Having a baby is a miracle but losing your baby belly fat does not have to be. You can lose the weight you put on during your pregnancy by exercising on a regular basis. Choosing to include cardio and belly toning exercises into your fitness routine helps to get you back into your skinny jeans fast.
Be Active
After clearance from your doctor, begin cardio training activities four to five days per week. After delivery, you may choose low impact exercises like power walking, swimming, cycling, hiking or using the elliptical at the gym. Choose any activity that gets your heart rate up to burn calories. Cardio training helps you burn the layers of fat that accumulated over your abdominals during your pregnancy.
Target Train
Target train your abdominals with isometric exercises. Engage your core by drawing your belly in tight before performing any abdominal exercises, allowing you to make the most of all your moves. Mix up your core workout with many different abdominal exercises like bicycle twists, reverse crunches, traditional crunches, planks, scissor kicks and leg lifts. Complete three exercises after your cardio training sessions. Aim for three sets of 15 repetitions per exercise.
Weight Training
Suz Redfearn of the FitPregnancy website explains that you should weight train to boost your metabolism and lose weight from all over your body, including your belly. You can weight train using your own body weight or even your baby. Walking lunges behind your stroller or holding your baby helps to sculpt the legs. Choose to work your chest by lying on your back and lifting your baby from your chest to straight up. Squats and dips are also body weighted exercises that increase your lean muscle allowing you to burn more calories and shed more fat. Weight train one to two days per week.
Considerations
Mindfully keep your belly engaged throughout your day. Drawing your naval in and tightening your abs when you are watching TV, feeding your baby or standing in line at the grocery store helps to whittle away your waist. Also lengthen and strengthen your core with yoga. Consider taking a yoga class or purchasing a DVD. Yoga poses like plank, boat and side plank all target your belly.
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