Health and Fitness,  News

Exercises For New Moms

As a new mother, the thing you may be dreading the most is the fact that your body has changed. This may cause you to feel very self-conscious and even somewhat depressed. However, there is a solution to this issue. Research has shown that mommies who exercise regularly is not only beneficial for overall health, but may even reduce the risk of postpartum depression. You can also add a dietary supplement to improve your health, alongside your daily exercises. Click here to see what products are available at Consumer Health Review. This platform provides top quality reviews with the latest information – you cannot go wrong here.

Now, you may be thinking there is no time for you to exercise now that you have a small busy body to look after. However, there is always time to squeeze in a small workout or even complete a workout with your baby. Before you start any training, first consult with your doctor if you are experiencing any headaches, heavy bleeding, or other symptoms.

The nice thing about these exercises mentioned below is that most of them can be done with your infant. This is actually crucial as it gives you time to spend with your baby. Just please take note that even though babies are tough – do not do any exercise with your baby if you do not feel strong enough. Also, only take your baby along if you are one hundred percent certain that your baby can handle it and always support their head and neck. Below we will discuss a few workout ideas and training moves to get you started.

Start Slow

Your body has gone through many changes and new mothers that have not really been doing any workouts need to start slow. If not, you may injure yourself or cause more trouble for your body. Thus, it is important to know what you may do and what you may not do. So to start off, rather stay away from things like running, kickboxing, and skipping – especially in the first 6 to 8 weeks after giving birth.

Let us take a look at the exercises you may do in the first 6 weeks:

  • Walking – You may think walking is useless if you want to get back into shape, however, it is the best way to kick start your fitness journey. You can start off by taking a walk with your baby in the stroller. If you feel confident and strong enough, you can even “use your baby” as extra weight by placing them in a front baby carrier.
  • Dancing – Another activity which may sound useless, however, this will really give your muscles a go and it will be good for your infant (movement and music).
  • Light Stretching – This can also be done with your baby as most of these movements can be done on the floor.

Further Your Training

Light strength training for the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor should only be done after about 6 to 8 weeks. Mommies who have had a C-section, should always consult a doctor before starting abdominal training. Due to abdominal splitting of the muscles (rectus diastasis), you have to focus on exercises that help “knit” these areas back together. Crunches and sit-ups should be avoided. Rather focus on shoulder raises and heel slides. For the pelvic floor, the best thing to do is kegels.

To train the arms and legs at home you can do walking lunges, baby bench presses, and baby overhead presses whilst holding your baby. Another type of training is low impact cardio, such as swimming, cycling, pilates, yoga, and barre attack. This will give you time to focus on yourself or spend some time with friends. After 2 to 4 months, you can start looking at going back to the gym or doing more high intensity exercises.

Finally, the key to getting back in shape is to listen to your body and to remember that it will take time – so be patient. Be proud on the days that you got your training in, but also be kind to yourself as rest and recovery is also needed.

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