During pregnancy, women have a tendency to gain weight. It’s not just because of the cravings. They also need to eat more for the baby that is inside their womb. But after giving birth, they find themselves with excess pounds that they are dying to get rid of. This was certainly the case for a number of popular celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian and Beyonce, and yet they were able to regain their beautiful figures. Do you want to know how they did it?
Here are the 6 great ways to regain your shape after pregnancy.
1) Start a Post-Pregnancy Exercise Regimen
The BEST way to regain your figure after giving birth is by exercise. However, you need to plan a post-pregnancy regimen and gradually introduce exercises that are increasing in intensity since your body is still healing from childbirth. As early as 4 to 6 weeks post-partum, you can already perform light exercises like walking and stretching. Doctors say that you should be particularly mindful of a gap between your abdominal muscles after childbirth so that you need to be checked out by a physician is closed before you start doing core exercises. Once your doctor determines that this gap is closed – usually around 4-8 weeks after delivery – you can commence with tummy exercises, such as pelvic tilts, bridges, and those that use an exercise ball. Yoga and Pilates are also recommended to improve muscle strength in the core and flexibility of the body overall. By the third week, you can already perform more rigorous activities, such as running, biking and swimming. You can also start hitting the weights in the gym during this time, but it is best to ask your doctor first.
2) Eat a Healthy Diet
Most doctors do not advise that you go on crash diets in order to lower your weight. Instead, it is better to be aware of the types of food that you are eating and the caloric quantity. This means if you have been eating foods with high calories to satisfy your cravings while pregnant, you need to cut back on these foods now. If you have been eating high calorie sweets and juices, you need to reduce your intake or find healthier low calorie replacements. For example, if you have developed a taste for orange juice, you can replace it with a healthier drink of honey and lime in water (which is not only low cal, but is also a good natural weight loss drink). Nibbling on cookies while pregnant? Replace them with crunchy veggies like cucumbers and celery sticks. You can also add foods that aid in weight loss, such as green tea and apple cider vinegar which burn off fats.
3) Let Nature Help You Along
In itself, childbirth will enable you to lose 11 to 13 lbs since much of the weight you are carrying is actually the baby. The best argument for breastfeeding is that it can help you lose weight since you lose up to 600 calories daily. Let’s not forget that carrying your baby and doing the activities that come with baby care will help you to lose more pounds.
4) Join Other Mothers in Fun Activities
If you want to regain your pre-pregnancy figure, you will need a lot of encouragement and support. When exercising or doing other activities, you should be in the company of other moms who enjoy these same things. They will not only root for you as they see you gradually shedding those excess pounds; they will also be glad to give you advice on weight loss based on their personal experiences.
5) Enjoy Sex
For many couples, childbirth means being able to enjoy sex again. To ensure having good sexual relations after childbirth, you should do Kegel exercises so that you will regain control of your pelvic floor muscles. Resuming sex is possible around the 4th to 6th week after childbirth when your body is healed. Not only will you end up burning between 200 to 300 calories in a 30 minute lovemaking session, you will be able to tone your buttocks and thighs.
6) Get Lots of Rest
Here is something you are probably not aware of. When caring for your baby, you find your sleep being disturbed many times so that you are unable to get complete rest. However, because you need the extra energy to stay awake, you end up eating more than you should so that you gain more pounds instead of losing them. Since it’s practically impossible to get a full night’s sleep, it is important that you take naps while your baby sleeps to make up for the sleep deficits. It is also recommended that you get a relative or a family member to take over so you can get enough sleep.
