The thought of performing hundreds of crunches to get rid of the post-baby pouch is really irritating, but apparently you don’t actually need them to get back pre-partum, flat belly. Crunches are actually thought to be ineffective to tone the abs as they only work on outer abdominal muscles without strengthening the underlying muscles first and that can make your post-baby tum even worse. To get a flat tummy after a baby birth, apparently you should work the abs from inside out.
Here is a simple and effective postnatal gentle workout schedule to tone up even the deepest ab muscles quite easily and fast. However, you should get approval from your doctor prior to you start following the workout routine.
Keep scrolling to get more info here.
Pelvic tilt
You can start this movement as soon as just one week (with permission from the doctor) after your delivery, if you have had a vaginal delivery. If you have undergone a C-section, you may have to wait until around the 10th week. To perform pelvic tilt, you need to lie on the back with the knees bent and a pillow kept under the hips and another between the knees. Keep the feet flat and arms at sides, inhale and then exhale. Draw the abs in and tuck the pelvis under a bit while squeezing the buttocks. Hold for 5 seconds and then release. Do 10 reps.
Advantage – This helps improving core abdominal stamina and strength.
Pelvic bridge
After six weeks following the birth of your baby, add the pelvic bridge to your workout routine. Simply lie on the back with the feet hip width apart and knees bent. Inhale and then exhale while drawing your abs up and in toward the spine. Now tilt the pelvis up, lifting the hips off the ground into a bridge. Bit by bit, get back to the beginning position. Do 5 reps initially and then gradually increase to 10 reps.
Advantage – The move strengthens your buttocks, transverse as well as lower back.
Single-leg stretch
You need to take a towel to perform this movement. You can practice this only at 12 to 14 weeks after the delivery. Do the moves in 1 to 5 order. Lie on the back with knees above the hips and shins parallel to the ground. Now keep a small towel on top of the thighs, holding on to the ends and pushing against the thighs to generate resistance. Lift both head and shoulders, extend the left leg out as you exhale. Now switch the legs and repeat the same. Do 5 reps with each leg.
Advantage – It strengthens your transverse ensuring a strong and sleek torso.
To ensure that you lose weight as well as get a toned tummy safely, you need to eat healthily, combined with the exercises mentioned above.
- Have breakfast regularly
- Eat at least 5 portions of vegetables as well as fruit every day
- Add ample fibre-rich foods such as beans, oats, seeds and grains to your diet
- Take on an adequate amount of water
- Avoid high-fat and high-sugar foods like cakes and cookies
- Get enough sleep
So what’s the problem?
The problem is that a lot of this doesn’t fit well with having children does it? Many of us our sleep deprived and time is in short supply. All we can do is try our best and get as creative as we can with our time.