If you have delivered a baby lately, you might feel like you will never have the same body as before. You might have to try harder than before, but you can have the body you had and better!

If you’ve never had a workout routine, now is the time to start one. For best results your workout routine should consist of three days of cardio and two days of non consecutive strength training days.

Cardio for New Mothers

Cardio is the hardest type of exercise for new mothers to do since you can’t run with a baby in tow. Some things you might want to consider are an elliptical machine, stationary bike, or treadmill, all though these are definitely not necessary. If you are on a tight budget you can use your own body for cardio while your baby is sleeping.

This type of cardio is best done through a mixture of calisthenics and plyometrics.

Calisthenics are jogging in place with different movements of your limbs. Jumping jacks, butt kicks, and high knees are considered calisthenics. This type of cardio will get you much better results than just jogging in place and will work more muscles in the body.

Plyometrics are basically regular bodyweight exercises with jumping involved. Examples of plyometrics are jump squats, bounding push ups, and the speed skater move. Let me explain to you how to properly do this.

Jump Squat- To perform a jump squat, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and extend your arms out in front of you. Lower you butt down and behind you as if you were going to sit in an imaginary chair. Your knees should not go over your toes and your back should be kept erect. In a regular squat you would have just slowly stood back up but with a jump squat you bring your arms behind you and use a powerful force to jump up into the air and land softly back into a squatting position. This is repeated for the desired repetitions.

Bounding Push Ups- Using the same method as the jump squat, a bounding push up is done in push up position. Bend your elbows and come down, nose to the ground. Instead of coming back up slowly, push hard with your arms and come up off the ground. Land on your hands softly, continuing back down into push up position. It is important that plyometrics are fluid movement to spare any joint injury.

Speed Skater- The speed skater is a little more complicated but fun to do. Ever watched the Winter Olympics? Start with one leg bent and the other straight out to the side. The hand on the coordinating side as the bent leg is pointing down toward the ground. In one fluid movement, switch positioning of the legs and hands to where you are in the exact same position as before but on the opposite side. The bent leg will now be the extended leg and the other hand will be pointing towards the ground. All it takes is a little hop and a switch.

Melissa is now a new self proclaimed mom who managed a very healthy pregnancy by doing effective Pregnancy Workouts. She was able to stay physically fit and managed to burn her post pregnancy baby fat fast to get a brand new body. For more information, see this Pregnancy Workouts Video.

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About the Author:
Part time craft store owner and part time stay at home who had our first child not too long ago.  I managed to stay healthy during pregnancy by exercising and was able to really burn off the baby fat after delivery.  And I just wanted to share my experience with others who are looking to do the same.
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