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Giving birth is one of the greatest joys a woman can experience and while the whole 9 months of pregnancy are wonderful, the experience can take a toll on the body; weight gain being one of the most common issues. The hormonal changes and dietary needs of the baby mean that more food intake is required since you are “eating for two”, but this is only temporary and many women find it difficult to lose pregnancy weight after the event.
One survey found that 20% of women retain 10lbs of weight following the birth of a child which is difficult to lose because of lifestyle and bodily changes that occurred during pregnancy and beyond and there are scientific reasons for this.
Of course, you might be happy with the extra weight, and that is fine but if you are looking to lose the extra pounds you could try such things as:
- Trying a local gym
- Exercising around the baby
- Setting realistic goals
Most neighborhoods have a gym close by and they can be a great way to lose weight while planning a routine around the newborn is essential for a proper workout and you will need to be realistic about how much weight you can expect to lose following a birth.
Get Professional Advice
Gyms are seemingly everywhere these days and many have become chain enterprises similar to McDonald’s and Walmart. Most neighborhoods either include a gym or have one close by so there’s no excuse if you are planning to use one. The great news is that many of these chain gyms, such as Fitness 19 offer free trials to potential new members and employ professionally trained staff that can help you with focused routines and exercises so you can achieve exactly what you need.
A local gym should be able to accommodate you for what you require but they may first need to assess your fitness level. If you haven’t exercised before then the most basic information that they will have to assess is your aerobic resting heart which can be counted by your pulse, your muscular intensity which can be measured by how many push-ups you can do, and your cardio information from counting your pulse following a brisk 10-minute walk.
Child’s Needs Come First
Of course, having a newborn baby in your life isn’t easy and they are as unpredictable as they are needy. Your baby’s needs must become before anything else so planning a workout routine around the baby can be challenging, not least because you might find yourself as tired as the baby is since it isn’t uncommon for neonates to only get around 4 hours of sleep per night.
If you do find yourself able to stay awake then you might find it useful to pack in some exercise when the baby is sleeping following a feeding. Most doctors appreciate that just 30 minutes to 1 hour per day is enough exercise to make a significant difference so exercising as and when you can might be better than setting a specific time slot since it isn’t always possible to know when you may have the time.
Will Take Longer Than Usual
Many women do actually lose the extra baby weight in a timely manner, but for most women it takes around 1 year before they see results and in many cases even longer. This is because your metabolism following birth actually changes and eating a calorie-controlled diet can slow it down causing the weight to be lost more slowly. Essentially, not eating enough causes the body to store more fat due to the slowed metabolic rate since the body needs nutrients for the production of breast milk to feed the baby.
The lack of sleep associated with caring for a newborn also adds to the slowed energy rates so trying to get enough sleep is essential. It is also advised that you begin with very low-intensity workouts so as not to damage the pelvis (which has been through its own stresses) resulting in weight loss exercises taking longer to show results than they usually would.