Post Pregnancy Workout

Hi K.!!
Ooooo I totally understand how irritating those extra 40 pounds can be. I'm the mother of two girls, an almost 4year old and a 17month old. I couldn't loose the weight for anything after giving birth to my second baby.But I finally found a diet and fitness work out that I live by now. "The body for life" program. you can find the book in any store that sells books. It's a 12 week exercise program, and when followed correctly and to the tea, the results are Amazing!!!!!
I have lost a little over 50 pounds on this program as well as gaining serious muscle.
Get the book, and read it and look at the transformation of these people. It's incredible and so worth it!!!

The treadmill and jillianmichaels.com! They both helped me loose more than 44 pounds after both pregnancies and I was looking better than when I got pregnant!

I had the same problem with my first baby. I tried all the lunges, did step aerobics, etc., but honestly the best thing that worked for me was a treadmill set with an incline.

Congratulations! It's exhausting and scary and absolutely wonderful!
I did Hot Mamas after my first. It is a stroller fitness group that is pretty hard core. The website is hotmamasexercise.com
They meet at different parks around town. I started going a couple of times a week when my son was about 3 months old. He just stayed in his car seat in the stroller and cried if we weren't moving and slept if we were. He is now 1 1/2 and is a total stroller kid. He loves going for walks or runs. Hot Mamas also has a video you can buy to do at home. I'm expecting my 2nd kid now but man I was in the best shape of my life before getting pregnant again. My legs and butt looked great! They really focus on those areas. It's a great way to get out of the house and feel good about yourself. It will be tough for the first few weeks but you get used to it and will start to enjoy how your body is looking and how the exercise makes you feel. It still took me months to lose the weight but I was thinner in some areas than I had been before getting pregnant.
Good luck and enjoy the new one!

I am a personal trainer, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it is IMPOSSIBLE to spot reduce. Overall cardio exercise to increase your calorie expenditure is best, b/c that will reduce your overall fat and slim you out all over (if, of course, your caloric intake is not through the roof). You can tone areas, but if you have the fat over the top, all you will get is toned thighs UNDER a layer of fat.

Hi, K.,

There's a great series of workout videos offered through Mommymuscle.com. Restore the Core, Mommysculpt with Babyweight and a couple of others. The parent company, StrollerFit, also has group fitness classes for new moms. There are locations throughout the city. To find a class, visit: www.strollerfit.com.

You can try the classes for free. It's alot of fun. Good Luck and Congratulations!!

Hi K.,

For the first few weeks don't even think about working out. But after your dr gives you an okay I would just start working in a daily walk with the baby bundled up. Nursing works awesome for taking off post-baby weight. I would join a gym or what not with childcare as soon as the baby was the age dictated by the gym (some it is 4 months). A say a gym due to winter weather and having buddies expecting you in a cycle class or yoga class reallly helps motivate you, plus an hour without a baby in your hands is liberating.

Just keep moving and think 'healthy!'
R.

While there's lots of exercises (many mentioned here) to tone the muscles in your hips/thighs/butt, it is not possible to do 'spot reduction' of fat. Anywhere. Genetics determine the concentration of fat in different areas of our body. (I put my fat in my butt and hips, too. Boy do I wish I could move some to my fronts <g>).

Good news is, most exercise is good for your whole body. Anything that gets your heart rate up (just moderately, especially a first) helps burn fat all over. Resistance/strength training will tone the muscles to make you look leaner and increase metabolism (burn fat!) Do both a couple times a week to get the best results. But start slow, and not until at least 6 weeks post partum (or when cleared by your doc).

I don't have any specific advice for you - just some moral support. I have had 3 babies in the past 5 years & I'm in my mid-30's. I also gained all of my baby weigh around the hips & thighs. I was always very anxious to get it all off. The good news is that it did eventually go away each time, but it took a good 8-12 months, depending on the kid & my level of fitness going into it. Just keep in mind that there are some for whom the weigh comes off immediately, but they are the exception. It took 9 months to get where you are, give yourself at least that much time to get back to normal. The suggestions for exercise are great as is a healthy diet. Just have realistic expectations & be patient so that you don't drive yourself nuts! Congrats!

I had a new baby 6 months ago...and have been working out without much actual weight loss on the scale...until a couple weeks ago when I incorporated this into my day. Check out what it is on my blog. www.fordeverfamily.blogspot.com it's amazing!!!!!

My sister found a great book that talks about losing weight after having a baby--and one of the main thing she said was stop trying for the first 3 months. Enjoy the baby, and then you will be in a position to lose the weight healthily--anyway she followed the advice in the book and is now just dropping the weight without doing too much--and she's got hips we all do in our family. lol. If you want the name of the book let me know and I will ask her. I read some of it and it has great advice with a real woman talking and a great sense of humor-

Hi K.

