When you bring your precious newborn home, you soon discover that exhaustion, emotional overload and no time for yourself make having a shower an almost impossible feat – let alone exercising and cooking healthy meals.
The key factor, however, towards taking that daunting first step towards getting your body back is to remember that taking care of a baby is even harder when you’re stressed, in poor shape and feeling down about yourself. You’d do anything for your child, and giving them a fit, happy mum is the greatest gift of all. Healthy mums raise healthy children, who grow into healthy adults!
The good news is that our weight loss programs include a ‘baby bonus’ designed for breastfeeding mothers. Go to the My Profile section and select the breastfeeding option. You can continue to take advantage of our online diary and world class menu and exercise plans while you regain your pre-pregnancy body.
Getting started
Debbra Lee is the founder of Fit For 2 in Kuala Lumpur. In her view, the road to fitness starts, appropriately enough, with baby steps. “Start slow!” she says. “There is no rush. The most important thing after delivering a baby is to get enough rest, sleep when the baby sleeps and eat well.”
Debbra points out that the hormone relaxin remains in your system for up to 4 months – maybe even as long as 6 months – after the birth. One of its functions is to soften the joints in the hip in preparation for the delivery, but it affects all other joints in the body as well.
“Keep exercise low impact,” she advises. “Walk rather than jog, and protect your joints. The main thing at first is to do anything you enjoy that gets you moving and that you can do with your baby.”
Tips for getting your body back in the early days
- Eat a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner, with 1 or 2 snacks in between.
- Choose healthy, low GI carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats (unpolished rice, nuts, fish, tofu and sesame oil).
- Aim for fresh produce and plenty of vibrant, colourful vegies for fibre and valuable micronutrients.
- Check labels for energy density, fats and sugar content.
- Try to sit down when you eat. “Difficult one this one!” says Debbra.
The first 2 months
This is when breastfeeding is being established. Debbra says, “If you find your baby rejects your milk after an exercise session, perhaps you should pull back a little next time. Lactic acid can build up in the body and may mix into your milk.”
She recommends you have your abs checked for diastisis. If your trainer is qualified for pre and post-natal fitness, then he or she can give you exercises to encourage your large abdominal muscles to fuse back together again.
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Go for a walk in the fresh air with your baby either after breakfast or before a bath in the afternoon. You could even indulge in that favourite Asian pastime and walk in an air-conditioned mall when it’s very hot! Malls also have the advantage of feeding rooms and baby changing areas.
- Don’t go more than 3 hours without eating, and drink 2L of water a day.
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Rest whenever you can.
- Start core stability exercises.
- Do lots of pelvic floor work. You could perform your exercises several times a day such as when cleaning your teeth, before you get up, in shopping queues or at traffic lights.
2 to 4 months
According to Debbra, breastfeeding should be well established by now, but it is vital to eat enough to maintain supply. “Your milk may change in composition when your baby goes through a growth spurt, so make sure you eat those extra 500 calories a day (good ones, please)”, she says. “And drink plenty of water!”
- Increase your cardio and strength training – slowly.
- Start yoga and Pilates, which are great for core stability, flexibility and stress relief.
- Stretch your chest muscles as you will be hunched over more than usual with feeding and carrying.
- Continue with your core stability and pelvic floor exercises.
- Consider joining a fitness group for mums for extra support and motivation. “We offer mummy & baby classes that are lots of fun and a good way for mums to spend time with their little ones,” says Debbra.
4 to 6 months
By this stage you should be feeling more like your old self. It’s safe now to introduce higher impact and higher intensity workouts if you are up to it. “Focus also on putting in some ‘me’ time to help you to cope with having a fully dependent child,” says Debbra. “Yoga is a good addition to any fitness regime.”
- Incorporate core moves with strength training. This uses more muscles and requires dynamic stabilisation, which is fantastic for rebuilding your abs and pelvic floor.
- Increase your cardio. Group fitness classes (indoor or outdoor) are a great way to do this, and also get you out of the house for a while. Many gyms provide childcare facilities.
- Keep up your Pilates and yoga for core strength and mental focus.
- Consider using a personal trainer either 1-on-1, or in groups – sharing the cost makes it more affordable.
Visit our exercise library for suggestions on a range of core exercises, cardio, strength and yoga. – everything you need to get back in shape.
Stress management
No matter how much you love your baby, stress is unavoidable in the early months. According to Debbra, the best way to handle it – apart from eating well and being active – is through social contact.
“The main thing is to meet other mothers and talk about – stuff,” she says. “Usually you will find that you are not alone and not ‘going mad’ as we all feel sometimes. Find other mums to get out and about with and have fun with.”
Pitfalls to avoid
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Failing to plan. Good nutrition won’t just happen without planning.
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Eating for 2. Breastfeeding takes a huge amount of energy, and makes many women ravenous. You require an extra 500 calories per day, which is built into your menu plan if you select the breastfeeding option.
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Becoming too hungry. Choose quality proteins, wholegrains and fibre at each meal to stay comfortable and full.
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Having unrealistic expectations. You will not lose the weight in the 3 weeks it appears to take celebrity mothers who have a raft of chefs, personal trainers and nannies at their disposal. “1 year on, 1 year off,” says Debbra. “The celebrity culture of ‘bouncing back’ is so unrealistic for real women and is an added pressure. We should be aspiring to a healthy balanced lifestyle, not a Victoria Beckham body!”