We all underestimate the power of walking, and if you’re anything like us in California, we seem to do anything but walk, even if the destination is less than a mile away.

Yes, it’s pretty sad that we leave everything to the last minute and then are forced to get in the car to drive the kids to school when it could be walked in less than 10 minutes.

Can you imagine overall how many calories you would burn by aiming to walk up to 10,000 steps a day?

According to an analysis of nine studies appearing in the Annals of Family Medicine, people who participated in a pedometer-walking program expect to lose even more weight than non-pedometer walking program even without changing their diet.

Those who wore a pedometer increased their daily distance by one mile walking on average of two miles a day at a pace of 3 miles an hour. This resulted to 0.11 pound per week by being active for an extra 20-40 minutes a day. Not bad for just taking some precious steps, is it?

Pedometers are really inexpensive and an essential tool in weight loss, especially if you don’t have time to exercise. Use your daily activities for valuable calorie burn and reap the rewards of easy weight loss.

First, wear you pedometer for a day and measure what your regular activity is, then try to increase this by 10 percent and gradually increase over the next few weeks. Your goal is 10,000 steps and above.

Tips to add more walking to your day

1. Walk around your block a few times before or after dinner to relax and prepare your body for wind down time with family.

2. Take weekend walks with your kids or partner. Go and visit the great outdoors. Hiking is an incredible workout.

3. Walk your kids to school or take your dog for an extra walk. I’m sure he’ll be thankful for it.

4. Park your car further away from your destination. Yes, I know you have heard this a million times, yet you still don’t do it!

The chair is a great accessory for targeting you abs, hips and buns, especially if your balance needs a little help. The following exercises can be done at home or work in just a few minutes. All you need is yourself and a chair. It’s so simple!

Try and do these exercises at least two- three times a week for the best results.

Let’s go and tone our midsections!

1. Standing Oblique Curl
Reps 10-15 on each side
Muscles targeted: Obliques (waist), glutes and legs

A. Standing sideways to the chair with your outside hand behind your head and your feet turned out from the hips.

B. Exhale and extend the right leg to the side and side bend the torso towards the right leg. Inhale, draw the leg back to meet your supporting leg and return your torso back to an erect position.

Modification: Lower legs towards the floor

2. Froggies on the chair
Reps 10-15 times
Muscles targeted: Abs, inner thighs and quads.

A. Sitting on an incline, abs pulled in with your shoulder blades against the back of the chair and hands resting on the front corners of the seat. Knees are bent with legs turned out at the hips with feet in a small V position elevated off the floor.

B.Exhale, draw in your abs and extend the legs straight out to hip height, pulling your inner thighs together. Next, inhale and bend the knees back to start position.

Your chair is more than a place to park. It’s also a secret weapon for targeting your abs, hips and buns, and improving your balance. The following exercises can be done at home or work in just a few minutes. For best results, all you need is yourself, your trusty chair and the commitment to do it two to three times per week.

Let’s tone that midsection!

1. Froggies on the chair
Reps 10-15 times

Muscles targeted: Abs, inner thighs and quads.

Setup — Lean back so your shoulder blades press against the chair’s back. Tighten abs and rest hands on the front corners of the seat. Bend your knees with legs turned out at the hips so that your feet form a small V position and are elevated off the floor.

Action — Inhale. As you exhale, extend your legs straight out to hip height, pulling your inner thighs together. Next, inhale and bend the knees back to start position.

Modification — Lower legs towards the floor.

2. Standing Oblique Curl

Reps 10-15 on each side

Muscles targeted: Obliques (waist), glutes and legs

Setup — Stand beside the chair with your outside hand behind your head and your feet turned out from the hips.

Action — Inhale. As you exhale, extend the right leg to the side and side bend the torso towards the right leg. Inhale, draw the leg back to meet your supporting leg and return your torso back to an erect position. Repeat on the left side.

3. Standing Attitude

10 reps and 10 pulses

Muscles targeted: Glutes, hamstrings and abs for balance

Setup — Standing sideways, gently hold onto the chair for support. Turn the legs out at the hips feet in to a small V position.

