Undoubtedly, one of the most common questions women will ask after delivering a baby is, "What's the best way to lose my pregnancy weight fast?". The problem is, that losing weight, not just pregnancy weight, too fast is not the safest nor best method for the long term. Remember, it took at least six months to put that weight on. To expect to shed it in a week and a half is unrealistic. That said, there is no reason it has to take six months to get rid of either. With a good plan of diet and exercise, you can drop most, if not all of it in just a couple of months. Lucky for me, I found a great diet and exercise program designed by a professional trainer who specialized in dealing with pregnancy weight. Joining a program not only gave me the guidance and direction I was looking for, but it really boosted my confidence and self esteem. In other words, I was not alone.
One of the first things I learned about losing my pregnancy weight was to start right away. By this I don't mean that I started a 2 hour a day high impact workout the day I came home from the hospital. Rather, just take the first step. Put aside some time each day to start doing a few low impact exercises. Take fast strolls with your baby, swim a little if it's convenient to do, or maybe some light aerobics. Like many things in life, getting started is half the battle. One great jump-start to losing those pregnancy pounds is breast feeding. Much of the extra weight our bodies gained during pregnancy was done so to physically prepare us for breast feeding. When women opt not to breast feed, they are making the pregnancy pounds that much harder to lose. I, myself was on the fence about whether or not to breast feed, until it was explained to me just how beneficial it was, not only for my babies, but for me as well.
Another great reason to start losing the weight right away is that, for me anyway, psychologically you have sort of a head start. Having just delivered, you feel a little lighter and your clothes are instantly a little looser. Combine this with breast feeding, a nutritional diet, and a low impact exercise program and you'll be amazed at how much slimmer you'll feel in just a couple of weeks. Not only will you feel slimmer, but the compliments will start coming in as well. Obviously, this will be a great motivator to keep up with your program. As you continue, over the next couple of weeks you'll look and feel better and better. Seriously, it is not an unrealistic goal to lose most, if not all of your pregnancy weight in just a couple of months. If I could do it, so can you.
There is a common misconception that post pregnancy weight loss is not possible and that after pregnancy you will never regain your pre pregnancy figure again. This is a fallacy that should have been squashed a long time ago, but it still prevails. One look at the Hollywood wives of today should tell you that it is possible to regain your figure very soon after pregnancy. It doesn't need to take months but in just weeks you can be back looking at your prenatal best.
What does it take? It simply takes a regular commitment to exercising regularly and eating properly. But it isn't just about the exercise, you have to do the right exercises that will have the biggest impact on you but that will not over strain your body.
There are a host of changes that your body has to go through during pregnancy. Things such as: Increased blood volumes, an increase in body weight and posture problems are just a few of them. On top of that, if your body was not prepared for these changes then it might have reacted in a negative way and you might have had to endure such things as significant lower back pain, fatigue, urine leakage and constipation. Sound familiar?
However, all is not lost, don't despair, following the simple rules below could help you to actually enjoy your pregnancy instead of dreading it.
Firstly follow the six rules of postnatal exercising below.
1. Always consult your Doctor before starting any sort of regular exercise routine. 2. Don't over do it, especially when first starting out, you need to get to know your bodies limits build up the intensity gradually over time. Exercise should be enjoyable, if you don't enjoy doing something, it is unlikely you will stick at if for very long, so it is vital that you enjoy it. 3. If you feel breathless, dizzy or pain, stop and rest and if you are very concerned see a Doctor. 4. Focus on doing the exercises correctly; don't cut corners as this is often when injuries occur. 5. One of the worst things you can do, yet it is still one of the most common, is to hold your breath while you are exercising. Your body needs oxygen, especially while exercising, so make sure you breathe correctly. 6. Work out on the appropriate surface. It should be firm but soft.
The key areas for you to focus on are the ones that work the hardest during labor and delivery, as well as the ones that have put on excess weight during the pregnancy. Primarily the parts of the body that work the hardest during labor and delivery are the lower back, inner thighs, pelvic floor and of course the abdomen.
The pelvic floor muscles form the base of support for the pelvic organs and their contents. The Urinary sphincters, rectal muscles, vaginal muscles are all included here. These muscles had to work very hard during pregnancy and labor. They support much of the increased weight and enlarge uterus as well as having to stretch beyond belief to allow the baby to pass during delivery.
Exercises such as: the pelvic tilt - strengths both the pelvic floor muscles and abdominal muscles, this exercises should be the sort of exercises that you focus on. Other exercises such as partial sit-ups or full sit-ups are also important.
Exercises that are fun that you can do on a regular basis, that do wonders for you include: swimming, bicycling, walking, jogging (but this can be jarring on the knees for some people) and one of my personal favourite, dance.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the most important things post pregnancy weight loss about any form of exercise is that you enjoy it, so find an activity that you enjoy. One of the reasons so many people fail to exercise is because they see the word exercise as a bad word, they related it to hard work, stress and pain. You must change your thinking and start to think of exercise as enjoyable, and if you aren't finding it enjoyable then consider changing to an exercise that is more enjoyable for you.