Having a baby is a beautiful thing that fills your life with joy and miracles on daily basis. Moreover, although it’s a challenge to be a mother, it is also rewarding in many ways. However, after the birth it’s not only your baby that needs care – it’s yourself as well.
Pregnancy changed your body in many ways inside and out. The hormonal effects on your overall system are the reason enough for you to worry how to get things in order again. The body gains weight, retains water and you feel like a completely different person when you look in the mirror.
After giving birth, most of these changes go away. You hormones start balancing themselves, your weight drops and all those annoying things like swollen feet and bloating slowly goes away. In addition, as many of you noticed, it’s all individual how and when these aspects leave you.
But there are some things that are mutual for all the women after giving birth. One of them is baby belly fat. When it comes to female body, belly fat is the number one enemy of almost all the women trying to tone their bodies. It takes time, patience, proper diet and vigorous exercise to get the tummy in shape.
New mothers are already exhausted after being pregnant, giving birth and now carrying for the little one, so it might take you a little longer to lose the baby belly fat. However, don’t despair – it will happen.
With some of these tips and methods, you will be having the belly of your dreams without too much stress. It might even be refreshing and liberating to be able to take care of yourself while caring for your baby too.
1. Exercise after having a baby
The physicians advise that you wait at least six weeks after giving birth to start exercising. However, you can do small and simple things in the beginning, like walking when you feel well enough and your physician gives you an okay.
If you exercised during pregnancy then you already know how limiting that can be for the body. Therefore, don’t rush your body even now since it just underwent a change that takes time to get used to. When you get the green light from your physician, spend 30 to 60 minutes every day exercising.
Start light and build up your strength so in time you will be able to do exercises that are more demanding. After you gained certain endurance, start introducing HIIT exercises in your workout plan. This will help you with the fat loss and toning of the muscles. If you want something more calming, try yoga and pilates since they’re also excellent for muscle toning.
2. Monitor your diet
The healthy way to lose weight is to combine exercise with appropriate diet. If you’re breastfeeding, know that it burns 500 calories per day which means that you have to maintain a certain diet.
Based on the La Leche League International, mothers should keep their calorie intake high in the first two months. This is because their bodies need to recover and produce enough milk for the baby and they can’t do that on a low-calorie diet. The best choice is to visit a nutritionist and consult your physician in order to make sure you’re taking all the nutrients necessary for you and your baby.
Eat several small meals during the day in order to boost your metabolism and change your diet to lean protein, whole grain and high-fiber vegetables and fruits. Water is very important, so make sure you drink at least eight glasses a day.
For example, you can make healthy smoothies which are a fast and nutritional way to feed your body. Use berries and nuts with low-fat Greek yogurt, and add some fresh vegetables like spinach or fruits like apple. This will be an excellent and power-boosting breakfast which is just what you need to start your day.
For lunch, you can grill chicken breasts and eat them with fresh salad, or have baked sweet potato and cottage cheese. If you don’t have a lot of time to cook, then salad made of lentils, quinoa, spinach and tomatoes is a great solution for a busy mother.
You shouldn’t skip dinner or eat something extremely low in calories, like only lettuce. Pumpkin soup or beef stir-fry are excellent choices for the evening meal, just add some whole wheat bread or black rice as a side dish.
3. Cosmetic and surgical solutions
Surgical corrections to the body are no longer taboo. The science has gone a long way in this field and its benefits are enormous. From new procedures and techniques to new medical devices, these are all innovations which happen in the plastic and cosmetic surgery regularly.
Even if you are not so keen on having surgery, you can still have amazing results with your belly. For example, non-surgical cool sculpting method is an innovative way of getting rid of the baby belly fat. The method freezes your fat cells by precisely targeting them after which they crystallize and die. After a while, your body will eliminate them just like any fat in your body.
4. Get enough rest and reduce stress
The last thing parents have when the baby is born is rest. This can cause a lot of stress and tiredness, which are not good for your overall health. Therefore, you need to sleep and be calm in order to take care of yourself and your baby.
Work on the sleep schedule with your partner, hire a nanny or ask the grandparents to take care of a little one so you can have shut-eye for a couple of hours. Meditate and use some relaxing techniques like a breathing exercise Anulom Vilom. Do something that makes you feel fulfilled and invigorated, so you would have the strength to exercise later and will to lose that baby belly fat.
Lastly
Don’t rush yourself and take one-step at a time. Being realistic is the most important thing when trying to lose weight, and especially after you just gave birth. Allow your body to regenerate and pay no attention to how other young moms look. Each body is special and unique, so the most important thing is to find your pace for losing the baby belly fat and respect it.