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Fitness Video
- Get Your Body Back After Baby
By Maria T. Pepin
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Are you
ready to lose that baby weight and whip your body back
into shape? All you need is a little patience and dedication
when it comes to your diet and exercise and you will be
well on your way. There are many benefits to exercising
after your pregnancy. Exercise can help keep postpartum
depression at bay, increase energy and help you lose the
weight you gained. Next to exercising, a healthy diet
is the best way to lose your pregnancy pounds. Tracey
Mallett, an International Fitness Expert and Sports Nutritionist
has some wonderful advice to get you started…
JustMommies: After giving birth, when
can you start exercising again?
Tracey Mallett: 4-6 weeks depending on
what kind of delivery you have. With a cesarean, it may
take longer. Please get clearance from your doctor before
you start any exercise program! Once you have the go-ahead,
take caution before jumping into any strenuous activity,
especially when it comes to your abdominals. During pregnancy,
your abdominals may separate from the added pressure of
the baby. It's important to minimize that separation before
performing any type of abdominal exercises that require
you to lift your head off the floor or rotate the torso
further separating the abs. Allow time and perform exercises
to correct the gap in order to allow the abs to function
properly. If you have been doing Kegel exercises
throughout your pregnancy, then keep doing them. For those
women who did not do any Kegel exercises, you will want
to start as soon as possible after delivery. This will
speed the healing process, transporting valuable oxygen
to the pelvic floor muscles and strengthening them. Simply
tighten the muscles of the pelvic floor as if trying to
interrupt the flow of pee and count to five- then slowly
release the muscles. Visualize your pelvic floor like
an elevator going up. Try and perform about 20-30 Kegels
a day. Remember, you can do them anywhere so there is
no excuse! Most importantly, listen to your body. It may
take a few months or possibly longer to lose your baby
weight, depending on how much time you can dedicate to
working out. Be patient with yourself. A little extra
weight is a small price to pay for a bundle of joy.
JustMommies: How do I find the time to
make exercise a priority?
Tracey Mallett: Buy a daily planner and
try to schedule your workouts around your baby's schedule.
For example: After you feed your baby, go for a nice walk
around the neighborhood with your baby in the stroller.
Or when your baby goes down for a nap, try to squeeze
in 15 minutes for core conditioning exercises. Pilates
is a wonderful option. Another fun idea ~ join a "Mommy
and Me" exercise class. This is a great way to bond
with your baby and fit in some exercise time for yourself!
You can also buy a collection of exercise DVDs that are
different lengths, so you are ready to go when you find
some unexpected time to work out. If you maintain your
exercise program, you will be providing your children
with an excellent example of how to stay healthy.
Just Mommies: What are the best postpartum
exercises?
Tracey Mallett: One of the main factors
in determining how quickly you regain your shape is how
healthy you were during pregnancy. If you were exercising
and eating right, you should start to see results sooner.
Circuit training is the best way to lose weight if you
only have a short amount of time. Working multiple muscle
groups at the same time expends more energy and burns
more calories when you are on a tight schedule. Also,
adding short bursts of cardio will elevate your heart
rate- so it's a good idea to integrate cardio into your
workouts. Some cardio recommendations are: walking, running,
hiking, stair climbing and spinning. Try to fit 2-3 times
a week of cardio activity for about 30 minutes. Weight
training is really important for weight loss because as
you build lean muscle mass, it increases your metabolism
and helps your burn more fat. Another way to lose some
of your pregnancy weight is to breastfeed. For breastfeeding
moms, make sure your breasts are well supported when you
exercise. Also, try to breastfeed your baby before you
work out. This will help you feel more comfortable because
your breasts won't feel full.
Just Mommies: What do you recommend in
terms of diet after pregnancy?
Tracey Mallett: A healthy balance of
lean protein, fiber, unlimited veggies, fruit and good
fats such as olive, flax seed and canola oil. No crash
diets after pregnancy! Exercise, eat healthy and breastfeed-
this is the perfect solution to get your body back. Make
yourself accountable for what you are eating. Start a
food journal and learn about food portions. Our view of
food portions has been distorted by the ever-growing servings,
so this is a great tool to start cutting back. Eat every
3 hours to keep the metabolism on fire. NEVER skip breakfast-
it is the most important meal of the day to jump start
not only your energy, but your metabolism. Drink plenty
of water to keep you feeling fuller for longer periods
of time.
JustMommies: Tell us about your book
Sexy in 6 and the QuickBlast Method.
Tracey Mallett: The Sexy in 6 book
and the QuickBlast DVDs when combined together will
give you the ultimate package to regain your body in
just 6 minute blasts. It contains a health eating plan
and a comprehensive plan combining strength circuit
training: Pilates and Yoga. We placed 90 women on the
program for 6 weeks and some women lost up to 25 pounds
and toned their body from head to toe.
Tracey has stared in over 15 exercise DVDs and is the
star of the 3 in 1 Pregnancy System and the 6 Minute
QuickBlast DVDs- workouts designed for the busy mom.
Tracey is a mother of two children and owner of ATP
Specific Training in S Pasadena, California. www.traceymallett.com
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