Mommy muscles

Ok let's face it...being a momma is a tough and rough job. I've only been at it for 10 weeks but I have noticed that my arms are becoming more and more toned every day just from carrying the little guy around with all of his accessories. For the first 6 weeks you are usually restricted to lifting the weight of your baby but after that you will find yourself carrying the diaper bag, car seat with baby in it, purse, groceries, and a latte all at once! Why take a second trip? I got this!

So as I promised before here is my first toning exercise, a half-squat holding baby. You should try this exercise for 8-10 reps and 2-3 sets a day. By holding your baby you are adding weight to your workout and also forcing your abdominal muscles to flex more readily than they would if you had to think about doing it yourself. This ensures good posture and gets those deep abdominal muscles.

Half-Squat: Targets glutes, quads, and lower back. We always should try to incorporate abdominal muscles in every exercise we do so holding baby is going to add abdominal flexion. If you aren't holding your baby make sure you focus on drawing in your tummy muscles during the entire series.

Starting position:

Feet shoulder width apart holding baby to chest. If you feel more comfortable you can use a baby carrier. Try a few half squats without baby to make sure you can do them without losing your balance.

 

Holding baby snugly (or place in carrier), bend your knees and stick your bottom out like you are going to sit in a chair. Keep your chest up and only go down as far as you feel comfortable. You should be able to see your feet still when you look down. If you knees come over your feet you are aren't pushing your bottom back far enough. 

 



 

Baby too big or too fussy to hold? Put him or her in a stroller in front of you and hold the squat through a round of "itsy bitsy spider" using your hands to tell the story. Your tot will love it!

 

As your baby grows in size so will the weight you are lifting so it's a great way to progress your strength training without thinking about it.

  

 

Some things I found out while exercising with baby:

• You should make sure he is fed and well rested about an hour before you start your exercise routine. You won't want to stop and feed your baby in the middle of your routine...frankly once you sit down you probably won't get back up to finish the second half!
• Don't feed your baby right before you exercise because you may get spit up on you!
• Baby takes the lead on your exercise program. If he or she needs to be cared for go ahead and do that and return once he or she is happy and content again.
• If you have an overly fussy baby try turning your routine into a game with them. Play peek a boo while doing squats, sing a song, or tell baby a story during wall sits. Make it fun and interactive!
• Some days are just going to be lazy days and don't kick yourself for it. Get back on the exercise bandwagon when you can.

STAY HEALTHY & FABULOUS!

9 weeks postpartum update

So I am at 9 weeks postpartum and doing very well. I am breastfeeding which seems to help shed the baby weight. I am doing very well at keeping my eating under control as well. As any new mom experiences, just as you get up to get something to eat you either get distracted by the cuteness of your new baby or they also want to eat. I constantly think about food all day but never get around to eating that much so I have to make sure I eat 3 meals a day or at least a protein bar or two.

A little background on me. I gained about 35 lbs in my pregnancy and most of it was gained in the last few months. I was sick the first 5 months! I didn't mind gaining this much and it didn't stress me out as I knew that was acceptable weight gain. Not every mom has the benefit of losing all her pregnancy weight right away but I consider myself pretty lucky. I am a fairly active person and every week after delivery I have seen the scale drop by a pound or two. I am now under my pre-pregnancy weight by 12 lbs! Yes that means I am 12 lbs lighter than I was before I even got pregnant, how does that happen?

I do contribute some of my weight loss to breastfeeding as many moms benefit from the extra calories burned with producing milk. I also have to consider that I have been very good with my food control. I want to set good examples of healthy eating for my son even at his young age. I focus mostly on portion control more than anything but I also don't have the sweet tooth I had before I was pregnant. Weird how that hasn't returned! Another thing that has helped me lose almost 50 lbs is my walking routine. I try to go out at least 2-3 times week with baby, stroller, and a resistance band. I walk at least a mile pushing the stroller (which burns more calories!) and doing resistance exercises with the band and body weight. Park benches are great tools to use for push ups and triceps dips!
Can't get outside? Try wearing your baby in a carrier during the day while you clean and do daily tasks. Use proper lifting techniques when squatting down. It is a safe and effective way to burn more calories without "doing exercises."

Tomorrow I am meeting up with a few mommas to walk at the park! I love meeting new people especially new mommas who can support me physically, mentally, and emotionally through this new journey of motherhood.

What are you doing to incorporate fitness in your post baby routine?

Just a little at a time

So getting started in a routine can be complicated in the first weeks after having your baby. All you want to do is rest and try to get some much needed sleep. It's the small things that count now. You don't need to start off running in the first 6 weeks but rather the opposite! Two of the most essential things you need to do are kegels and diaphramatic breathing. What are those? Well you may have heard of kegels from your doctor and if you haven't been doing them during pregnancy you probably are regretting that now as you still pee when you sneeze. Don't worry, it's not to late to start. No one will even know you are doing it!