Action — Transfer your weight onto the inside leg, bend the outside leg keeping the turn out in the hip. Lift the leg as far as you can go without hiking the hip whilst maintaining a bent leg position. Lower the leg and repeat for 10 reps adding little pulses for an extra butt burn.

4. Hip Flexor Stretch (Supported Crescent Pose in Yoga)

Muscles Targeted: Quads, hip flexors and abs for balance

Setup — Sit or stand sideways on the chair, bending your right leg and extending your left leg extended behind with hips facing square to the right side. For support, place your right hand on the chair and extend your left hand out in front of body at eye level.

Action — Hold the Stretch for 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat with opposite leg.

We all need a little help to get motivated sometimes! Life is hard and we are tired at the end of the day. Who wants to work out? Well, we know we must so we can live a healthy life and look great! Here are some tips to help you keep you motivated!

Have a plan at all times.Try to schedule your workouts the day before or, better yet, the whole week. I know this is hard when you have a busy life, but without at least a loose plan you will find it difficult to be consistent, which can lead to failure.

Don’t procrastinate.
The earlier in the day that you work out, the more time you have throughout the day to focus on your family, work or yourself without constantly thinking, “I need to exercise.” We’ve all been there, putting off exercising until finally we’re too tired and can’t be bothered. I could kick myself for wasting so much time procrastinating! If you just do it, it’s over before you know it!

Focus on that fabulous post-sweat-session feeling.
Think of how good you’re going to feel after your workout and how much energy it will give you for the rest of the day. Remember you always finish a workout feeling better than you did when you started (and you can’t say that about many things in life). Repeat that to yourself when your motivation lags or energy wanes. This always gets me going as I know I will feel great and it’s done for the day.

Good things come in small packages.
There may be days when you can fit in only one six-minute segment’s worth of exercise. Go for it! Don’t blow it off because you think it’s not worth it. Everything adds up. It’s like tossing a small handful of change into a jar every night. In a few weeks and months, those little bits of money add up. The same is true for little bits of exercise. Every calorie burned and every fiber stimulated is getting you one step closer to your goal and the hot body that will be yours. Think of the big picture! Tiny steps will get you there.

Be patient.
I know how impatient you can be with yourself when you’re trying to slim down. You want it to happen as soon as possible and feel bummed out when it doesn’t. But from my experience, I know that the more you stay focused on the overall goal of total weight loss, the easier it is to accept that your abs aren’t turning fab as quickly as you’d like. Stick with a plan and the weight will come off.

Look on the bright side.
Celebrate your positive efforts and don’t get frustrated. When you feel like you’re not getting anywhere, take a look at an old photo or an old pair of pants that you were wearing at your heaviest. It’s empowering to see how much weight and how many inches you have lost.

Be realistic.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Muscle weighs heavier than fat so stop looking at the scale and measure by your clothes. Numbers on the scale mean nothing I’d rather look good in clothes, wouldn’t you?

Stay optimistic.
Focus on what you do have and not what you don’t. We all have set backs, think of them as learning blocks to make you stronger to fight the next one.

Have a support system.
On your own, it’s too easy to get distracted when the going gets tough. Everyone needs a team of people to gently guide them through the highs and lows. It will also make you feel accountable to someone besides yourself. Tell your family, coworkers, and
close friends that you’re joining Team Mallett (see my web site for details). You may even find someone to join with you. The more people who are out there rooting for you, the more you will not want to disappoint them. Go tell the world!

The first thing you should do in the morning before getting out of bed is to stretch.
I love to do the following cross over back stretch which helps release tension in the lower spine accumulated through the weird positions we put ourselves in through our sleep. Also, if your family is anything like mine, we always end up having two kids in our bed and me sandwiched between them.

Perform the stretch every day and hold for 30 seconds. This will ease any awkward kinks that sleep can bring and place the spine in better alignment.

Reach and Lying Cross Over Stretch in Bed

Lie on your back and first reach your hands and feet in opposite direction. Hands reach to the top of the bed and the feet down toward the bottom of the bed. You will feel the spine elongate (a gentle traction of the spine). Hold a few seconds and take deep breaths.

