Congrats to Cara Kent who won last week's featured product–a Chic Tots Bib.
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Finding time for exercise after baby
Some days, finding time to take a shower feels like a major accomplishment when you have a newborn. But exercise speeds up your recovery and helps you shed those pregnancy pounds. Here’s how to fit it into your baby’s schedule.
by: Tracey Mallett
Planning post-natal workouts
- Post-natal exercise speeds up the recovery process after childbirth and helps give you the energy you need to keep up with the hectic pace of caring for a newborn.
- Be patient–once you start exercising it may take a few months, or possibly longer, for you to see the results you want.
- To fit in exercise at home, create a library of workout videos that are different lengths so you're equipped when some unexpected time arises.
- Use a day planner to loosely plan your workouts around your baby's schedule.
- If you start to feel light headed and nauseous, or notice a change in the color of your vaginal discharge, you may be exercising too strenuously.
fter childbirth, I was amazed by how much my stomach looked like a deflated balloon. If this is happening to you too, don't panic–your uterus will naturally contract back to its pre-pregnancy shape a few weeks after you give birth. But this alone is not enough to get your pre-pregnancy body back. Post-natal exercise is the key–it also speeds up the recovery process and offers a whole range of health benefits for new moms. Just be patient because it may take a few months, or possibly longer, depending on how much time you can dedicate to working out. So here's how to find more time to fit exercise into your life with baby. To view the full story click here.
How to get your pre-baby body back
There's no reason you can't look better than ever after giving birth. Here's how to get your pre-baby body back - and then some.
by: Sydney Loney
Post-natal fitness
- wait until your six-week checkup before starting strenuous exercise
- 20-minute walks are a good way to ease back into fitness
- protect muscles and joints with specialized post-natal fitness programs
- work out after nursing and invest in a new sports bra to prevent breast pain
- talk to your doctor if you think you have diastasis recti (a separation of the abdominal muscles) before doing abdominal exercises
here were probably days during your pregnancy when you thought your body couldn't possibly expand any further. But, incredibly, it did. And then you discovered that everything doesn't just miraculously deflate once your baby is born. Fortunately, getting back into shape post-baby is possible. Here's how:
Getting started
Depending on your fitness level before and during pregnancy, you may find that walking is all the exercise you need until your six-week post-partum checkup. "Start by walking as fast as you comfortably can for a minimum of 20 minutes," says certified trainer Andrea Grace.
