After having a cesarean section, your belly will be tender and may look considerably different from your prepregnancy belly. While you may be anxious to hit the gym to shrink your belly, take your time. Your body needs time to heal from the major surgery and your doctor must monitor your incision during the six weeks following your C-section. Once you've gotten permission from your doctor, you can tone your entire body to help shrink the belly pouch that is all too familiar to C-section moms.
Step 1
Schedule and attend your six-week postpartum checkup. Do not begin exercising before your checkup, as it could cause complications with the healing process and your incision. While walking and general daily activities are fine, avoid high-impact exercise such as running and aerobics until your doctor checks your incision and approves you for exercise.
Step 2
Set realistic goals for your weight loss and changes in your body. It's understandable that you want to reclaim your body, but resorting to fad diets and severe calorie restriction could disrupt your metabolism. Instead, focus on a weight-loss pace of 1 to 2 pounds per week. As you lose weight, you'll see your belly begin to shrink.
Step 3
Exercise for at least 30 minutes on a daily basis. The idea of spot reduction in your abdominal muscles is a myth. Spot reduction is simply impossible and you'll need a combination of abcentric exercises, muscle-strengthening workouts and cardiovascular exercise to lose weight and target your belly. Dancing, running, aerobics and using a treadmill or elliptical can all help burn fat.
Step 4
Concentrate on your core when you exercise. When you're first given approval for exercise, try low-intensity ab exercises, such as a pelvic tilt. Lie on your back and tilt your pelvis toward the ceiling. Hold for five seconds and then release. This helps ready and strengthen your separated ab muscles for more intense exercises, such as crunches.
Step 5
Tone your muscles at least three days a week. Even if you're only worried about the belly pouch you developed through pregnancy and C-section, strengthening the rest of the muscles in your body helps recharge your metabolism. Since muscle is more metabolically active than fat, more muscle means better overall fat-burning capacity and more effective workouts. Try yoga, Pilates or a weightlifting class to help challenge your body and teach you more about safe strengthening exercises to help you lose weight.
Step 6
Eat a healthy diet high in nutrients that helps complement your efforts for a smaller belly. A low-sugar diet rich in beneficial foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids can help support your daily exercise. Ensure that you eat at least 1,200 calories per day to fuel your body properly.
