Congratulations on becoming a new mum! We are sure that the new addition to your family is one that you are incredibly excited about. You know all too well all of the many changes that your body has gone through over the past nine months. Some of the postpartum changes may make you feel self-conscious. This is completely normal! Since you are a new mother, you will want to make sure you take care of your baby. However, it is also important to take care of yourself. That is why we are giving you our top 10 fitness tips for new mums.
Here is how you can get back into shape in a safe and effective way.
Taking a walk around the park, including taking your little one along with you to the park. Alternatively, you can go on a solo hike, or even bring them along in a special baby carrier carry-on backpack. Whether you will be bringing your child along with you or not, you will be shedding that baby weight and burning extra calories.
You can put together a little routine that focuses on getting your body back to what it was like before you were pregnant. This could include exercises like plank and squats. Also, throw in squats and lunges in there as well, using your baby as extra weight.
Even though you were eating for two while pregnant, you should avoid going on a diet. That’s because as a new mum, you should be getting a great deal of nutrition. If you go on a diet, you will potentially cause long-term damage to occur to your metabolism. You will be breastfeeding your baby for a bit once you give birth, which means you should be eating a well-balanced selection of healthy foods that contain all the nutrients a baby needs, such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, and more.
After you have given birth and are a new mum, you may feel certain parts of your body are a little looser and weaker than before. That is why strengthening and conditioning your muscles will become necessary. Not only will your muscles benefit, but so will your ligaments and bones. A full-body workout is a great way to do this. Stick to just your bodyweight at first, before moving onto adding on additional weight.
New mums have less me-time given everything they need to do for their newborn. However, giving yourself the precious gift of some self-care will go a long way. Even just a few minutes to yourself to close your eyes and practice deep breathing will bring some much-needed calm and centeredness back into your life that can change your entire day’s mood.
One of the most important fitness tips for new mums is to keep your exercise routines short and simple. That means exercising for a few minutes if you recently had a baby. For example, you can do ten jumping jacks, burpees, squats, crunches, and pushups and be done for the day. Consistency is going to be more helpful for you than the amount of time you spend exercising. After a few weeks, you can begin adding more sets to your routine. Once you are feeling up for it, you can move your workouts to the gym and take advantage of the special equipment there to take your exercise routine to the next level.
When you’re working out, you will want to do something to bring the abdominal wall back in. When you had your baby, in undoubtedly stretched, so doing something to bring it back will help you get things back how they once were. Postpartum leggings are specially designed to stabilize your core and shape your abdomen in the weeks and months following giving birth.
Your body will have gone through a lot after pregnancy. That is why you should understand that you will not be able to return to the body you had overnight. It is going to take up to a year before your hormone levels, as well as your centre of gravity, get back to where they were. Give yourself a break and relax your goals. Don’t worry, things will return to how they were.
You are mostly water, and your baby will need benefit from you staying hydrated when it breastfeeds. Also, drinking more water instead of sugary drinks will help you lose weight. Whenever you feel thirsty, drink some water. If it’s hard to remember to drink water, get a canteen, pitcher, or container of some kind that will have at least four glasses’ worth of water capacity. Fill it up in the morning and drink from it throughout the day until it’s empty.
Sleep is going to be your new best friend after pregnancy. This is because it will be the single best way to restore your energy levels. However, you are bound to be getting woken up frequently by your baby at first. Depending on your methods of raising your child, you may run at the sound of every cry, or you may avoid reinforcing crying as a means of getting you to come over to soothe them. In any case, you will want to get as much shut-eye as you can. Anything less than seven hours may leave you feeling groggy and not at your sharpest wits.
These are ten of the most important fitness tips for new mums you should keep in mind after giving birth. Those first few weeks and months will require you to do things a little differently than you have done before your pregnancy. When you follow our advice, you will restore your body to its former glory, as well as provide your new born with the care and nutrition it needs. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you are just starting out on your journey and need guidance or just some more fitness tips.