Top Tips To Get In Shape After Having A Baby
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Losing weight, becoming fit, and getting into shape are difficult tasks. Add that to your post pregnancy body and a hectic motherhood, and the task just seems to become more difficult. But hey, with discipline and hard work, it’s possible to shed that pregnancy weight and become fitter than ever. For example, we wonder how moms like Miranda Kerr and Jennifer Lopez flaunt their killer abs and mile long legs right after giving birth! Yes, they had fabulous bods to begin with, but they worked their butts off to shed those pregnancy pounds.
After you and your baby get into a routine, take some time out to think about your fitness and how you can get back into shape. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry, we’ve got your back with these starting points you must begin with.
Breastfeeding is Key
Surely you’ve heard about how breastfeeding can help in losing weight, even if it’s to a small extent. While you breastfeed, you need an extra 500 calories a day (an approximate of 2,600 in total for a day), but breastfeeding itself burns around 600 to 800 calories a day. Picture this, you’re simply sitting on your couch with your little one and losing weight! Some extremely lucky women can lose their entire baby fat with breastfeeding alone! How jealous does that make you?! This happened to a woman in New York who weighed less than even her pre-pregnancy weight, without exercise!
Although keep in mind that when you do stop breastfeeding, your calorie count will have to decrease because this is when you can put on weight again. This means that you need to adjust your diet and stop those extra 500 calories you were adding to your daily meals.
Calorie Count
As always, for a healthy diet try your best to say no to empty calories such as aerated drinks, sodas, chips, and unhealthy crash diets, which don’t provide, and in some cases eliminate, much-needed food groups. Your diet should be filled with nutrients including lean proteins, fresh fruit and vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.
Try and avoid eating three big meals, and have smaller and more frequent meals through the day. This will keep your blood sugar levels in control, and it will prevent overeating, and it allows your metabolism to work better so there no food is stored as fat. Oh, and watch out for those juices, as they have unnecessary calories thanks to all the sugar. If you need your daily dose of vitamin C, one small glass of orange juice is more than enough, for example.
Nap Time for Two
Sheah Rarback, a director of nutrition at University of Miami School of Medicine states that “Getting plenty of sleep has been shown to help with weight loss because you’re not compelled to binge on high-calorie, high-sugar foods for energy.” Also, if you aren’t getting enough sleep, your metabolism slows, which makes it hard to lose weight. Why not try and take a nap with your baby? It’s a win-win situation, especially because your energy levels will be replenished. Oh, and your sugary and fatty cravings will decrease! We all know how difficult it is to keep away, don’t we?
Whatever you do, try to ensure that you don’t sacrifice sleep because it should be the second thing on your list (your baby comes first, obviously) and everything else can wait.
Stay tuned for the next fitness piece, which will involve exercises you should do to get in shape after having a baby. Remember, fitness is key in all aspects of life!
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