Patience and Persistence will pay off. While many new moms want to emulate celebrities and return to their pre-pregnancy figures as quickly as possible, it is important to remember that pregnancy and birth take an enormous toll on your body. As frustrating as it may be, rushing into an intense workout regime can cause significant damage to your joints and ligaments if not planned properly. Because your body requires time to adjust to the changes brought on by birth, taking it slow is the best way to regain your figure while avoiding serious injuries. There are a number of specific exercises that have been developed for new mothers looking to strengthen their abdominal muscles and begin the process of reshaping their body.
The Importance of Exercise Following Pregnancy
Finding the time and energy to exercise after a pregnancy is a difficult challenge, but one that is very important to your overall health and happiness. Maintaining even a simple exercise regime that can be completed while baby naps can have a positive effect. Some benefits of post-natal exercise include:
Increased energy
Positive body image reinforcement and self confidence
Enhanced muscle tone and weight loss
Assists in relieving stress and post-partum depression
Abdominal Exercises
Following a pregnancy, the muscles that make up the abdominal wall will have considerably less elasticity than their pre-birth condition. Toning these muscles can help to increase your circulation and help you to bring back your pre-pregnancy figure. While your body needs time to recover from the trauma of birth before resuming a regular workout, some simple exercises you can perform include:
Pelvic Tilts. Lie flat on your back, with your knees up and your hands resting on your stomach. Your feet should be flush with the floor. Gently contract your stomach muscles and push your lower back towards the floor, while simultaneously tightening the muscles in your bottom. Hold this position for 5 seconds and release.
Pelvic Crunches. This exercise is similar in nature to the pelvic tilt, with the exception that instead of holding the position for a count of five, the muscles should be tightened and released in rapid succession in increments of five. Pelvic crunches can be alternated with tilts until you begin to feel tired.
As you begin to regain your strength, your workout intensity and the diversity of exercises you can incorporate can be increased. Check with you doctor before beginning any type of rigorous exercise program.
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