feel-good tips!

PUT YOUR MUSCLES IN MOTION. Add resistance training to your aerobic workouts. It's the smartest health move U can make to get back in shape! After a baby, your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories) is slower. Weight training increases your metabolic rate so that your body will burn calories more efficiently. WHAT I DID: Quickie workouts on the web. Try Regaining Your Body.

GET TA STEPPIN'. Take a stroll for 20 - 30 minutes three to five days a week to help burn post-baby calories. A 30-minute brisk walk pushing a stroller burns about 170 calories (for a 170-pound new mom).

REACH OUT for support from other moms who have "been there done that." Because getting your body back in shape includes not only your physical well being, but your mental and emotional well being, too. WHAT I DID Talked it out with other new moms at work, at church, in my neighborhood - even the grocery store.

Post Partum Calorie Burners..without exercise!

haha! I love this info I found on post partum weightloss. I feel like it is meant for me because I am one who does not like to exercise that much, so, it is nice to learn that I am burning calories doing every day things!

These calculations from CaloriesCount.com are based on a 170-pound new mom:

chasing baby during diaper change ( 3 cal/min)

folding burp cloths, baby towels ( 2.7 cal/min)

grocery shopping ( 4.5 cal/min)

housecleaning ( 8 cal/min)

kissing the baby's chubby cheeks ( 1 cal/min)

mopping up food flung on floor ( 5.8 cal/min)

preparing family dinner ( 2.8 cal/min)

sweeping up cookie crumbs ( 3 cal/min)

washing dishes ( 2.9 cal/min)

watching kid video for zillionth time ( 1.4 cal/min)

signs of a postpartumm depression

What are the signs of postpartum depression?
The signs of postpartum depression include:
Feeling restless or irritable.
Feeling sad, depressed or crying a lot.
Having no energy.
Having headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations (the heart being fast and feeling like it is skipping beats), numbness, or hyperventilation (fast and shallow breathing).
Not being able to sleep or being very tired, or both.
Not being able to eat and weight loss.
Overeating and weight gain.
Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions.
Being overly worried about the baby.
Not having any interest in the baby.
Feeling worthless and guilty.
Being afraid of hurting the baby or yourself.
No interest or pleasure in activities, including sex

postpartum weight loss

#1 TIGHTEN THAT TUMMY. Flabby abs are the biggest battle Phitchick's readers face. Regular crunches focus on lengthwise muscles. Try to target the transverse - muscles that wrap around the abdominals horizontally - Try the slide: On a slippery floor, like wood or linoleum, get into a push-up position, balancing on your forearms. Place a folded towel under your toes, and as you pull your abs in, slide your knees toward your chest. Do 2 sets of 5 - 8 reps, 3 X per wk; work up to 3 sets. According to Prevention magazine (Dec 1999 p. 139), the best lower belly exercise is the REVERSE CURL. Here's how it's done:Lie on your back and place your hands, palms down, alongside your thighs. Bend your hips and knees to form a 90-degree angle: thighs vertical, lower legs horizontal. Now slowly contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your hips about 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Keep your upper body and arms relaxed. Hold, then slowly lower. OTHER POSTBABY AB MOVES: after baby tummy tighteners, ab exercises that really work, and lower back exercises.

#2 EAT SMART. What do BROCCOLI, BANANAS, and WHOLE GRAIN BREAD have in common? According to author Theresa Francis-Cheung, these are nutrient-rich foods that can "eliminate hunger, erase water weight, and speed up your body's fat-burning power." WHAT I DID: I made a copy of these foods to help slim me down my postpartum body and stuck it on my fridge. #3 DRINK WATER BEFORE and AFTER exercise to prevent dehydration. Read about the importance of drinking water. Drinking water helped me lose weight after pregnancy because it helped flush out excess water weight. WHAT I DID: Wash out an empty 64 oz. apple juice container, fill up with water in the AM, and empty it by the end of the day.

tips to getting back to your pre-pregnacy self

Eat a nutritious and balanced diet. Especially if you are breastfeeding, it is important that your body gets all of the nutrition that it needs. Still, avoiding foods that are high in saturated fats or empty calories can help you to start to slim back down.
- Keep hydrated. Before and after you exercise, make sure you’re getting enough water. In addition, drinking 6 8 oz glasses of water a day will help with appetite control.

- Most health care practitioners recommend that you wait until at least six weeks after delivery before you restart or start an exercise regimen. In general, this is good advice; your body has just been through a rather traumatic experience, and it needs time to recover. Still, even during this period you can wal, stretch, do pelvic tilts, do yoga and do kegel exercises.

- After your health care provider gives you the OK to exercise, Focus on tummy exercises. crunches, pushups, and other toning exercises will help you loose weight where you need it most.

- Cardiovascular exercises, as well, will help with rapid weight loss.

- Make sure you are getting enough rest and relaxation. The harried life of a new mom can be stressful. This stress can lead to eating problems, and a lack of motivation for exercise.

- Hook up with other new moms for exercise. Either exercise together, or take turns watching the babies so that each of you can get some exercise time in.

- Vitamin supplements, while they are not a substitute for proper diet and exercise, can definitely aid the process of weight loss along. Use a daily multivitamin supplement that meets your daily requirements.

Exercise after Pregnancy

Start exercising
· Develop a personal exercise plan. Think it through, before you start.
· Ideally, recruit a partner, a friend or another new mom to exercise with you.
· Aim to work towards a regular 30 minutes exercise, per day.
· Set little goals, like 10-minutes of exercise each day, then gradually increase it.
· The best time to start exercising is about 6 weeks after the birth.
· Hollywood stars are often photographed working out within hours of the birth of their child. This is not healthy. Do not be tempted to copy them unless you do so under expert professional care.
· Pay particular attention to strengthening the pelvic area.
· Remember: exercise gives you more energy, not less.

Breastfeeding and dieting

Breastfeeding and dieting



Weight loss during the postpartum period is perfectly normal.
If you didn't gain more than the recommended 22-30 pounds during pregnancy, you should be able to lose a comfortable 1 pound a week without any drop in milk quality or quantity. (Or up to 2 pounds if you gained more.)

However, as stated above, you must aim to consume about 1800 calories per day.
Don't rely on junk food to make up your calorie-total. Make sure your food is nutritious.

As soon as you and your doctor feel the time is right, start exercising.



The Benefits of Exercise


The amount and quality of food you eat after giving birth has a big impact on your weight and health.

The same applies to exercise, so long as you don't overdo it (always consult your doctor before starting).
Exercise assists postpartum weight loss.
Exercise helps to minimize postpartum depression.
Exercise helps you to adapt to your new situation.
Exercise does not interfere with your ability to breast-feed. Breast milk is unaffected.
Weight loss guidelines for new momsThe fastest, most effective way to lose weight and regain your figure is to make it part of an overall program, involving diet, exercise and general lifestyle changes.

Look after your body


Your body has just undergone enormous strain. In addition, your new arrival means you are going to need all the energy you can get. So make sure you eat properly and maintain your health.