Six ways to drop new-mom pounds
- Debbie Emery, BettyConfidential.com
Sure, Gwen Stefani has great abs now. But when the 40-year-old superstar gave birth last year to her second son, Zuma, she sounded like any other mom eager to drop the pregnancy pounds. Admitting that she had gained “way more” weight than her 2006 pregnancy with her first baby, Kingston, she said she found the weight “a million times harder” to lose. “I had all these plans that I wasn’t going to get fat this time, but you don’t have control over it,” Gwen told the website babychums.com.
She soon snapped back into shape, though, with the help of her longtime trainer, Mike Heatlie, and flaunted her rockin’ body during the No Doubt reunion tour this summer. How’d she do it? "I've tried yoga and Pilates before, but I just prefer old-school fitness workouts," Gwen revealed to instyle.com. Of course, most new moms don’t have the luxury of a private trainer to kick their butts back into shape, so Exercise TV fitness expert Kathy Kaehler -- who has helped stars like Cindy Crawford, Michelle Pfeiffer and Julia Roberts regain their fabulous figures -- gave BettyConfidential some advice and exercises that will help new moms coping with unwanted pregnancy weight.
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“Losing the baby weight can be stressful for any mom,” says Kaehler, a mother of three who dropped 80 pounds after giving birth to twins. “[But]I knew that by getting back to my routine and fueling my body properly, I would return to my shape in as many months as my body took. Everyone will respond to pregnancy and post-pregnancy differently. Some gals lose it fast and some take a little longer. The key is to start back slowly and safely. Make sure your doctor knows all about what you want to start with and when you should begin [to go] back to your workouts. ” (Kathy designed an incredible workout with Cindy Crawford called A New Dimension that takes you step by step from shortly after birth and beyond to get you back in shape . The DVD is available on her website, kathykaehlerfitness.com.)
Here are some tips from Kathy that will help you regain your post-baby body safely and effectively:
• Start small - don’t think you have to jump back into daily hour-long workout sessions when you have a little one to look after. “Short bouts of exercise in between feedings will make a difference,” says Kathy. “Begin with three times a week and then increase it to four or five, doing anything that is physical to get your heart rate up. It’s important to focus on low impact workouts for the first few months as your body is still adjusting (and your breasts will be bigger!).”
• Walk off that weight! “Even 10 to 20 minutes of walking with your baby is enough to get your heart rate up and burn calories,” Kaehler says. Wear a pedometer and aim for 5,000 steps every time you hit the sidewalk.
• Focus on strengthening different body parts using a resistance band. (These are easy to use at home and are available at major sporting good stores . Kathy recommends alternating between arm and back exercises that will not only help you slim down, but also build the essential muscles that you need to cope with leaning over so much looking after your baby. For your arms, “Do a series of curls, followed by a set of lateral raises to the side. Go through the sequence to the point where you can feel the burn (between five to 12 reps) and repeat it two to three times.
• For your back, do a single-arm row by tying one end of the band to a door knob and pulling it back to work the muscles in between the shoulder blades. “Again, this will improve your posture and strengthen the muscles for doing functional activities.”
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• Don’t get obsessed too soon with having a washboard stomach! “Everyone wants to get their abs back, but there are a lot of concerns with the abdominal muscle depending on when you gave birth and if it was natural or a C section,” says Kathy, who suggests starting slowly with moderate breathing exercises to strengthen the muscle. “Lay on your back with bent knees, take a deep breath and press your belly button down to your spine to get a hard contraction. This will help with the recovery of the muscles.” Start slowly, at your comfort level, and try for 10 reps for 2 sets. Once you’re comfortable at that level, go for 12 to 15 reps for 3 sets.
• When doing abdominal crunches, raise yourself straight up and down as opposed to across so that you are not working the obliques (side abdominal muscles) until at least the 10th to 12th week after giving birth.
Debbie Emery is a freelance writer who specializes in fitness and health.
Always check with your doctor before beginning any fitness program.
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