Next, place your arms to the side of the body at shoulder height, palms facing downward. Bend the right knee toward your chest and gently hold on to the right knee with the left hand. Draw the right knee across the midline (left side) of the body and twist the torso to a point which feels comfortable. At the same time, turn your head to the opposite direction of the bent leg looking toward the right hand. Hold this lower spine stretch and gently breathe for about 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Out of Bed

To get my kids going in the morning I sometimes play fun music to give them a little energy boost. Kids love to move their bodies, even first thing in the morning. It’s an instant pick-me-up!

Quick Stretches for Mom and kids

The following stretches stimulate the nervous system and open the many channels of the body – especially the main channel, the spine – so that energy can flow freely and reduce stress. Also, by taking deep breaths throughout, the stretches will increase oxygen uptake, gently awaking the body.

1. The Mermaid
Little girls love this! For the boys I call it The Merman.

Muscles Stretched: Obliques (waist), lower spine and hips.

Sitting tall with both knees bent to right side of body, resting on both sit bones. The right hand is resting on right ankle and the left hand is extended straight up to the sky level with your left shoulder.

Inhale and reach up and over to the right side (legs) and turn your focus toward the sky, opening the heart center (chest upwards). Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and repeat other side.

Keep equal weight on each butt cheek.

2. Butterfly Stretch.
Muscles stretched: inner thighs and hips.
Sit tall with your legs turned out at the hips, soles of the feet together and the knees pointing out to the sides of the room. Place hands on your shins with the elbows resting on the knees, gently placing pressure as you actively press the legs down to the floor. Also, hinge forward from the lower back extending the spine.

Lead forward with the breast bone and keep equal pressure on each sit bone.

3. Downward Dog (we call it the Elephant)
Muscles Stretched: Hamstrings, calves, lower and upper spine.
Hold up to 1 minute

Get on all fours placing your hands shoulder-width apart and knees under hips and toes curled pressing your heels in the floor.

Exhale, contract your abs and draw you shoulder blades down the back, extend and lengthen the spine and legs, reaching your hips toward the sky. Press your heels down to the floor and work toward reaching your chest towards your knees.

Pull your shoulders away from your ears by contracting the side of your back, slightly turn out you hands opening the chest

Now you’re all set for an energetic day with the kids!

Parents can be great motivators to teach children that to move the body and exercise is fun and exhilarating. This starts at young age. They watch and mimic you in everything that you do. My daughter’s four-year-old friend commented to his mom “why don’t you exercise like Amber’s mommy?” It took her by surprise. She had no idea that her child was even aware of exercise. This gave her the boost she needed and now she’s finally started to incorporate walking into her weekly hectic schedule. Healthy children’s lifestyles need to start with the adults first. How can we expect our children to be active if we aren’t?

Obesity in children has tripled in the last 20 years and obese children are now likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, upper respiratory problems and severe asthma. The increasing amount of fast food available and the decreased activity level of our children are creating a massive problem for the next generation. We live in a world of computers, motorized scooters, video games, the Internet and the iPod. It’s all about convenience, which doesn’t demand a lot of energy.

Together as a family you can do the following:
• Make healthy choices – Decrease fast foods, increase veggies and fruit. Educate your children on the benefits of eating healthy. Make a chart with small boxes that they can tick off everyday when they eat their veggies and fruit. Remember we’re aiming for five servings of each a day.
• Encourage your child to ride his bike to school or walk instead of driving. This gives you a little extra exercise too.
• Increase physical activity — Go for a family hike in the beautiful great outdoors. Ride bikes together, play a simple game of basketball or soccer. It’s very important that you schedule at least one activity together as a family that promotes exercise at least once a week.
• Family based changes – This new healthy lifestyle is not just for your children. It has to be for the whole family, otherwise it will not have any importance or urgency to adhere to.
Inspiration for your children comes from your healthy choices. So get off the couch and start making small changes to create a healthier and happier family!

Music is a powerful influence in our lives. It is the backdrop to everybody’s life story. All of life’s biggest experiences are done to the sound of music. Remember slow dancing at prom or with your partner, for the first time? What about grooving with your friends on your first spring break vacation?

My whole life has been inspired by music. I still feel the excitement of the very first time I took ballet class, at the age of three, and the satisfaction I got from many years of voice lessons, perfecting my craft.

