Post-Natal Fitness: The Marvelous Mid-Section

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

17 Nov 2006 11:20 AM

You've spent the better part of a year watching your belly grow and expand. You've loosened the waistband on your pants, invested in new clothes and finally, the momentous day arrived and you have your baby. As we discussed in Post-Natal Fitness: So You Just Had a Baby.... it's important for you to make sure you see your physician for your check-up after the baby is born and to consult with your doctor before you get started on a fitness program.

That being said, here are a few exercises for you to use to tackle getting yourself back to some pre-pregnancy tone in your midsection. Understand, that these are exercises that you tackle on average 9 to 10 weeks after the baby is born. If you had a c-section, this may be even longer - so don't attempt these exercises without getting the all clear from your gynecologist and if you experience anything resembling sharp pain or discomfort, cease immediately.

That being said, here are 4 great tummy-tightening exercises to help you get back into those pre-mommy pants:

• Chair Crunches - Lay on the floor with your knees bent and your lower legs on a chair. Put your hands behind your head and crunch upwards, tightening your abdominals and being sure to lift your shoulders up, but don't pull on your neck with your hands, hold for a 1-2 count and then relax, repeat 10 to 12 times
• Power Crunch - Repeat the steps as above, only this time your feet are also on the floor and as you crunch upwards, draw your knees up as well - imagine a string pulling your elbows and knees towards each other and hold for a 1-2 count and then repeat 10 to 12 times
• Bicycle Crunches - This last set of crunches is repeated as above, only instead of both knees you alternate and twist so that your right knee and left elbow point to each other and on the next crunch it's your left knee and right elbow, be patient and deliberate, you don't want a lot of bouncing motion

Crunches such as these described are best performed in a deliberate fashion. It should never be a race and you want to perform them deliberately in order to achieve the maximum effect by performing them properly. If you aren't comfortable beyond 6 repetitions at first, that's fine, work yourself up to the 10 to 12 repetitions.

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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