Becoming a mother brings a lot of changes to your life—mentally, physically as well as emotionally! Your body goes through a lot of wear and tear to accommodate the newborn, and you do tend to pack on a few pounds. But don’t be in a big hurry to lose weight and don’t try any drastic measures. The uterus which expands and gives you that baby bump itself takes about 1.5 to 2 months to shrink back to its previous size. And some women can lose almost half of their weight in the first 2 months post-delivery itself i.e. the post-partum period.
If you’re a new mom and are looking for workouts that are safe for you, we’ve got you covered! We spoke to Althea Shah, a fitness expert and influencer to know a few exercises and workouts that are safe for new moms to practice. She said,
The best cardio workout to do is to walk. Start with it slowly and increase the intensity gradually. Progress slowly to jogging, running, cycling and interval training. The next step is to add resistance training to build and tone up your muscles. Start with a warm-up; jog in place for 5 mins, followed with some stretches. Do each exercise about 10-12 repetitions about 1-2 sets.
Further, she suggested 5 workouts that one can follow post-delivery if they are looking to get back to working out or getting in shape. Scroll down to check them out!
1. Breathing Exercises
Kapalbhati
Deep belly breathing with abdominal contraction also called stomach vacuuming. This is an excellent exercise which you do as soon as an hour after giving birth. It helps relax muscles, and it starts the process of strengthening and toning your abdominal muscles. Sit upright, breathe in deeply from your nostrils, draw air from the diaphragm upward. Expel the breath with forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles and relax.
2. Lower Body
Squats
This is the best exercise to burn fat from your legs, glutes and tone the muscles, even post-delivery. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips and your arms alongside your body. Bend your knees while pushing your hips backwards, thrusting your butt out as far as possible. Keep your chest and shoulders upright. Hold and get back up and repeat this. You can squat with overhead raises—also working on your triceps. Hold light dumbbells in your arms. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips and your arms alongside your body. Slowly lower your hips down into a squat position. Push yourself up and raise your arms overhead. Hold and lower your arms. Then return to the start position and repeat it.
Lunges
Lunges work the muscles in your lower body—quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Stand up straight, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward with your right foot and lower your hips toward the floor until your right leg is at a 90-degree angle and your left knee is parallel to the ground. Make sure your front knee doesn’t go beyond your toes. Stand up and take your foot back to the start position. Repeat this with the other leg.
3. Upper Body
Push-ups
This is a great exercise to work out the chest muscles and shoulder muscles. Plank itself are an excellent exercise for strengthening the muscles in your back, chest, and shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line with your buttocks, resting on your forearms and toes. In the plank position, lower your body by bending your elbows until your chest almost touches the floor.
4. Triceps
Tricep Dip
Sit on the edge of a chair or bench, place your palms facing downwards, right next to your thighs. Your fingers should be holding onto the edge and your feet should be positioned firmly on the floor in front of you. Now, lift your butt forward in front of the seat. Bend your elbows and lower your hips towards the floor until your arms are parallel to them. Push your body up into your starting position.
5. Glutes
The Donkey Kick
This exercise is the best way to tone the butt. It works all three major buttocks muscles; the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus. Get down on your hands and knees. Keep your back flat and core tight. Life one leg upwards as high as you can while keeping your knee bent at 90- degrees. Repeat this and then do the other leg.
Pelvic Tilts
Lie on your back and bend your knees. Keep your arms at your sides and feet flat on the floor. Now, inhale deeply and push up the pelvis while squeezing your butt. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then release and repeat.
We hope these post-delivery workouts help you or someone you know who’s looking for it.
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