregnancy and also helps to build useful body tissues.  Three days a week of strength training is sufficient for mothers to get in shape. 

8. Keep Healthy snacks handy

Mothers tend to overeat and binge on anything they find. Replacing junk food snacks such as cookies, chips, fries, cheese sandwiches with fruits, juices, salads, etc are better options in order to lose weight. 

Conclusion:

It is natural for all mothers to want to go back to the body that they had before pregnancy. It takes more effort than in your teens as your body has less stamina to perform more rigorous activities and exercises. It is most important to be healthy rather than trying to achieve a slim body after pregnancy. Doctors and nutritionists’ advice should be taken at every stage in order to avoid any major health complications. 

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