Music and dance are pure soul food, rekindling the free spirit in all of us, breaking down inhibitions and releasing a sense of well-being. After a hard, stressful day it’s amazing how music relaxes the body and drains tension.

Everyday, my two kids and I groove away. Laughter fills the house with love, and the sound of their happiness at being allowed to freely express themselves. Music has the rare ability to bring the child out in you, allowing you to be on the same level with them. It also teaches your kids, from a young age, that moving their bodies is fun and exhilarating.

Everyday I use music to motivate my clients to exercise and reach their goals. If the workout is a little challenging for them, somehow the music can dull the pain and give them energy to finish their workout.

Below is a workout I designed to help you feel the groove! Remember, every minute counts so if you can only get away for 10 or 15 minutes that’s OK. Don’t blow it off. Get your tunes out, and off you go!

Tips on using music for motivation and keeping your cardio workouts fresh:

1. Download, or burn, your favorite songs for the time-duration of your workout. I recommend between 25-45 minutes, depending on your fitness level and experience.
2. Vary the beats of the songs. For example, Song One is your warm-up so choose a mid-tempo song.
3. Our bodies naturally gravitate to the beat of the music so keep that in mind when selecting the music.

Below is a sample of a cardio workout:
Exertion scale of 1-10 (1 is the easiest and 10 is the hardest)
Each song is approximately 3 or 4 minutes

Warm-up: Mid-tempo 3 songs or 9-10 min. Exertion scale: 6 – 7.5
Interval: Up-tempo (increase pace by 10%) 1 song, 3-4 min. Exertion scale: 8.5
Interval: Mid-tempo (lower pace to warm-up) 2-3 songs, 6-12 min. Exertion scale: 7
Interval: Up-tempo (increasing pace 10%) 1 song, 3-4 min. Exertion scale: 8.5
Cool down: Mid-tempo (lower pace gradually) 2 songs, 6-7 min. Exertion scale: 5

(If you feel any nausea or shortness of breath please stop and rest. Always consult a physician before starting an exercise program)

Music has probably played a bigger role in your life than you realize. If you’ve had a hard day and feel tired, blast some tunes and you’ll be amazed how much energy it’ll give you, stimulating your emotions, creativity and even shaping you and your family’s identity. Try it, it really does work!

I know how exciting it is to finally hear the news that you’re going to have a baby. I’m sure there are many questions going through your head about keeping you and your baby healthy throughout your pregnancy. I’ve gathered a few of the most-asked questions to guide you safely and healthfully on your journey to new motherhood.

Can I continue exercising in my first trimester?

The first trimester is not the time to start a NEW exercise routine. It is best to wait until you’re in to your second trimester and have clearance from your doctor to start an exercise plan. However, for those who are already active, you can safely continue with what is familiar to the body through the first trimester.

What are the best activities to do through pregnancy?

It’s very important to listen to your body and not take part in any activities that may cause abdominal trauma. It is also important to stay well hydrated and prevent over-heating. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, you can safely engage in 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week.

Be aware you will have less oxygen available for aerobic exercise during pregnancy, so modify the intensity of your routine accordingly. Pregnancy will make exercise feel more difficult, especially in the first trimester, as the amount of blood circulated by the heart increases early in pregnancy and levels off during the third trimester at 30 to 50 percent above normal values.

Throughout exercise you should always be able to carry on a conversation. This is a great way of monitoring the intensity of your workout.

You also have to take into consideration that the heart rate increases during pregnancy and you will need to allow for additional recovery time to bring the heart rate down following an exercise session. It could take up to 15 minutes to recover.

Remember, it’s important to listen to your body and stop exercising when fatigued. Don’t exercise to exhaustion. You might be able to continue doing weight-bearing exercises at close to your usual intensity throughout pregnancy, but non weight-bearing exercise such as swimming is easier to continue and carries less risk of injury.

What activities should I avoid through pregnancy?

Don’t do exercises in which you could lose your balance, especially in the third trimester. Avoid any exercise that risks even mild abdominal trauma. Jerky and rotational movements present in dance classes and kick boxing need to be taken with care especially in the third trimester when the center of gravity is greatly affected by the increased baby weight and may also cause balance issues.

