Happy Monday yall!
I received an email from Katie Moore after she checked out my site about doing a guest post!! She blogs about all things mommy related, which as soon as I read her email, I immediately thought of how many of our former brides are pregnant right now! How perfect!! So I hope all you sweet mommies-to-be enjoy Katie’s post !
From Katie:
Tips for Moms: Getting Fit When Time is Precious
Pregnancy weight can easily become long-term weight gain and cause health problems down the road. Some of the body changes caused by carrying a baby to term cannot be reversed, but there is no reason why mom can’t regain her pre-pregnancy figure. New moms will face some special considerations in an attempt to lose weight responsibly, but the general rules are applicable to all women.
Returning the Weight Responsibly
Along with the little bundle of joy came loose skin and an average of seven pounds of fat stores. Baby fat can be shed relatively quickly with a responsible diet, minimal exercise, and breastfeeding. The act of breastfeeding alone can burn 500-600 calories a day, but this increased rate of fat loss should not be taken advantage of by including high-intensity exercise and excessive dieting.
Before making too many radical changes to your diet and activity routine, speak to a doctor first. A doctor made the best recommendations for your pre-delivery concerns, like labor pain management, immunizations, and cord blood banking; a doctor is also a great resource to ask about post-delivery concerns, like diet and exercise. It comes down to understanding why the fat is there to begin with.
Female fat cells are only created during infancy, puberty, and the third trimester of pregnancy. Once there, fat cells remain eager to store excess energy in a bid to maintain health during a famine. Any action you take that the body interprets as famine will result in extra-greedy fat cells. This is especially true after pregnancy because nothing is more important than ensuring survival of babies.
Every new mom will be pleased to learn that the best method of losing weight is simple and a major time-saver compared to gym routines and aerobics-only workouts. Doctor-approved exercises can be started immediately to speed recovery, but you can begin building lean muscle in earnest once this time has passed.
Saving Time with Self-Resistance
Any woman looking to shed extra pounds has traditionally relied on aerobics and weight training. Self-resistance exercises, however, can be done anywhere, target every major muscle group, and only take a few minutes a day. Isotonic and isometric exercises are best understood with examples.
* The triceps press requires only a stable surface. Grip the edge of the surface, such as countertop or table, and back your feet up until the body is supported by arms. Keep your back straight and elbows facing the floor. Lower yourself as far as possible, and push back up for several repetitions. To make this easier or more difficult, move your feet closer or further away from the surface. On the last repetition, lock the arms at full extension and flex triceps for ten seconds. This is the isometric part of the exercise.
* Back muscles can be worked out easily from any position. With hands in front of the chest, right palm out and left in, clasp the fingers together. Pull with the right arm while resisting with the left. Alternate palms to do this a maximum of ten times, five for each side. Finish with a strong ten second contraction on each side.
Self-resistance exercises are quite common and proven effective. Kegels are an isometric exercise. Basic aerobics are all isotonic. Combining the basic aerobics with self-resistance saves time and increases the effectiveness of metabolic conditioning.
The most important thing to remember when exercising is that your efforts will reap benefits in major ways: higher energy, lower body fat to carry around, and higher self confidence – which will all equate to a happy mom.
“Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.”