Take your time when shaping up after pregnancy – listen to your body instead of watching celebrities, writes CLAIRE O'CONNELL.
IT DOESN’T take long. Put new mothers together in a room, or online on a chat forum, and before you know it, two words will have united them in a universal groan of recognition: the “jelly belly” – that stubborn post-pregnancy paunch which banishes the skinny jeans to the cobwebby end of the wardrobe.
But with the right attitude and by making the most of whatever time you can grab, you can coax your post-baby body back to pre-pregnancy shape and fitness.
“It will come off, you are not stuck with this extra belt, but it takes time,” says UK-based personal trainer Laura Williams, who was in Dublin last week to help launch the parenting website Pampersvillage.ie.
Top of her list for shaping up is the right attitude. And that involves a reality check on female celebrities who magically ping back into teensy outfits seemingly within minutes of producing their young.
“Rather than looking at it from the point of view that celebrity is another land, it has suddenly become this ideal of what we are supposed to strive towards, and it’s not,” says Williams, who encourages her clients to ignore celebrities and their punishing regimes.
“I think we should pity these poor women – I’m not sure I would want a job where, within a couple of months of having a baby, I’d have to starve myself to such an extent that I look the same as before I gained two stone in pregnancy.
“Would you really want to be up at 5am, a trainer banging on your door, shouting at you?”
Instead Williams wants women to lower their expectations for rapid weight loss and instead realise they have those reserves for a reason.
“Pregnancy weight gain is laid down in such a way that it is very stubborn tissue, it’s nature’s way of protecting your body fat for breastfeeding. It’s beautifully designed,” she says.
From the birth onwards, new mothers should do the standard pelvic-floor exercises to help protect against later problems, says Williams.
“The most important thing you have got to work on from day one is pelvic floor.
“You have had two stone bearing down on this , so you have to start to strengthen it.”
Then with the all clear at the routine six-week check-up (or 10-12 weeks after a Caesarean section), mothers can start to gradually build cardiovascular, strengthening and stretching moves into their everyday lives.
“I think it’s about doing what you can, maximising all your opportunities,” says Williams. “Do nice twists as you do the laundry, work the oblique muscles, and take the stairs a bit quicker, boost your fitness levels and raise your metabolic rate.”
But she warns new mothers not to overdo it, saying that the body produces the hormone relaxin for several months after the birth, making joints more vulnerable to injury.
Mothers who have had a section need to be particularly careful with high impact moves and tummy crunches, she adds.
“In that case it’s best to take it in baby steps with the guidance of your GP or midwife.”
Fast walking and eventually jogging are probably more practical than swimming, says Williams, particularly if the waistline is a target.
“Swimming is good for fitness, it’s relaxing but it’s very low impact and the calorie burn isn’t great, so it’s not good for weight loss.
“It also lowers your core body temperature which in turn stimulates your appetite.”
And as exercise time is inevitably tight, she encourages women to sneak in bursts of activity when the baby naps.
“I think mini-circuits are great, say you are going to do three flights of stairs and then do 10 squats at the top, 10 more at the bottom, and some tricep dips on a chair,” she says.
Pilates is handy for strengthening core muscles, but Williams advises novices to attend some classes if they are not getting the hang of it at home. And, above all, respect your limits: “Don’t let anyone push you, listen to your body.”
Getting on the move and eating sensibly can generally help boost mood and confidence, and Williams reckons the key to losing the baby fat long term is not to give up the ghost when you fall off the wagon.
“It’s not about what I do or consume today, it’s about continuity; that’s when the real results happen,” she says.
“Just realise you are a human being and be thankful that you don’t have to drink nettle juice to be on a red carpet the next day – put on an oversized fleece and get back to it tomorrow.”