I would steer away from classes that have high-impact moves or modify the routine, keeping both feet on the floor. A good fitness instructor will always cue this for people with knee and back issues.

Hot yoga is not recommended, due to the excessive heat which can cause harm to the fetus and can increase blood pressure.

Mat Pilates is really only appropriate when it’s completely modified. Most of a typical mat class is lying on the back, which is not advisable for the second and third trimester exerciser, as it can decrease the blood flow to the uterus . Mat Pilates is fine for first trimester if you have been practicing Pilates consistently before conceiving. After that time, look for a prenatal Pilates class or do a Pilates Pregnancy DVD at home.

As you move toward the end of your pregnancy, the level of intensity and duration should be reduced as not to cause injury to the body with the extra weight of the baby and strain this may place on your joints and ligaments.

Avoid balance activities such as lunges, single-leg squats and exercises on the big Swiss ball. Excessive rotation of the torso can place strain on the fetus. Stay away from doing classic abdominal crunches as this may cause a diastisis recti — the separation of the abdominal muscles.

When taking Yoga or stretching, it’s important to remember that your joints and tissue will be loose during pregnancy because pregnancy hormones (relaxin), which help the uterus expand, also affect all of the body’s connective tissue in the process. This is not the time to push your body to new found flexibility. You should instead work in a safe, comfortable range, maintaining good range of motion.

Unless the doctor has specifically cautioned you not to exercise due to an existing medical condition, you are free to continue with your exercise program. Research has supported that babies are leaner and healthier because their moms took part in a regular exercise program during pregnancy.

If you start to feel dizzy, light-headed, onset of headache, nausea, vision changes, extreme fatigue or shortness of breath, then exercise should be terminated.

Your body will tell you all you need to know. Get familiar with your new body and listen carefully.

Enjoy your fit pregnancy.

We all know how difficult it is to stay in shape and find time to exercise – but most especially for parents with babies or small kids. There’s the sleep-deprivation factor, lack of time and priority changes. So what are the options for busy parents? The fact is, the better you can take care of yourself, the better you will feel, and thus it is more likely you will be physically and emotionally stronger to take on the day with the “little ones” and all the challenges taking care of kids entails.

Below are some quick, but effective, exercises, specifically designed for the busy parent (Mom or Dad) for the back and shoulders to keep you strong. These will also help prevent future injuries that may occur with poor lifting biomechanics and poor posture caused by the heavy weight of not just the baby, but all the fun gadgets you’re expected to lug around. It’s no surprise that our bodies need a little help to get through the day.

Rotator Cuff Strengthener

You can do this exercise either seated or standing. Hold the elbows close to the waist with palms facing the sky holding a Theraband. Pulling the hands away from each other externally rotating the shoulders

Reps:
3 sets of 10-15 reps

Muscle focus: Rotator cuff muscles are the small muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. If these get weak from over use, you could end up with bicep tendonitis or other potential injuries. This is very common with parents as everything is usually done with one arm while holding the child in the other.

For this workout you will need a light Theraband. The beauty about this piece of equipment is that it’s small enough to carry in your bag or your stroller. Now you have no excuses. You can do these exercises on the go, at the park or when you have a few moments to spare.

Tricep push-up extension
Hands are directly under your shoulders and knees are on the ground in a modified push-up. The pelvis is slightly pressed forward creating work in the abdominals that stabilize the spine. Place the Theraband under the right hand on the floor and extend opposite arm in a tricep extension. While extending the working arm, be careful to keep the wrist in line with the hand not to create any unwanted tension/strain.

Muscle Focus:

This is the one time in your life you are going to need arm strength. The biceps are going to get overworked from the motion of picking up a baby so it’s important to balance these out and keep the triceps strong so you do not put unwanted strain on them.

Reps:
3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side

Drawing your shoulder blades down activating your upper back muscles, engaging abs at all times. Keeping your abs strong and being aware of contracting them is very important as they play an important role in stabilizing and protecting the back.

Translating this in to functional activities such as picking the baby up out of the crib will really save your back.

Spine extension with pulses

Seated upright with legs in front of body, shoulder-width apart, hands over head. Hinge forward from the hips leading with the sternum, biceps are by your ears. Hold
this position and slightly pulse the arms behind the body mobilizing the shoulders and working the upper back. Return back to an upright position to repeat the movement again.