So how do you do Kegel exercises?

First you need to find your pelvic floor muscles and this is best done while urinating. Stop the flow of urine midstream. Ok now that you know what it feels like don't do that again while peeing! It can lead to urinary tract infections so once you figure it out don't do it while urinating again.

Now that you know where your pelvic floor muscles are, lay on your back and tighten your pelvic floor muscles, holding the contraction for 5 seconds. Relax for another 5 seconds or so and then repeat this 4-5 times in a row. Once you get good at those you can progressively increase to 10 second holds and up to 10 times in a row.

Keep your abdominal and buttocks muscles relaxed while doing kegels as you want to focus solely on the pelvic floor. Relax and breath through your kegels and refrain from holding your breath.
For best results, do these exercises 3 times a day increasing up to 10 reps each time!

You can also do kegels while you drive a car, stand in a grocery line, read books to your little one, or watch television!

See that wasn't so bad...

Now you will really like this one. Diaphramatic breathing also helps restore those deep breathing muscles that were weakened during pregnancy. This is the perfect time to bond with baby.
Lay on your back and place your baby stomach down on your chest. While laying there relaxed, take deep breaths in through your nose filling your abdominal cavity and then release the air through your mouth as your abdominal cavity empties. Your baby should rise and fall on your chest with your breathing. You should remember to fill your stomach with air not your chest. You can check to make sure you are doing this right by placing one hand on your chest and one on your belly to see if you are a belly breather or a chest breather.
Take about 10-12 deep cleansing breaths and relax with your baby. Easy right?



You and your baby will love this and will have a great bonding moment that you may just never want to end. This is ok to do with baby while they are under about 15-20 lbs but should be discontinued with baby after that or if you get uncomfortable with baby on your chest.

Benefits of exercising during and after baby

Okay so I will admit it was hard to keep up exercising during pregnancy because of my hypermesis (excessive morning sickness) throughout my pregnancy. I was lucky and only gained the recommended 25-35 lbs during pregnancy but worried about how I was going to lose it all. In the weeks following childbirth I constantly thought about how long it would take for me to get my body back to at least how it was before I was pregnant. Knowing the benefits of exercise helped me start my journey as soon as I got the go ahead from the doctor at my 6 week follow up. Yes you should just rest for those 6 weeks (8 weeks for c-sections) and there is plenty of time to get your exercise on! It is important to get the clearance from your doctor in case other issues arise postpartum. Well at 9 weeks postpartum I am 11 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight so I'm doing something right! You should remember that it took 9 months to put the weight on so give yourself at least 9 months to take it off.

There are many benefits to exercising but even more for those who are pregnant or have just had their bundle of joy. ACOG, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, state that mild to moderate exercise* can lead to easier labor and a reduction of postpartum depression. Just 30 minutes a day of exercise can have a very positive impact on your new mom mind and body.

*Keep in mind that mild to moderate exercise does not include risky or dangerous activities such a skiing, skydiving, scuba diving, and contact sports. These activities should be avoided and can lead to fetal harm or death.

Here is a list of benefits you can expect:

• Helps prepare body for an easier labor
• Increased muscle tone and strength
• Increased stamina for childbirth and keeping up with toddlers!
• Proportioned weight gain during pregnancy
• Eases morning sickness (if you can stand to exercise in the first place)
• Reduces incidence of baby blues or postpartum depression
• Become a positive healthy role model for your children
• Reduces backaches
• Reduces incidence of swelling
• Improved posture
• Quicker recovery postpartum

Discontinue exercise if:

• You experience dizziness, lightheadedness, cramping, chest pain, contractions, reduced fetal movement if pregnant, vaginal bleeding, or overheating.
• If your heart rate is over 85% of your target heart rate (calculate this by taking 220-age= your max heart rate and multiply by .85 and this will be your target heart rate).
• If you get tired or fatigued.

There are situations where exercising is not recommended and all women should speak with their care provider before starting an exercise program.

ACOG contra indicators for exercise are:

• Restrictive lung disease such a COPD
• Heart disease
• Incompetent cervix/cerclage
• At risk for premature labor
• Placenta previa after 26 weeks of gestation
• Premature labor during the current pregnancy
• Ruptured membranes
• Preeclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension
• Advised against exercise by care provider

HAPPY EXERCISING!
Drink lots of water and stay tuned for more information on exercising with your baby!

Sources: www.ACOG.org

I'm back!

For those that have followed me for a while know I have taken a hiatus this year from blogging. Being pregnant took a lot of energy out of me and I just fell away from maintaining my blog. As you can see I am making some changes in my topics of discussion and I hope you will continue to follow me and share my posts with those that could benefit from them. Feel free to send me topic requests as well and I will do my best to address them.