Nearly as common as childbirth, many new mothers beg the question, "How can I get rid of my sagging belly following childbirth?" Chances are your post-pregnancy paunch is NOT the result of giving in to too many prenatal chocolate-chip-cookie cravings. Rather, it's likely due to the fact that your abdominal muscles (specifically the transverse abdominal muscles) have been stretched and weakened, and perhaps have even separated due to your expanding belly.
New mom's goals for slimming down their belly after baby should be two-fold: 1) strengthening, especially the transverse abdominal muscles, and 2) getting rid of the layer of fat that lies over them. A wealth of information exists on resistance training exercises to strengthen the abdominal area, and I encourage you to consult with a fitness trainer, depending on your particular childbirth experience - natural or c-section, to meet your individual needs.
In addition to core exercises, here are some tips to help reacquaint yourself with your skinny jeans.
Cardiovascular Training
Once your physician has given you the go-ahead to exercise, it's time to incorporate the best kind of activity - the activity you'll actually DO! Choose a physical activity that you enjoy and you'll increase your chances of sticking with your exercise program. Swimming and the elliptical trainer provide low-impact ways to target your heart while being kind to your joints. Work up to 20-40 minutes of cardiovascular activity 4-5 times per week. But, it's also important to listen to your body. Remember, your body has essentially been through a type of "trauma," and it can take up to a year to fully recover - abdominal muscles included.
Smart Nutrition
If you're breastfeeding, you're burning a few extra hundred calories per day. One can view this scenario two different ways: 1) license to eat more - though not optimal if you want to bid your belly goodbye or 2) use the opportunity to provide your baby with quality breast milk AND room in your diet to increase the quantity of nutrient-dense foods. I suggest option two if you want to bid your middle jiggle farewell. Calories are not created nor processed equally. Your calorie needs increase, but so does your need for proper nutrition. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins are your best bets. Here's why:
o Produce: William Lane, M.D., family practice physician with Lakeside Primary Care in Concord, N.C., promotes eating a rainbow. The darker, the better. Choose a variety of deeply colored fruits and vegetables like blackberries, red peppers, spinach, and papayas, which usually offer your biggest antioxidant and nutrient benefits.
o Complex Carbohydrates: Complex carbs such as brown rice, whole oats, whole grain cereals, and beans are best. You can also try quinoa that packs a triple-punch of protein, fiber, and low-glycemic carbohydrates.
o Fiber: The fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates will help you avoid blood sugar spikes, keep you feeling full, take longer to digest, and aid in elimination of toxins in the body. While you are feeding your little one baby food, stir a container of baby food into a serving of cooked oatmeal, and season with ground cinnamon. Add a glass of skim milk, and you have a satisfying meal. Baby food isn't just for babies anymore!
o Pairing with Protein: Add the foods mentioned above with a lean protein source, and you're on way to rebuilding healthy cells. Women's bodies aren't designed to build bulky muscles. You can, however, strengthen the lean muscle fibers you already have and build new ones. Translation: the ability to raise your metabolic rate and burn more calories at rest. Yes!
o Fats: Let me reassure you: It takes fat to lose fat, though you need to consume the right kind of fat. Omega-3 fatty acids are key to unlocking your body's ability to shed unwanted pounds. Dr. Lane also recommends finding sources without legs, such as cold water fish, like tuna, mackerel and wild salmon. Flaxseed is also a versatile consumable fat. Stir flaxseed into soups or smoothies, top salads or cereal, or sprinkle some on a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
The key to a healthy diet is not to deprive yourself of any food group. Any diet or eating plan that asks you to wipe out entire food groups or a significant amount of calories likely won't be one you can follow long-term. When you add back the starches or other foods you dropped, such as on a low-carb plan, you add back the pounds you originally lost and then some.
When it comes to fat-burners and other weight loss supplements, the only tried-and-true "magic pill" formula that exists includes consistency plus patience. Many diet pills result in water loss rather than fat loss. Ultimately, the diet pills can actually undermine your fat loss efforts, sap your wallet, raise your nerves, and/or unsettle your stomach. Who wants to pay for those side effects?
It may have taken nine months to develop the pregnancy belly, but the most lasting results will come from steady weight loss of one to two pounds per week. At that rate, you'll not only lose weight, but maximize your fat loss.
So strap on your grocery-shopping shoes, and skim the perimeter of the store for your healthiest, least-processed finds to send that post-pregnancy belly packing!
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