Reps:
3 sets of 10 Pulses

Muscle Focus:

Upper back and hamstring flexibility.

Over time in pregnancy, our posture completely changes due to the increased weight of the baby bringing our body forward and causing the spine to round forward with the shoulders.

This causes the back muscles to become very stretched out and weak. This exercise will strengthen the mid upper back and open up the tight thoracic area of the spine, correcting bad habits that the body formed through pregnancy.

Butterfly ab curls

Lying on the floor with heels of feet together and knees bent to the side in a frog-like position. Arms are straight over head, circle arms around and lift the head/neck/shoulders off the floor, exhaling, pulling in the abs hold for 5 seconds and return back to starting position.

Reps:
3 sets of 10 reps

Muscle Focus:

As you exhale and bring the head, neck and shoulders off the floor, think of pulling your abdominals in up and back to the spine. Moms, this is a time you can practice doing your Kegals on the contraction, working the pelvic floor.

Keeping your abs strong is essential for keeping your whole body strong and restoring poor posture left over from pregnancy.

The following are three ways to test your flexibility. The idea of testing is to become aware of how tightness with certain muscle groups can lead to injury if you are not careful during fitness workouts.

Test One: Hamstring Flexibility test

Props needed: tape measure and either a small sticky note or sticky tape.

Sit tall against a wall with your legs straight out in front of you, trying to keep your legs as straight as possible. Legs are a couple of inches apart with your knees and toes facing the ceiling. Place your hands on top of each other holding your sticky and reach arms out in front of body, extending the spine from the lower back, leading with your breastbone first. Place your sticky on the floor between your legs as far as you can reach forward, keeping good form.

Tip: Be careful not to round over as you reach forward this will give you a false result.

Gauge:

Measure from the wall to the sticky and record your result. Each week do the same test again and see how much your flexibility has increased.

The object of this test is to measure the flexibility in the hamstrings. Tightness of these muscles can cause lower back pain and quality of movement/function of your daily activities.

Test Two: Upper Body Flexibility Test

Props needed: Rolled up medium-sized towel and sticky tape.

Standing with feet hips-width apart holding a rolled up towel at each end of the towel. Reach hands straight overhead with a taught towel; gently move your hands slightly behind the body. Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch in the chest, biceps and shoulders.

Tip: Keep your arms as straight as possible.

Gauge:

Wrap sticky tape around the towel exactly where your hands were. Measure the distance from each sticky mark and record your number. In a week’s time, perform the same test placing your hands a little bit closer together. If you can keep good form and comfortably hold the test position, place tape where you hands were and measure the distance between the new tape and see how much your flexibility has increased.

The object of this test is to see what range of motion you have and how it has improved the flexibility in your chest, shoulders and biceps. The flexibility of these muscles has a huge impact on your posture. If any of these muscles are tight, they can cause you to be round shouldered and slightly hunchbacked.

Test Three: Lateral side stretch and lower back flexibility test

Props: Sticky tape

Standing tall away from the wall with your butt and back resting against the wall. Holding a piece of tape in your right hand, side bend over to the right without collapsing on the underneath side. Place a sticky as far down the leg as you can whilst maintaining good form.

Tip: Think of reaching up and over as you side bend

Gauge:

Measure from the floor to the tape on your leg and record your number. Repeat this in a week’s time with the same test and compare results to see if your flexibility has increased.

The object of this flexibility test is to test the flexibility and range of motion in your lower back and obliques (side abdominal muscles).

About the author: Tracey Mallett is an internationally-recognized certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist. She is also a certified fitness instructor, Gyrotonic® and Master Pilates instructor. Tracey is the creator and star of the “3-In-1 Pregnancy System,” the first DVD of its kind combining Pilates, Yoga and strength training for pre- and post-natal mothers. Her newest videos are “Renew You” and “Super Body BootCamp.” A proud mother of two, Tracey, who hails from Bloxwich, England, now lives in Los Angeles. Visit her online at www.TraceyMallett.com.

