There are a lot of things that can be done to stay fit, healthy, and in shape after being pregnant, and thankfully none of them are hard to implement. You should always make sure that you are safe in what you are doing, and if you don’t feel good doing them you should stop. With that proviso in mind, here are some ideas to help you after you have had your baby.
Continue Exercise During Pregnancy
This first one presupposes that you have had some kind of exercise regime in place before you got pregnant, and there is no reason why can’t keep doing some form of exercise while you are pregnant. You obviously are going to have to modify what you are doing and coordinate with your doctor to make sure that what you are planning is safe for you.
Unless you are confined to bed there are some very gentle things that you can do, and if they feel like they are too much you should stop. None of the ways of helping moms get healthy should cause any undue strain on them or ever be unsafe.
Know What Your Nutrient Intake Is
Being aware of what you should be taking into your body in terms of nutrients after pregnancy is also a good way to help your body start to rebalance itself.
Obviously, if you are breastfeeding it is going to be different than if you aren’t breastfeeding, and your age, metabolism and activity level are all going to factor into it.
2,200 to 2,400 calories is what you should be thinking with if breastfeeding. If you aren’t then you are going to want to cut that to around 1,900 to 2,200.
Then you are going to want to make sure that you check your calcium, folate, iron, protein, and vitamin C levels. Your doctor will be able to give you a good idea of what these levels should be.
Eat Well Balanced Snacks
A lot of what you are going to be doing are the same things you would do normally, if you were looking to be healthy and get in shape.
Eating a whole bunch of sugary snacks is not going to help you in the least, no matter how good they taste or how good they make you feel.
There are a whole bunch of healthy options out there that are going to handle your hunger between meals. Celery, carrots, and a whole host of things you can eat with hummus are just one great idea.
Eat Nutrient Rich Foods
You know that you need to be putting nutrients into your body, so finding foods that you enjoy that are full of nutrients is a great idea, and there is plenty to choose from.
You are going to be looking at lean protein, whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, and low fat dairy products.
The fats you need you can get from foods such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil, and fat is a much needed nutrient, so don’t make the mistake of thinking you can do without it.
Eat Frequently
By spreading out your eating across small meals throughout the day you are going to avoid those points in the day where you may normally have been getting hungry, and having your blood sugar at a consistent level is going to reduce that tendency to overeat.
Spreading those calories over the day means your metabolism is going to have an easier job ofg processing them.
If you are breastfeeding you also need that constant supply of calories for milk production.
Breastfeed
If you are breastfeeding you need to increase your calorie intake by about 500 calories a day, but the activity burns around 600 to 800 calories in the day, so you could be losing weight as you feed your baby.
Obviously, not an option for everyone, it should also be noted that when your stop breastfeeding you need to ease off on those calories you are consuming as well. Those extra calories could cause weight issues if you don’t do this.
Don’t Diet Right Away
Diving straight into a diet after a pregnancy is really not advisable. Your body has just gone through significant changes, and is still going through them, and it needs a chance to repair itself and to get back to a normal routine.
Trying to force a change too quickly may have visible results in the short term, but you may end up just putting the weight right back on. You can slightly adjust your calorie intake and lose a pound a week, but any faster than that and you may be putting a strain on your health.
Eat Food With High Water Content
When you are feeling that you can transition to a diet, after perhaps checking with a health or nutrition expert, then eating foods that have a high water content is a great way to start to shed some of that pregnancy weight, while not starving yourself.
You get added weight and volume without extra calories, and fills you up, so you are going to eat less. The kinds of food you should be thinking with are fruits, vegetables, soups, and teas.
Eat Vegetables Early
Conquer the vegetable mountain earlier in the day and you have the combined benefits of starting the day off well by hitting the target for vegetable intake, and you are going to be less likely to find refuge in the donut shop later in the day because you want to keep the good behavior you started with rolling.
Preparing those healthy snacks can also make it easier for you, because you are going to reach for them for convenience’s sake rather than going to the effort of tracking down that comfort food.
Dairy 3 Times A Day
Dairy is high in protein and can handle those food cravings, and milk, cheese and yogurt have the added benefit of containing calcium and potassium, which can help you regulate your weight better.
Obviously this isn’t going to work for anyone that has a diet that excludes dairy through lactose intolerance or being vegan. Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese may be a solution for the lactose intolerant as the lactose has been removed from them.
Substitute Your Favorites
One way to keep yourself happy and help you lose weight is to find healthy substitutes for the food that you love.
Cut the cheese in half. Eat a pizza with a healthier crust. Go for a high protein version of the meal that you were thinking of eating. Sometimes it is the familiar taste that you are craving, and a healthy approximation can check those boxes.
If that doesn’t work for you? Then portion size adjustment is the way to go. Pick a smaller plate, take one less spoonful. Shrink it by degrees until you are seeing the results you want to.
Prep Those Meals And Snacks Early
One thing you can bet on – when you want to have a snack you aren’t going to necessarily want to prepare it, and the same can be true of an actual meal. It can seem that there is a lot to do when it comes to getting a healthy meal ready, and if you are caught in a time crunch that microwave dinner is going to be singing the song you want to hear.
Cut all that off at the pass and load your fridge with all the snacks and healthy meals you could want and you are going to thank yourself later.
Start Moving Around
Serious exercise isn’t something you should be contemplating until about six weeks after the birth, and you can add some time to that if you underwent a Cesarean.
Starting off with some gentle walks is a good idea, the whole time making sure that you aren’t feeling over-exerted. There is no need to push it too far too early. Be kind to yourself, because you will get up to speed, and overdoing it early on is likely to actually slow down the whole healing process, and you don’t want that.
Lift Weights
This is better thought of as use what you have to hand rather than going out and grabbing up a kettlebell and starting to swing that around, or bench pressing your own bodyweight until you are back where you want to be.
Instead, you may be able to gently incorporate your baby into your exercising, whether holding them and lunging, or lunging as you push that stroller.
You might want to get some advice on this, because in the same way you don’t want to be attempting to throw weights around, you don’t want to hurt your baby or yourself either.
Take Naps
Sometimes you feel like you just need a nap, but the urge to get back in the swing of things may make you second guess yourself. You should put the baby down and grab some rest yourself sleep, and here’s the cool thing, it may actually help shed some of those post-baby pounds, whereas not sleeping might do the opposite.
If you diet while tired you are going to be shedding mostly muscle mass not fat, and that lower energy makes it harder to burn calories. Lack of sleep can also upset the balance of the body and its appetite regulation, so you are going to be a lot hungrier, and will likely end up eating more.
Get A Group
Doing anything while you have some moral support is a great way to get in shape, and if you are doing it with others who have either recently had a baby or understand what it takes to shed the weight and regain the level of fitness you had before, you are going to have more success.
There are groups for new mothers out there, so you should definitely join up to one, the other mothers and the group itself are likely to have the resources you need to make everything that much easier.
Conclusion
Staying fit and healthy and in shape after being pregnant is something that many people do. As you can see there are tried and tested things that you can do, which you can start with early on, and increase as you put more time between you and the birth. Your body is going to let you know, to a degree, what you can do, and there are guidelines in place for what to expect after you have delivered your child. Be safe and don’t push it too hard, keep persisting, and you will reach your health goals.
