Health & Fitness Post Pregnancy

By Alison Canavan

As women we spend our lives worrying about our weight. We’re dictated to by magazines and celebrities. No matter what and believe me I’ve been in the fashion business for over half my life, we’re never happy with the way we look. Please don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Learn to embrace and love your body type and know that if you nourish your body from the inside out and exercise regularly you’ll be on your way to being healthy in both body and mind.

Nature is truly amazing and you have just created a little miracle. From a tiny egg your body has formed a little person! Imagine how much work and just how complicated it is to make organs, bones, and tiny little hands and feet. Phew… I’m tired just thinking about it! I cannot stress how important it is to give your body a rest immediately post pregnancy. Your muscles and joints have softened during pregnancy and you can injure yourself. It is recommended that you wait at least 6 weeks or if you have a section 8 weeks before you begin to exercise properly.

However walking, Kegel exercises for your pelvic floor and stretching I would strongly recommend and encourage. We underestimate the benefits of stretching coupled with breathing correctly (inhale for four and exhale for four) it can do wonders for your mind and body. Your mental health is extremely important and delicate at this time so eating well, moderate exercise and resting as much as possible is very important.

Please be realistic, we don’t live in Hollywood and have access to chefs and personal trainers 24/7. It took nine months to create a baby and it will take at least that long to shift the weight. Crash dieting will damage your metabolism and set you up for a lifetime of relationship misery with food. We need to remove the word DIET from our vocabulary. Diets don’t work. They make you hungry. If you deny yourself everything you enjoy and love will it not just make you want it more?

I know you’ve heard it before but Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. If you find you’re not hungry in the morning. Wake your body up with a glass of hot water and lemon. This will kick start your digestive system and metabolism. Coming into winter there is no better food than porridge. It is a slow release carbohydrate therefore releasing energy slowly to keep you going all morning. Add some berries a banana or some honey to add sweetness.

If you’re breastfeeding like me you need to be extra careful and make sure you’re getting the proper nutrition you need for both yourself and the baby. Cut back on sugary foods and increase fruit and vegetable intake. If its weight loss you’re after alcohol is a killer and loaded with calories. By all means enjoy your glass of wine but not the bottle! Drink 2 litres of water a day MINIMUM – water is critical to fat oxidization. Avoid ‘Diet’ anything – in many ‘diet’ products fat content is taken out and replaced with simple sugars (Many diet yoghurts are a typical example).

Eat unlimited amounts of fibrous green vegetables; spinach, broccoli and cabbage, not only do they provide satiety but they are rich in, amongst other things, iron, particularly important in females who need to maintain high levels of iron particularly around the time of your periods (and during pregnancy).

There’s no big secret and yes some have to work harder than others but with anything in life you get what you work for. Being healthy is not just about looking good it’s about feeling good too. You’ll sleep better, your moods will improve and your quality of life gets better as a result.

Exercise tips:
Stomach Exercises Your tummy is probably the area of your body that you are most worried about getting back to its pre-pregnancy shape. Sit-ups are the best exercise for your abdominals to get them into shape quickly. I love the plank as it really gets results do 3 twenty second holds (as in the photo).

When you are doing sit-ups, make sure you have a mat underneath you. Also, keep the small of your back (the part that arches) in contact with the floor at all times. To work your upper abdominal muscles, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. You could also put your feet on a chair so that your legs are at a 90-degree angle. Place your hands behind your head. Slowly, inhale and lift your head and shoulders up, off the ground while you contract your abdominal muscles. Lift until you feel your muscles working; you don’t need to go all the way up to a sitting position. Then slowly lower your upper body back down while you exhale.

To work your lower abdominal muscles, you can do a reverse crunch. Again, start by lying on the floor with your legs bent, but this time keep your feet close to your buttocks, slightly above the floor. Inhale while you slowly raise your hips and pelvis up towards you so that your buttocks rise up off the floor. Your knees should curl in towards you. Exhale and lower slowly back down. For both tummy exercises, you should try to do two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.

Try doing some form of weight training. (Two tins of beans are perfect for starters) Weight training does not bulk you up and is important in the prevention of osteoporosis and also increases your metabolism. Start with simple exercises like bicep curls and arm raises. Squats and lunges are also great for toning.

WALK by yourself or with other mums that you meet at your local Mum and baby groups. You’ll be getting fresh air, aerobic exercise and more importantly it will help ward of babyblues and Post natal Depression. Be patient and know results will come!!

MY TOP TEN TIPS
1 Work out with friends
2 Don’t skip Breakfast
3 Eat vegetables and fruits of different colours every day
4 Stay away from stimulants near bedtime (tea, coffee, chocolate)
5 Take the stairs and not the lift
6 Always wear SPF
7 Start your toning exercises now!
8 Increase your fish intake
9 Drink at least 7/8 glasses of water a day
10 Exercise portion control and keep a food diary

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