Don’t Let This One Interference Mess With PostPartum Weight Loss

After having a baby you want to stay in the cuddly, resting phase forever, where nothing else matters.

Eventually, the realization comes in that life outside your boppy pillow is still operating as usual.

Kids still need an education, to be fed, and their fair share of cuddles too. Not to mention, your husband is wondering when dinner is not coming from the freezer.

As you get back to the daily grind, your post-baby fitness level begins to sink in. It’s hard to ignore the empty real estate your newest addition recently occupied.

While there is no shame in the beautiful transformations a woman’s body goes through to bring another life into this world, it would be nice to be able to load the minivan without feeling like you just ran a 10k.

So, you take a couple tours of some gyms and wonder when you would ever get the time to find someone to watch the kids while you do a Zumba class.

Then you decide on buying a yoga mat and a few postpartum workout DVD’s so you can squeeze in a workout while the kids nap.

The problem is the baby ended up forming his own napping schedule, completely opposite of your toddler- of course!

Going to bed that night you are determined to get some physical activity in and decide on a walk in the morning with the stroller; what could possibly interfere with such a simple plan.

Waking up in the morning after being up and down all night nursing and soothing a colicky baby, the simple walk now sounds like a battle of wills between you and the asphalt.

And then, and then, and then…

The fact of the matter is, there is always going to be something a mom has to do, there is always going to be somebody relying on you, and there will never be enough hours in the day to completely finish a to-do list.

That’s part of the fun. The journey is unpredictable, exciting, and full of surprises; enjoying lots of hugs and growth along the way.

Hayley DeRoche writing for Latched Mama realized that getting a fitness routine into a mom’s busy schedule had to be unconventional:

Until I realized I needed to do them even when the timing was imperfect, when my body felt imperfect, when I was sleep-deprived, when I wasn’t eating the most healthy things and just trying to survive. 

There are times when I am still too tired, too sore, too worn down.  But I try not to view those as reasons to put it all off.  Because if I put off this stuff until that imagined day, it’s never going to happen.  I’ll never work out again.”

Epiphanies like these are life-changers. No matter the task, if we waited for conditions to be perfect then things would never get done.

Remembering that you are a valued and important member of the family, with your own needs should not be overlooked.

Being in a good place, mind and body is not only important for your well-being but benefits the entire family. You want to be able to give the best version of yourself to those you love the most.

Maybe you didn’t work out before the baby, and you are wondering why things should change now.

There are countless benefits to incorporating a fitness routine as a woman, but more importantly as a postpartum mom.

Hormones are adjusting big time after your baby is born, and working out helps increase endorphins and cortisol, minimizing the chances of suffering from postpartum depression.

Exercising after having a baby promotes weight loss, helps restore your abdominal muscles that have taken a beating, and actually gives you increased energy (yes, please!), according to Better Health Channel.  

Before you get too overzealous about your postpartum routine get the approval from your doctor first. The last thing you want is to injure your already healing body.

Sari Weis, a trainer from Chicago, said to Fit Pregnancyno matter how fit you were before delivery, the act of giving birth shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

Set goals that are realistic. Starting a light exercise routine is wise in the beginning, as you slowly regain your strength and endurance.

As tempting as it is, try to lose weight at a steady and slow pace. Dr. Philips reporting to Fit Pregnancy warns “At any of these stages, I recommend that women not aim for rapid weight loss as this can affect breastmilk production.”

You are worth setting some time aside to get yourself healthy. Utilize the time while you are on the floor playing with the kids to do some leg lifts and raising your baby over your chest.

Kids keep you busy, so try to maximize that activity by throwing in some lunges from the soccer sidelines, or doing pushups on the playground.

Put your milk stained tank top on, pull out the yoga mat, and squat while you rock a crying baby. These are your conditions; your perfectly, imperfect conditions.