I have 3 children of my own and I know what you mean, that is exactly where my pregnancy weight went! I have been a fitness professional for about 25 years now and have a private studio at my home where I train all my clients. I also teach group fitness and one of the classes I have taught is pre and post natal. There are some exercises which are quite safe for you to do currently and you will need some modifications for others. Once the baby is born you will still need a few modifications for exercise for a few weeks, however, for beautiful looking legs you can get started now with some exercises that will use your pregnancy weight to strengthen and shape them. Calf raises, different types of squats and some other leg exercises will be great. For strengthening abs without squeezing the tummy I have developed some very effective exercises that can use your pregnancy weight to again help strengthen and tone. If you wish to contact me you can do so through my website www.myfridayfitness.com. I do free 15 min orientations and I have a special rate on intro sessions at just $29. Look for the 'economic disaster' package which is a rate of just $20 a session for 10 sessions! I currently train many ladies who are recovering from child birth and just are having a blast and enjoy the complete privacy of having the whole 1100 sq ft studio to themselves for their training session. I hope to hear from you and let me know if you have any questions. I'll be more than happy to answer them for you. Take care and have a great delivery!

C.

Obviously you will have to wait six weeks or so to try this, but I love Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred workout video. It offers three different 20 minute workouts (which is nice for a busy mom). Believe me though, these workouts are TOUGH and they will help you tone all areas. I have lost about 10 pounds so far and toned up a lot of my "problem areas". You can buy it on Amazon for about 12 dollars.

Walk, abdominal workout, healthy but less fat food, and mummy magic weight-loss tea.

Spot reducing is really hard - life is so unfair! Work on your diet, do lots of cardio and lift weights. Squats are great for the legs and butt and there are lots of different kinds you can do, but the cardio and diet are really important. The weight will come off fast anyway . . you probably have a lot of fluid built up that will go down over time. Make sure you drink lots of water and eat plenty of fiber to move fat out of your body. My legs and butt get HUGE when I am pregnant, too, but it goes away with a little work.

I don't know about thighs and butt, but it is important to get your abs back in shape after pregnancy since they've been stretched out & separated.

Breastfeed for as long as possible (at least a year)...that was the best weightloss tool that I found. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the time my son was 3 months old (I gained 30 pounds total with my son) and have lost an additional 10 pounds currently! I have not been doing anything else except trying to eat healthier and walking my son to the park! I wish they could bottle the effects of breastfeeding so that we could continue them long after they are weaned!!! (Oh...and chase that baby around once it learns to walk...you won't be sitting much then!!! *smile*)

I do like the Exercise DVD Video by Denise Austin called Fit and Firm Pregnancy, but I haven't had much time to use this other than occasionally in the first few months after he was born. It has a neat postpartum exercise video that lasts 15 minutes, I think, and helps tighten the abs!

S., 25, mom of Tyrrone, 10 months, who is now walking!!!

There are some good postnatal pilates dvds. I got them from the local library. You can try before you buy.

I have alway's loved walking, especially right after delivery when you are still healing and nursing which makes your boobs big and sore! I put all my baby's in my Bjorn( which might be out now but I loved it and so did they! And they work for a year) within day's of coming home and took nice long walks. I would reccomend waiting for 8 weeks if you are nursing to do any more strenuous exersize. If you nurse and walk at least three miles ever day the weight will melt off! Walking is also great because you are outside getting fresh air and sunshine. Good luck with your delivery!

Good Luck with the upcoming baby!! I would recommend that you visit www.strollerfit.com and see if there are any classes in your area. There are three different class formats and they work wonders on the post natal body and all the instructors are pre/postnatal certified. Not only will you get a great workout but you will also get to meet other moms with babies.

Check out the website www.mobilexware.com, which has a program you can put on your cell phone/pda where there are all kinds of work outs--you can focus just on your legs, arms, core (etc) or shuffle. You don't need any equipment. And it's under $25, so not so bad with cost. Just make sure you don't overdo it right away. Your body will need some time to adjust, so keep your repetitions low and just aim to build your body again. I walked a lot in the beginning. Getting outside made me feel better--more normal. I also recommend breastfeeding--it's the best diet tip for moms because of how much it burns. I gained 60 lbs on my 130 lb body and lost all of it within the year. So don't worry about, be patient and make sure you eat healthy! Good luck with the birth!

Nursing! And just get up. walk the baby everyday...any weather. and i did lunges during those collic hours in the mid of the night..think like a ski motion...great for gluttes and thighs. Actually, I wish i had my ten pound wieght again. My last is three and I instantly put on ten pounds now they are in preschool. so just get active.