It’s so obvious as to hardly need mentioning, but having a baby is tough. The sudden life change, lack of sleep, and physical trauma are hard on mind and body, and the weeks that follow a birth are filled with a blend of joy and difficulty for most women. To maximize joy and health on the other side of recovery, exercise is an important step to take. If you can get back to your pre-birth fitness level, or even beyond, you’ll be giving yourself much more health, happiness, and stamina as your family continues to grow. Let’s take a closer look at how to do just that.
Getting Back Into the Gym
The gym really is an essential step, if you can possibly make it work for you. Working out at home is fine, but you are unlikely to get truly fit on a home workout regimen, unless you’re working out like a convict in a television prison show. Running outside can be great cardio, but this is also best when combined with gym classes, weight lifting, swimming, and other activities you can’t do on your own. Get a membership (perhaps a family plan?), go at least 3 times per week, and never look back.
What to Do in the Gym
If you’ve just had a baby, you can be forgiven for starting slow. Talk to your doctor about the amount of exertion you can commit to in the weeks following delivery. Once you’ve determined that you are strong enough to exercise, start with simple exercises. Sometimes getting into the habit of physically going to the gym is more important than doing an impressive workout. Once you’re there, consider finding a class that covers beginner yoga, or is geared toward new mothers. If that’s not available, start with 10-15 minutes on a cardio machine of your choice. You can do something more intense once you’re accustomed to making it to the gym at least thrice weekly.
Boosting Your Workouts With Proper Nutrition
As you progress in the gym, you’ve got to build the proper diet to give your body what it needs to grow stronger. Multi Vita-Min from Pure Synergy seeks to help supplement your diet, providing all of the nutrition your body needs just in case something is lacking in your diet. Bone Broth Protein from Ancient Nutrition can help you build muscle after a challenging workout. Eventually, muscle development will help prevent joint pain and other problems that are common for new mothers. Finally, an electrolyte sports drink, like Electrolyte Sports Drink Concentrate from Bio Nativus, will keep you hydrated and energized, even during long and challenging cardio sessions.
Setting the Right Goals
Once you’re in the habit of going to the gym, it’s important to have clear goals so you can make specific plans to achieve them. If you need to prioritize weight loss, high cardio work should be mixed with calorie-deficit dieting. Rinse and repeat for a few weeks, and you’ll start losing noticeable pounds. If you want to build muscle to give you more strength and less joint pain, weight lifting a high protein ingestion is essential. If you just want to feel more energy and stamina in your daily life, yoga and cardio can get you there, while giving your body a fit and attractive silhouette.
Whatever your goals, getting into the gym is essential for committing to meaningful exercise after you’ve had a baby. Giving birth is hard, and mothers have a tough road to bounce back from the experience. But with a little planning and steady work, you can achieve any fitness goal you set for yourself.
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