Every mum’s dream after pregnancy is to cut off the excess weight. They would like to have a rock-hard; six-pack flat tummy (abdominal muscles). This is why many seek for after birth exercises to flat tummy, So as to get back to their fitness shapes right away after pregnancy. During and after pregnancy, a lot of changes such as stretch marks, wider waist and hips, softer belly, urinary incontinence due to weakened pelvic muscles, Diastasis recti, where the belly sticks out due to widened space between the right and left belly muscles and increase in general body weight occur. Some of these changes are reversible while others may be permanent.
According to the institute of medicine, the weight gain consists of the baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, breast tissue, more blood, uterus enlargement and extra fat stores.
The extra fat stores can be belly fat or visceral fat. Visceral fat builds around body organs like liver, heart and intestines. While subcutaneous fat lies between the skin and muscles. Keeping this excess fat comes with a lot of consequences which include among others; risk of being overweight, complications in later pregnancies, heart diseases, and type 2diabetes.
What are the abdominal muscles (abs)?
As a matter of fact, the core of losing belly fat is not all about the rock-hard; six-pack muscles. It is all about the relationship between several muscles that cover the whole truck, connecting the hips, spine, neck and shoulders. (abdominal muscles)
The abdominal muscles are the muscles responsible for the stabilization of the body core. They are responsible for breathing, body movement, protecting internal organs as well as posture and balance. These muscles include; rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, external oblique and internal oblique.
The rectus abdominis run from the sternum to pelvis while the transverse abdominis wrap around the spine for stabilizing the core.
Therefore, it is not advisable to spot-reduce the abdominal fat but rather have all the composition of abdominal muscles involved in effective exercises to a flat tummy.
When is it safe to start exercises to flat tummy after giving birth?
According to the mayo clinic, if a mom had an uncomplicated pregnancy and vaginal delivery, it’s generally safe to begin exercises to lose weight after childbirth, a few days after giving birth or as soon as you are ready. If a mother delivers by C-section or extending the vagina, it is advisable that her personal doctor first clears her.
What exercises to flat tummy can I embrace?
With belly fat, fitting in the best dress may be practically impossible or even irritating to look into the mirror every morning. time has come to get started on vigorous activities to cut this belly fat. Here is a set of exercises you can do to help you have a flat tummy.
1.pelvic tilts
The pelvic tilts help the mom to strengthen the abdominal muscles.
How it’s done
The mom lies on her back on the flow with the knees bent.
Flattens the back against the floor by tightening the abdominal muscles
Bending the pelvis up slightly and holding up for up to 10 seconds.
This is done up to 20 times repetitively.
2.Deep inhalation with abdominal contractions
According to Doctor Sarah Ellis Duvall the founder of coreExerciseSolutions.com, “when the mom is pregnant, the baby pushes out and up on the diaphragm, which is the main muscle involved in breathing” most moms go into a shallow breathing pattern which flattens the diaphragm outside rather than maintaining its dome-like shape. Deep inhalation, therefore, helps to contract the diaphragm, strengthening and toning the abs and the belly.
How it’s done
The mom sits upright and takes a deep breath, drawing air from the diaphragm upwards. She contracts and holds the abs tight while inhaling and relax while exhaling. She then gradually increases the time she can contract and hold the abs.
3.Planks
This is a very essential exercise for your tummy. Pranks help to tone the abdominal muscles as well as improving core stability and posture.
How to perform planks
Lie down in the press-up position
While supporting your weight on the elbows, form a straight line of your body from shoulder to toes.
Deeply inhale while holding on to that position for some time and then relax
Repeat the exercise up to 6 times.
4.Sit-ups
Sit-ups strengthen the abdominal muscles
Doing sit-ups
Lie flat on the floor facing upwards.
Hold your hands behind your head.
While keeping the lower abdomen firm on the floor, push the upper part of your body towards the knees.
Exhale as you go up and inhale as you get back to the original position.
Repeat the exercise for at least 15 to 20 times
5.Captain’s chair
This exercise requires a captain’s chair which is found in most gyms. It consists of a padded back and armrests and a grip. The legs hang freely.
How it works
Stand on the chair while you grab the hand bars.
With your back against the pad, raise the knees to your chest and then lower them down.
Add more intensity and this time, while raising the legs, keep them straight.
Repeat this 10 t0 20 times with about 4 sets.
