Having a child is one of life’s biggest treasures. Life changing. Routines are forever changed, and a whole night’s sleep is a long way away. Schedules are now hectic and fitness takes a back seat. So, how do you stay fit after pregnancy?
It is important to note that you should take your time after pregnancy, your body will be tired and also will not be able to compete at the fitness level that you had before your pregnancy. Keeping in touch with your doctor and waiting the recommended six weeks before carrying out and increased level of activity is important for your safety and health. Therefore, take your time and follow the following steps when your body is ready.
Planning Your Day
Planning your day, if it wasn’t before, should now become a major part in your daily routine. With your life now being more hectic than ever; you will need to plan in order to be productive throughout your day. Getting an agenda or using a planner will be very useful to ensure you make the most out of the day and allow you to find the times that you will be able to fit in a workout. A study from the World Health Organization showed that 27.5% of adults do not get the recommended amount of exercise a week. The number one reason for people to not work out is a ‘lack of time’. Planning your day is one of the ways for you to avoid this excuse and get regular exercise.
Planning Your Exercise
As well as planning your exercise time, you should also plan the workout you are going to do. This will save you time, during your allotted workout slot, trying to decide what to do. It is recommended that initially, new mothers take it slow. This means low-intensity gradual exercise is recommended. High-intensity activity can be done once you’re feeling strong enough. It is important that the mother is the one to gage how she feels and workout only as intensely as she feels she can. This high intensity activity can allow you to spend less time working out and will also help with toning your muscle, therefore this method of working out will save you time and is very effective, making it a very popular workout method for mothers.
Purchase A Low Intensity Exercise Machine
Saving time, and money on a gym membership, is another important factor for mothers when it comes to exercise. It order to do this, you can purchase a low intensity exercise machine. This is recommended for new mothers as they cannot exercise too intensely, however it also useful to more seasoned mothers as it provides an exercise machine in the home. So, no trip to gym and no wasted money on monthly memberships. These low intensity machine can include treadmills, elliptical or spinning bikes. The other good thing about these machines is that you can choose the intensity that you want to workout at.
Increase Activity Level
It may seem a simple tip, but this is something that mothers can often struggle with. After the recommended six weeks, it is important for mothers to focus on gradually increasing their activity to make sure they don’t slip into sedentary lifestyle habits. This can be done in many different ways, for example, the low-intensity exercise machine mentioned above, going on walks of varying speeds or taking the stairs. These little steps can also benefit your mental health which will improve your drive and motivation to workout in a positive cycle.
Getting Enough Sleep (Taking Naps)
Sleep is, without a doubt, one of the hardest things for mothers to increase. The baby seems to up all the time and there is no chance for a full night’s sleep. But that does not mean that sleep should take a back seat. It is still crucial for your mental and physical health, to make sure you get enough sleep. Therefore, taking naps is a way for you to get those few extra hours sleep to keep you running. This may seem difficult. However, whenever your baby sleeps during the day, use that to your advantage and take a nap too. The use of baby monitors can be used to ensure that you can keep an eye on your baby and allow you to rest easier.
Conclusion
Following these tips are the perfect way to help you to stay fit after pregnancy. Taking up these healthy habits will promote and improve your fitness after having a baby. These good habits will also help you get into a good routine to help you stay fit in the long term as well.