Im 38, i have exercised for 20 years and I love the buzz I get off it. Iv Had 2 Babies in 3 Years. Tips on How i shift the baby weight… (These are my opinions. I am not a Doctor. Never ignore the advice of your healthcare professional).
Iv done everything. But Weight Lifting has been the one thing I adore and iv never left that. In my 20s I lifted light dumbbells, and bars, gym machines.I ran mid-late 20s. Iv stopped running distance 6 years ago. At 32 I burnt out adrenally from over doing it. I took a break then, ate alot less, exercised a lot less, got to my goal weight, got married, got pregnant, had SPD during pregnancy and had to stop all cardio, walking, swimming, jogging etc except my beloved WEIGHT RESISTANCE TRAINING.
At 34 and 36 I breastfed both babies for a year each so during that time I could only do yoga, walk with buggy and do my beloved RESISTANCE TRAINING. Surprising to me I didnt gain huge weight in those 5 years off all the serious cardio because all those years of lifting my own body weight doing things like Planks, Push Ups, Downward Facing Dog, Cobra moves has resulted in my bodys muscle masss increasing . I think the reason my body has bounced back post pregnancy is due to this. I have built a lot of muscle over the years of lifting my own body weight and that muscle somehow “remembers” what it used to be like and it went back to it original place, thankfully.
I remember the days pre kids when i had the entire evening to workout, to decide do i go running, or the gym, or swimmimg or a curcuit training class!!..Now that someone has to mind the babies we both cannot be out exercising like we used to be!! now im lucky to grab a half hour run/walk once kids are in bed.. so iv had to find ways to sneak in exercise when i am with the kids. Every second day I try to do something. We take our kids out walking daily at home and even when on holidays.
Mums reading this will know infants and toddlers dander, they dont walk very fast so you end up standing on the country lane or the beach when you are out walking with your kids. Now i use this time productively. I do what I think are the most important exercises for the big muscle groups on your body:
20 x 2 sets Push Ups & 20 x 2 sets Tricep Dips on farmers gates or low walls or low rocks at the beach
20 x 2 sets Lunges and
20 x 2 sets Squats
2 x 60sec planks ( all with the child giving me or dad odd looks!)
These exercises only take minutes to do. But I give it my all in those few mins and feel i have done a bit when i come back from the walk. It is Effort that goes into the time you have, Not the TIME in minutes you are doing it that makes the difference. You need to push your body until it quivers or hurts a bit. Obviously not until you get an injury. Luckily as a family were addicted to the outdoors and fresh sea air and walk for fun on saturdays or sundays, sometimes both days and midweek if we can too, and do those exercises those days too!.Even on Holidays.
We also do a Baby Yoga thing at home with the children before bed or on holiday or on beach .its another way to exercise with baby and have quality fun time with them too.
For example 1) They lie on a mat, or the sand, and we pretend to squash them with our chest, (but were actually doing planks).
2) We lie on mat, They stand/sit on our tummies, we do see-saw (but were actually doing situps).
3)We do lunges, they slide under our legs
4)Lie on floor. Lift baby overhead..(doing core and arm weights).
5)They balance feet on our bellies, were doing more core work..
I’ve found doing a quick walk/run in the evening and “not eating anything after” will help shed weight quicker. For years I was eating after circuit training and wondering why I never got down to my goal weight. And it fell off me when I stopped eating in the evenings. I also weigh myself daily. First thing. After the loo. Before a shower. Before clothes. This will help you see where you went wrong and the motivating “positive changes in the scales” when you eat less and exercise more. Spring is about new beginnings So get out walking with kids, do a few squats on the way, a bit of yoga and eat a bit less and you will get rid of the extra pounds easier than you think and shape up for summer.
Heres to A Fitter Healthier Happy You this April, hope you’ve find this article useful. For previous articles on getting in shape for a wedding, exercising during pregnancy and other food and fitness blogs scroll down through articles under the Fitness Blog Section above.
Fee x
