Pregnancy weight loss isn’t easy. In fact, gaining all the extra fat during the nine-months tenure and losing it after the delivery of the baby is no mean feat. To all those women who do it with ease, kudos to you! But if you aren’t able to reach your weight loss goal just yet, don’t you worry, pregnancy weight loss is very much possible with a targeted weight loss exercise plan.
As a new mom you don’t have much time on your hands to do one-hour workouts. Taking care of the baby or babies holds paramount importance to you. And this is why you require short but intense workouts to lose the extra fat and stay fit and healthy. Don’t jump into quick and intense workouts immediately after delivery; in fact, you should start with your weight loss regime, only once your doctor gives you a go-ahead.
Starting a regular exercise program after giving birth is great for your health and also slashes down the risk of postpartum depression. However, every pregnancy is different and if you experience any symptoms such as heavy bleeding, headaches, excessive soreness, or other noticeable symptoms either during the exercising duration or after the exercise, stop exercising and consult your doctor immediately for prompt advice.
So, how to lose weight after pregnancy? Simple! Just follow these fat burning workouts, and shed the extra weight. A combination of diligence and discipline goes a long way in shedding the extra weight.
You’ve gone past the blissful and exhaustive period of carrying your baby and then again delivering the baby. Now, that you are enjoying a whole new phase in your life, you have a tendency to ignore your health. This is time to snap out of it and turn things around. Yes, you want to get back to your pre-pregnancy shape. Yes, we know you want to turn things around, but how? Here are a few tips to follow and how you are going to structure your weekly workouts.
How to Reduce Post Pregnancy Weight – Follow A Structured Weight-loss Plan
Give your body rest after delivery. Usually, you need a three-weeks rest after normal delivery before you can take up an intensive workout. For women who have undergone C-section deliveries, their waiting period is usually 6-weeks. As we have already said, no two persons are the same, begin your weight loss journey with your doctor’s approval. Check out the different types of workouts to shed the flab and tone up big time.
- Cardiovascular Workouts – You may hate it, but you just cannot ignore cardio workouts. They are a must-add to your workout schedule. Cardio workouts provide the most intense calorie burn and are worth all that sweat. Just a brisk seven-minute walk-run will provide an insane 700 and 1,400 calorie burn. Aerobic exercises on the lines of jumping rope, and rollerblading burns a neat 500 calories per hour.
- Strength Training – I cannot stress the importance of strength-training enough. The only workout that ensures a fat burn even after your workout is complete. Besides, it ensures you have a tightened and toned body after pregnancy. Start with light to medium weights, then gradually move to heavier weights (if your body is comfortable with the weight). As an example, you can start with 1-5 lb and then move to 2-8 lb. Strength-training has many added benefits, such as it improves your muscle density and tone. Also, to all those women who are scared to take up weight-lifting as they fear they may bulk up, don’t worry, you won’t. As you add more and more strength-training moves to your workout regime, you will shed the extra fat and replace it with muscles. You can get back to your pre-pregnancy shape in a matter of months if you are diligent about it.
- Combination Workouts – Compound exercises are the real deal. They are a combination of workouts, packing a number of benefits in one workout. When you do interval training, adding sprints, weight training, and core training, you reap the most benefits. For example, you can combine resistance exercises at a fast pace, and then include a 5 minutes’ workout. This way you nail a 40-minute workout and yet you aren’t bored at all. Are you bored with the same old drill? You can spice your workouts by adding workouts such as sprints, jumping rope, jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups, and weight lifting. A workout like this deserves a rest day, but it is worth the efforts.
- Flexibility Workouts – Your post-delivery weight loss isn’t complete without including flexibility workouts. With this kind of workouts, you not only improve your flexibility, but you also burn calories. You can try various workouts to improve flexibility to restore your body and mind while you work out. Hot yoga is another form of yoga you can try. This works great as you practice your workouts in the searing temperature of 85° to 125° Fahrenheit. This exercise also improves strength and results in weight loss.
Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss Exercise – Best Exercises for Losing Baby Weight
It’s time you made a jumpstart to your weight loss regime. Burn fat and lose weight fast as you push yourself and activate the somnolent muscles.
Check out these fat-burning exercises enabling faster weight loss.
1. Goblet Squat
A goblet is similar to its cousin, the regular squat. You will not have the weight putting on your back. So, this will ensure you have a better form. This is a great leg toning workout and works on your thighs and hamstrings along with your upper arms. This squat helps you go deeper than your regular squat version. Try it to feel the benefits.
Squat low, as low as possible so your hamstrings are on your calves. Keep your back straight, and your chest straight. At the bottom, pause and push your knees out. Get back to the original position and do about 10-20 repetitions.
2. Step-up
Another leg and glute workout, the step up works your entire body. This is a great workout for women who have bad knees.
Get into a sprinter’s form. Instead of running, you should move up and down the step. Alternatively, you can even jump on the box and jump down, box jumps are by far the best cardio workouts.