It’s summer time and that means – bathing suits! Check out the latest Clever Parents vidcast for fitness ideas for expectant moms and a new fitness columnist on Clever Parents. Watch vidcast #26 on Clever Parents TV.

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Post-natal exercise offers a whole range of benefits for new moms. However, it’s important to remember that you should always consult with your doctor before starting up an exercise program. What kind of delivery you had will determine how quick you can resume back to your exercise plan. It’s generally advised that you wait until your 6 week post-natal check up.

Caution is required before jumping back into an exercise program, especially with your abdominals. During pregnancy, your abdominals will separate from the added pressure of the baby. This is called diastasis recti. It’s important that you minimize the separation, allowing the abs to function properly, and also before doing any strenuous abdominal work. Simply perform the following test to gauge your separation.

Lay on your back with your knees bent and your fingers placed above your belly button. Now, lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor and you will feel if you have a gap in between your abs. If you do feel a gap, measure by fingers the size of the separation, 2 fingers and above, I recommend you do the following exercise every day before doing any other abdominal exercises. This will train the abdominals back together again, creating a stronger, stable spine.

Towel Abs Exercise

Lay on your back with your knees bent and heels inline with the sit bones (Those bony parts you feel under you when you sit). Wrap a towel around your midsection and cross the towel over the abs (holding at each end). Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor, exhale and draw your abdominals in toward the spine and pull the towel tight. This will pull the abs together, retraining them in their correct position. Repeat this for 10 times every day and keep monitoring the separation.

Benefits of postnatal exercise

1. Helps to reduce post-natal depression known as the “baby blues”
2. Quicker recovery back to your pre-pregnancy body
3. Increased much-needed energy
4. Stress release (time to focus on yourself)

Be Patient with Your Post-Pregnancy Body
After childbirth I was amazed how my once-tight tummy looked like a deflated balloon. Don’t panic, this is normal. Over the next few weeks your uterus will naturally contract back to its pre-pregnancy shape. Breastfeeding will expedite this process, causing the contractions to be stronger and more frequent.

However, I must stress that this alone is not enough to get your pre-pregnancy body back. Post-natal exercise will speed up the recovery process and build valuable strength your body needs to keep up with the hectic schedule of caring for your newborn. Be patient with yourself. It may take a few months or possibly longer, depending on how much time you can dedicate to working out.

Tips to find time to exercise

1. Buy a daily planner and loosely plan your workouts around your baby’s schedule. For example, in the morning after the first feeding, go for a nice walk with the baby in the stroller. (Start with a flat terrain and then progress to different elevations). Next when the baby goes down for her nap you have can take 15 minutes to do some core conditioning exercises. Yes, it does require willpower but when you start seeing results this will keep you inspired to do more.
   

2. Join a “Mommy and Me” exercise class. Check out your local hospital or pediatrician to find classes. These are a great way to bond with your newborn and fit in much needed exercise time for you. A win-win situation for both parties!
3. Create a library of exercise videos that are different lengths so you’re already equipped for when you find unexpected time.
4. Perform exercises while you’re doing daily activities. Pelvic floor exercises (Kegel exercises) can be done anywhere and are very valuable for achieving a strong, stable pelvic area, which is usually lax due to pregnancy hormones still present (especially if you’re breastfeeding).

Exercise safety tips

1. Invest in a good support bra. Your breasts are going to be larger than normal from the milk production and will need a lot of extra support.
2. Be careful of high-impact sports due to lax pelvic ligaments and joints left over from pregnancy. This is why core (abdominal work is key after pregnancy preventing lower back and joint injuries).
3. Make sure you drink lots of water to replenish yourself, especially when breastfeeding.
4. Listen to your body. If you’re feeling tired, go easy on yourself. Try not to push yourself until you feel ready.
5. If you start to feel light headed and nauseous, or notice a change in the color of your vaginal discharge, consult with your doctor. You may be exercising too strenuously.

I recommend Pilates for core conditioning and weight training and cardio for weight loss. Try to fit 2-3 times a week of cardio activity (walking, running and hiking) for 30-45 minutes and general body conditioning at least 3 times a week.

Enjoy this amazing time with your baby. You have created the miracle of life. A little extra weight is a small price to pay for a bundle of joy. Be patient and your body will be back to normal in no time.