Exercise after pregnancy

Exercise after pregnancy! - You must be joking!

Well no, not at all - your baby is here and you may be feeling tired and sluggish still. This is why it's a good idea to start exercising as soon as it's safe. Exercise can make you feel better! It can even 'help' to give you more energy, by releasing those helpful little chemicals from your brain (you know - the ones that make you feel good!)

Let's face it - after pregnancy and having a baby, your body is likely to be more 'curvy' than before. The main idea is to trim and tone it. Not many of us 'normal' mothers can have our pre-pregnancy body back 3 days after giving birth like some superstars can! Some of us won't ever get our pre-pregnancy body back (don't gasp with shock, it's not as bad as it sounds) What we can do through post pregnancy exercise is to make it look good!

Post pregnancy exercises shouldn't really be done for the first 2 weeks, in cases such a caesarean you may have to wait 6 weeks or longer. Before starting any sort of post pregnancy fitness or exercise you should give your body chance to heal, and check with your health professional to see if it's OK.

When you are set to start some type of exercise after pregnancy, there is a lot to chose from. Maybe you did some kind of work out during your pregnancy, jogging, aerobics, pilates, swimming, yoga... If you enjoyed this during pregnancy, then there's no reason not to carry on. Start off with your original pregnancy routine, and after one or two weeks pick up the pace a little.

If you didn't keep fit while you were pregnant, then you may need to ease yourself into post pregnancy exercises. Walking is always a great form of exercise after pregnancy, and you can take baby with you too! Also a fantastic way for mum and baby to bond.

Whatever course of action you take with exercise after pregnancy, remember that you have just been through a major event - childbirth! So start off slow and build up over time. Don't over do it. If you feel ill, dizzy, breathless, light headed or generally unwell while doing post pregnancy exercises, then 'stop'.

A great post pregnancy exercise program by Jennifer Polimino can realistically get you back in shape within 37 days after giving birth. Jennifer writes:

My husband and I are the health and fitness experts on Fox News television here in Denver--our healthy pregnancy segments were one of our most popular.

To see more from Jennifer Click Here

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