3. Bear Crawl
Bear crawls are full body workouts. You’ll feel the burn on your shoulders, your biceps, and your triceps too. This workout does not work your torso only, but it also works your lower body such as your thighs and calves.
Get onto the ground and start walking on all fours. Mimic your toddler as you start walking forward on all fours. This is a slow-burner and works most muscle groups.
4. Squat Jumps
Squat jumps are great plyometric moves that activate fast-twitch muscles and helps in the fat burning process. Adding short stints of this explosive workout does a zillion good things to your post-pregnancy shape. Just ensure you get your form correct. This workout also works your core muscles. You also elevate your heart rate as you feel an awesome cardio burn.
The move is simple; stand straight, then drop low into a squat, jump up explosively, your hands propelling your jump, and drop down to the starting position.
5. Push-Ups
One of the most effective equipment-free workouts on the planet. Yes, you can do it just about anywhere and this move works most of the major muscle groups. It works your chest, your arms, your back, and core. You end up burning a lot of calories as you activate a number of muscle groups.
Get on the floor in a plank position. Now, using your hands you lower your torso down as close to the ground as possible. Then, propel your body up using the force of your hands. This is one rep, do as many as you can. If this seems difficult for you, drop down to your knees. Graduate to full-blown push-ups when you feel stronger.
6. Plank
Planks are a great traditional isometric exercise and help work multiple muscle groups at the same time. An effective core-activator, it proves as an endurance test for you. It activates your glutes, back and shoulders. It works a great amount in a short period of time. Although you are not moving like a proper workout so to speak, your body works doubly hard to stay in that one position for long.
Get on all fours. With balancing on your arms, stretch your whole body behind you. Slowly, balance out the weight of your body on your hands (wrists) and on your toes. You can even try an elbow plank, by balancing on your elbows. Stay on this position for 30 seconds. If you are a beginner, then move onto 60 seconds. Some women can even stretch it to 2-3 minutes.
7. Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are more like high knees, except you do it on your fours. It works your core and your arms. This is a great workout to target your lower abs. And we all know how difficult it is to lose fat from our lower ab region, especially after giving birth. It also activates the arms and chest muscles. Mountain climbers play a great role in boosting your fitness.
Get on to the plank pose with shoulders over your wrists. Now, slowly try and bring one knee between your wrists, alternatively. Once you get the drift, increase the pace of the workout. Bring your knees between your wrists one after the other. This provides a solid burn. This is one workout that ensures postpartum weight loss.
8. Oblique V-Crunch
Pregnancy greatly impacts your abdominal muscles making them slack. That’s the bad news, the good news is you can shed the flab and tone them up for good with targeted abdominal workouts. The oblique V-crunch is just one of them. It tones your obliques and shapes your abdomen.
Get into the V-sit position and put it on one side to work on the obliques. Lie down on the right side. Keep your left hand behind your head. Position your right hand on the floor. Press the right hand and lift your straight legs off the floor, now bring your torso toward your legs. Lower yourself back to the floor. That’s one rep. Put in eight reps on either side.
9. Jump Rope
Jump ropes are not limited to kids only. This is one workout that promises both fun and calorie burn. Just bring out your long-forgotten rope from the back of your cupboard and start using it again. A few flips and you will soon start losing all those extra pounds. If you are worried about it affecting your knees, don’t worry, it proves a lesser threat-to-your-knees than running. It offers a solid burn to your legs and your upper body. All new mums who are time-strapped, trying to fit in a lot in a stipulated time-frame, this exercise proves to be a great workout for them.
Hold the handles of your jump rope in both your hands and flip it right over your head. Jump over the rope with both your legs or one leg at a time. It’s a fun way of rediscovering your childhood play equipment. Put it to good use.
10 . Jumping Jacks
This exercise will remind you that you are back to your school PT class. But, it’s great fun and burns a great number of calories. It elevates your heart rate and boosts your metabolism. It works and strengthens most of the muscle groups.
Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Now, put your feet apart with a jump, bring your arms up above your head while you clap your hands. Now, keep repeating the movement one after the other, pushing your body into a nice rhythm.
There you go, your post-pregnancy workout is chalked out for you. Follow a 20/30/40 format, you perform each exercise for 20 seconds and follow it up with 10 seconds of rest. Next, you perform the same exercise for 30 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. Finally, the last lap of exercise is performed for 40 seconds, following it up with a one minute of rest before jumping into the next exercise. Choose from the above-described post-pregnancy weight loss exercises and structure your own weight loss exercise programs. The beauty of home workouts is you can stay near your baby and yet concentrate on your fitness plan too. Finally, give nutrition the importance it deserves, eat fiber-filled protein-rich nutrient-dense meals, rest it out as often as you can and stay regular with your exercise regimen. And yes, breastfeed! That’s the healthiest way to melt all those extra pounds!