6.Walking
Once the mom has been cleared by her personal doctor, it’s important that she puts walking on top of her postpartum weight-loss plan. Walking is one of the simplest ways to begin a fitness routine after giving birth. Walking is proved to have low impact i.e. it does not put a lot of pressure on the mom’s body, and on top of that, the mum gets outdoor. For the first 6 to 10 weeks, walking for 10 to 15 minutes is just enough for your body.
Start with little easy strolls and with the time you can slowly up-grade to a pumped-up power walk. You can try different walking styles like zigzag or backward walking. In addition, bringing the baby along in a front pack on a gentle walk adds extra weight on the mum and in so doing, more calories can be burnt.
7.Bicycle crunch
This exercise is important because it strengthens and tones all the major abdominal muscles.
Doing the bicycle crunch
Lie on the back straight with your palms behind your head.
While keeping the upper part of the body on the ground, raise up the leg at 90 degrees.
Keep the right palm behind the head and twist your body to bring the right elbow towards the left knee.
Repeat the above step but this time with the left elbow toward the right knee.
8.The boat pause
The boat pause will help you have a flat stomach soon. It strengthens the core muscles as well as improving body balance.
Performing the boat pause
Sit down on the yoga mat with your knees bent
While leaning back a bit, raise the legs up and straight for your body to form a V-shape
Stretch the arms horizontal and parallel to each other.
Hold this position for about one minute
Repeat this exercise 10 to 15 times.
9.Mountain climber
The mountain climber strengthens and tones the abdominal muscles.
How this works
Lie in the pushup position above the floor, with your body supported by both your palms and toe tips.
Pull your right leg forward as you push the left leg backwards.
Keeping your body on the toes, alternate the leg for several times
Repeat the exercise but at this time with a greater speed once you have gained stability.
Does breastfeeding tighten your stomach?
My girlfriend never wanted to breastfeed our first child. The reason she gave me and the caretaker was that “my boobs will sag, lose tightness and will no longer entice you”, she said. Amazingly, she wanted the remedy to do away with belly fat and to her surprise; breastfeeding was one of them.
We were told by doctors how breastfeeding was instrumental. Breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract and shrink back to its pre-baby size. Moms who breastfeed lose belly faster compared to those who don’t breastfeed.
What food should I eat to cut belly fat?
With the weight loss goal, avoid crush diet concentrate on a balanced diet. This will ensure plenty of breast milk for the newborn as well as good health for both you and your child.
Have whole-grain foods these provide the fibre that is good for your muscle development. The more muscles the mum has the more calories she burns, which contributes to weight loss.
Take plenty of water. This not only removes waste from your body but also improves your metabolic rate to burn more calories.
High protein foods such as; eggs, fish and beans. A high protein meal gets you satisfied for a considerable amount of time, thereby avoiding overeating. With a high protein diet, ketones are released into the bloodstream which helps to lower appetite. As a matter of fact, High protein diet can help you build lean muscles when combined with exercise. Lean muscles help to burn more calories throughout the day, which can help you lose weight.
Leafy greens such as cabbage, spinach and Swiss chard contain very few calories. These do not add fat to your body.
How long will it take my stomach to shrink back to normal size after pregnancy?
This is a famous question by most moms. Perhaps you have heard cases where a mom gets a tight and flat tummy right away after giving birth. As a matter of fact, it may come to pass but indeed one of the rare case scenarios. Most moms get a flat tummy after a couple of months while others get a permanent belly pouch. According to baby centre, you may expect your uterus to shrink back to a normal position between six to eight weeks after birth.
Since you needed about nine months for a belly to develop to the right size in order to accommodate a fully grown baby, it is self-explanatory why the tummy may take a little longer to attain the normal the size and therefore patience is very important.
The speed at which a mom’s stomach may shrink to normal size depends on a number of factors which include; how much weight gained during pregnancy, how active the mom’s body is, the normal body size and the genes of the mom.
For example, breastfeeding women, with only one birth, with regular active exercise and are said to have gained less than 30 pounds are more likely to slim faster.
For moms who are not breastfeeding, need to pay close attention to their diet. And for that matter, you need few calories. Look at what you need to eat in order to lose the baby weight.
wrap-up
In a nutshell, it is inevitable to increase in weight once you get pregnant. The baby weight can not be shed off magically or overnight it is a gradual process. With exercises to a flat tummy and a balanced diet, the moms can gradually lose weight and attain their pre-pregnancy shapes.
