We all know at least one Cindy Crawford-type: a new mom who was able to slip into her skin-tight workout shorts within days of giving birth. What we sometimes forget, however, is that the Cindy Crawfords of the world are the exception rather than the rule: it takes most of us a lot longer than a couple of days to get back in shape after giving birth! Here are some tips to help you spring back into shape!
Designing a program for YOU
Here's the good news : the situation is not all doom and gloom! If it were, those slim-and-trim moms that you see carrying babies would be on the endangered species list! Here are some tips on designing a workout program that will work for you during this exciting but busy time in your life.
Give your body the credit it deserves.
Rather than beating yourself up for being "out of shape," remind yourself that your body is actually in perfect shape for having just had a baby. There's a reason that your abdominal muscles are flabby and that you are probably carrying around a few extra pounds: you've just sublet your uterus to another human being for the last nine months!
Before you fall into the trap of being too hard on yourself, heed these words of caution: you could be sabotaging your fitness success by focussing on all the things you don't like about your postpartum body. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that you're actually twice as likely to be successful at losing weight if you feel reasonably good about your body.
Stop viewing exercise as a punishment
If you're not in the habit of working out regularly, it's easy to treat exercise as just one more thing you have to do. Instead of viewing the word exercise as a polite euphemism for torture, try to convince yourself that it's something that you actually want to do because it will do good things for you, both body and soul. You may have to lie to yourself a bit at first, but over time, you'll start believing yourself!
Be realistic about what you can expect to accomplish at this stage in your life.
It's better to set a series of small, achievable fitness goals for yourself than to aim so high that you throw in the towel after just a couple of days. Besides, studies have shown that people who aim for moderate rather than high-intensity workouts are only half as likely to abandon their fitness programs.
Look for fitness activities that you can enjoy with your baby in tow.
Walking is a natural, of course: you simply pop your baby into her stroller or into the Snugli and then hit the pavement. But so are such activities as dancing, with or without a baby in your arms, jogging (provided you purchase a decent-quality jogging stroller) and weight-lifting. Believe it or not, there are some postnatal fitness workout tapes that show you how to use your baby as a free weight!
