Mama Wants Her Abs Back

“Please help me get my abs back”. This is the number one request that we hear at Stroller Strides. While we try to take the pressure off and tell you that it took nine months to put the weight on and it may take nine months to take it off; we understand the desire to lose the pregnant pooch. No one is happy with what’s left on our midsection after childbirth. So that being said, here’s what you need to commit to:

1) Eat clean. Every calorie counts. Eat foods that will fuel your body. Do your best to eat foods close to the source, not processed and packaged. Load up on fresh, whole foods such as fruits and vegetables. We suggest eating a mini meal every 2 - 3 hours.

2) Drink up! You need that water to aid your metabolism, make you feel full and flush out toxins. You need to drink at least 8 8-oz glasses of water (more if you are exercising and more if you are nursing). Your urine should be clear to pale. If it’s yellow, you need more water.

3) Exercise most if not all days of the week. This is the hardest part for a lot of new moms. Of course you need to wait until your doctor’s clearance to start a traditional exercise program. But you need to find a way to fit fitness in to your new life as a mom. A 30-minute commitment of physical activity on most days is a must, especially if you want to see changes in your body. You are more likely to stick to a program that fits in to your life as a mom.

4) Get To The Core Of It - You won’t see a six pack if you have fat on top. However, strong abs are the desire for both looks and function. Every day, fit a core series in to your workout. No excuses as you can do this wherever and whenever you want.

Here are some samples:
Beginner’s Side Plank
Baby Plank
Crunch With Baby

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August 18, 2008
Note: This Perspectives Blog post is written by a Guest Blogger of DrGreene.com and is provided in order to offer a variety of thoughtful points of view. The opinions expressed on this Perspectives Blog post do not reflect the opinions of Dr. Greene or DrGreene.com. As such, Dr. Greene and DrGreene.com are not responsible for the accuracy of the information supplied. This post is used under Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 3.0.
 
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Comments

Anonymous's picture

putting either my 11 yr old

putting either my 11 yr old or almost 13 yr old on my belly, or trying to carry them up the stairs might not result in an effective work out but...... it would result in great loud belly laughs which is how most work outs around here end up. after 10 minutes of laughing so hard we can hardly catch our breath we feel like we have had the worlds best workout!
Anonymous's picture

Thanks Cheryl! Ok, your 13

Thanks Cheryl! Ok, your 13 year old may be too big to sit on your belly but no reason why he/she can't do the exercises besides you! I love family fitness!
Anonymous's picture

Lisa your exercises with baby

Lisa your exercises with baby look really fun -- for mom and baby! Wish I'd known about them when I had a newborn. Not sure I can do a crunch with a 13-year-old sitting on my belly :-)