We all know that pregnancy isn’t always a walk in the park. For every woman who blossoms through her pregnancy a la Demi Moore on her famous Vanity Fair cover, there are two more women who just feel grumpy, heavy and downright miserable. The pressure to appear ‘glowing’ and permanently joyous in our pregnancies is something that our modern day culture has created. Unfortunately, this has expanded past the pregnancy and into the first few weeks of your baby’s life. One key factor that plays a role in this is the expectation that we just snap back into our pre-baby bodies – no questions asked. However, this is far from true. Whilst for some women it doesn’t take much to get back into shape, who actually has the time to work out when you’re taking care of a newborn? The important thing is to relax and not let the pressure get to you. But once you are ready to get back in shape again, here are some different ways you can do it so you feel confident again.
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Low impact exercise
Let’s face it: your body has been through alot in order to bring your new baby into this world. Heading into a fierce workout routine straight away doesn’t give yourself any time to recover. Plus, lose weight too quickly after having your baby and you may find that it is all too easy to put it back on. The important thing is that you focus on building up your fitness level at a pace that is right for you. In order to not damage yourself, start with low-intensity exercises – you can still break a sweat, but don’t exhaust yourself! Pilates and yoga are great examples of classes you can take at your local sports centre, so do some research and see what is going on.
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Surgical procedures
Sometimes, exercise just isn’t enough to get your body back to where you feel truly happy with it. Excess skin post-baby is a common issue that many new moms suffer from, and unfortunately, no amount of sit ups is going to get rid of it. For these instances – or, if you just want to get quicker results – it might be worth consider a surgical procedure. Find a trusted surgeon by looking into companies such as MakeoverHQ.com. You will be able to arrange a consultation where you can discuss any problem areas you have and can learn about what can be done to get you looking and feeling your best again.
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Eating well
As a new mom, you’re probably used to running on a few hours sleep per night. Yep, they might be cute – but babies are tiring! With that in mind, you are probably reaching out of an instinct for sugary, high carb foods to keep your energy levels up. Whilst this isn’t too bad every once in awhile, it is much healthier to eat foods that release energy slowly. Snack on bananas and nuts which will give you that energy boost without the subsequent crash or sugar low. Adding natural carbs to your meals, such as wholegrain rice and pasta, will also help you to keep going even when you’re sleep deprived.