A lot of new moms ask for my advice about working out after having a baby. My first, and most important, piece of advice is to wait after delivering to start working out regularly. Generally, the rule of thumb is to wait 6 weeks to workout after birth. It is very important to allow your body time to rest and heal. Having a baby is very traumatizing for our bodies.
Having said that... the biggest challenge is finding the time to workout with baby. As the old saying goes, "If you really want something, you will make the time for it." You don't have to go to a gym to workout, you can workout from home. When I had my children I worked out at home for a few months before I joined a gym. I would wait until the kids were either napping or sleeping for the night and then I would follow workout dvd's. I liked the Tae-bo dvd's and gradually made my way to doing P90X workouts. There are a variety of workout dvd's that you can choose from that would suit your preference from dance videos, to kickboxing, pilates, etc. The point is that you don't need to leave the comfort of your home to start a workout regimen.
Another thing that helped me was investing in workout equipment like an elliptical machine and some free weights. I would use the elliptical whenever I had some downtime, as well as using the free weights. There really is no excuse for not working out when you have the tools at home to do it. You can also buy a jogging stroller if you want to go out and jog/run with your baby, or take long walks.
At some point you will become tired of using the same equipment and watching the same dvd's, at this point I suggest you enroll in a gym. Many people are intimidated by gyms, but if you've been working out and building your strength before enrolling it should not be as scary. There are many gyms that have day care centers in them so you can bring your baby with you. Again, there really are no excuses when you have options. If you don't have a gym in your area with a child care center, then you can look into 24 hour gyms where you can workout late after you kids are sleeping or early in the a.m. before they rise.
For every excuse you can come up with, there are a number of options to counter those excuses. Having a baby changes your life drastically and they become your priority, but that does not mean you forget about yourself! As mothers we need to especially take care of ourselves because a happy mother breeds a happy baby. Also, you will set a good example for your child when they see you living a healthy lifestyle:)
Having said that... the biggest challenge is finding the time to workout with baby. As the old saying goes, "If you really want something, you will make the time for it." You don't have to go to a gym to workout, you can workout from home. When I had my children I worked out at home for a few months before I joined a gym. I would wait until the kids were either napping or sleeping for the night and then I would follow workout dvd's. I liked the Tae-bo dvd's and gradually made my way to doing P90X workouts. There are a variety of workout dvd's that you can choose from that would suit your preference from dance videos, to kickboxing, pilates, etc. The point is that you don't need to leave the comfort of your home to start a workout regimen.
Another thing that helped me was investing in workout equipment like an elliptical machine and some free weights. I would use the elliptical whenever I had some downtime, as well as using the free weights. There really is no excuse for not working out when you have the tools at home to do it. You can also buy a jogging stroller if you want to go out and jog/run with your baby, or take long walks.
At some point you will become tired of using the same equipment and watching the same dvd's, at this point I suggest you enroll in a gym. Many people are intimidated by gyms, but if you've been working out and building your strength before enrolling it should not be as scary. There are many gyms that have day care centers in them so you can bring your baby with you. Again, there really are no excuses when you have options. If you don't have a gym in your area with a child care center, then you can look into 24 hour gyms where you can workout late after you kids are sleeping or early in the a.m. before they rise.
For every excuse you can come up with, there are a number of options to counter those excuses. Having a baby changes your life drastically and they become your priority, but that does not mean you forget about yourself! As mothers we need to especially take care of ourselves because a happy mother breeds a happy baby. Also, you will set a good example for your child when they see you living a healthy lifestyle:)
Do you really have kids? You don't look like it. I have 1 kid and I do not look like that and I work out. I use the elliptical machine and use few weights to work out. I just like the elliptical machine or the bike. I use the elliptical for 20-30 min about 4 times a week. Do you think that is enough?
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah. Yes, I do have two kids:) If you find that what you're doing, the 20-30 min 3-4 days a week, is no longer producing results than you should either increase the time or intensity of your workout. Try using the elliptical for 40 min, or going at a higher intensity rate. Also, if that is your only way of working out you may need to try a different method for getting a cardiovascular workout. You don't have to run, but you can try jogging, or if you are a member of a gym they have a variety of cardio machines like the arc trainer, stairmaster, etc. If you only workout from home try investing in dvd's that don't require additional equipment... so you can do a kickboxing dvd, or a dance/workout dvd. You want to change up your workout to confuse your muscles and to work different parts of your body. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! I so needed to read it after having my little one..
ReplyDeleteAsma... you were the inspiration for this post:) You suggested this subject so I went ahead and wrote about it. Thank you!
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