Are you a new mommy? Do you want to lose some weight? Does your belly need some firming up? If so, here are some tips to get you started and motivate you to lose the weight and firm up your belly.



1. Once you are cleared by your doctor to exercise, take note of what you are eating. In a journal or notebook, start by righting down what you are eating and drinking throughout the day including the calorie count/fat intake. Do this for about 3-5 days to get a handle on how many calories you're eating.

2. Now look at your food journal and make a conscience choice to cut down on the calories by either portion sizing or the types of food you're eating. Check with your doctor or nutritionist first, but I feel to lose weight you need to cut back to 1200-1600 calories a day if you're a woman. The "trick" to losing weight is to eat less and move more during the day to burn calories. You don't need to eat "diet" food, just limit your food intake to smaller portions or more healthy choices.

3. To move more (burn calories), you can go for power walks or jogging (with baby in a stroller) or join a gym and put baby in their childcare room. You really need to exercise at least 4-5 times a week at first for at least 30-45 minutes per session. Get your heart rate up, but notice you should still be able to carry on a short conversation while doing so. (Running/jogging is the fastest way I've found to lose weight). Walk or jog uphill if you can - this burns the most calories and helps strenthen the core muscles around your belly.

4. Sit ups using an exercise ball Sit ups using an exercise ball To lose the belly fat, the best way I've found is to use an exercise ball and incorporate sit ups into your routine. Do at least 30-50 sit ups on the ball at the end of each exercise session of cardio. After several weeks of doing sit ups and exercise, you'll begin to notice your stomach muscles tightening up.