Congratulations—you’ve become a mother! While your baby is uppermost in your mind, you might have also started thinking about getting back in shape. Now, regular exercising and dieting will become an important topic in your life. Since pregnancy is the time of significant changes to the body , be ready to work hard to get back into shape after the birth of your baby. Here are some tips on how to make your body bounce back after pregnancy.
Nutrition Needs
After you give birth, your diet is extremely important. Proper nutrition will help your body to recover and provide you with enough energy to work on getting back in shape. Make sure you are getting enough of the following nutrients:
- Protein: It can be found in seafood, beans, lean meat, eggs, and soy products. Make sure you have at least 5 servings each day.
- Calcium: Most low-fat dairy products are a great source of calcium. You’ll need about 3 servings a day, which equals 1,000 milligrams.
- Iron: Since you might have lost a lot of blood during the delivery, products rich in iron will help you to produce new red blood cells. These products are poultry, red meat, beans, and tofu.
- Fiber: Fruits and vegetables are concentrated in fiber, so make sure you add them to every meal.
Best Exercises
Even if you were an ultra-fit and physically active before pregnancy, it is not a good idea to jump in back into your workout regimen right after birth. If you push yourself too hard in the beginning, you might set yourself back from real and full recovery. Moreover, if you had a difficult birth you could need therapy. Therefore, wait for a couple of weeks after delivery, start with a few effective exercises that will help new mothers to start getting back in shape.
- Pelvic tilts: Lie on your back with the knees bent and feet resting on the floor. Allow you back to keep a natural curve with a space between a low back and the floor. Inhale, engaging your abdominal muscles and closing the gap between the low back and the floor. Exhale and allow your pelvic and spine to return to the original position. Repeat 10-15 times.
- Push-ups: This exercise is a great method to strengthen your core and tone. Do at least one set of 10 every day.
- Plank: Endurance-based and static exercises like plank are perfect for strengthening the abs and back. Do four to five planks every day by holding 30-60 seconds each.
Start Walking
Add this activity to your daily routine as soon as you can after delivery. This will help you to start losing calories and get your body moving. You can measure your daily activity and count steps with the help of a special fitness tracker. Try to gradually increase the number of steps every day.
Getting back into shape after pregnancy is not an easy task. However, if you stay patient and committed by following the recommendations above you will see great results soon.
If you want to try crossfit after you give birth, try two weeks of it free!
