Fitness journey post-pregnancy

Motherhood is a blessing! Pregnancy is a blessing! A mother knows what it takes to give birth, to carry a child for 9 long months with different symptoms, mood swings, hormonal and physical changes in each trimester along with the pain of delivering a child. But, once she holds her baby in her hands, she forgets everything. She becomes a fighter juggling between her daily routine and sleepless nights!

With so much struggle, it actually becomes difficult to think about ones own health because priorities suddenly changes from me to them!! Such big responsibility of raising a child and being a full time mother takes a lot of courage to step out and do something for oneself.

But giving time to your body should be your first priority. Like they say before helping others first help youself. If you feel fit you can do the same job with more ease and efficiency. So start today!

If you are a breastfeeding mother don’t justify yourself for binge eating.You need energy, you need more food, but you definitely dont need those junks like cookies, ice creams, cakes or anything with those hidden calories. You can start cutting down the unwanted food from your diet and start eating clean. You can start by designing your diet plan with all the food you like. Quantify your diet, make sure you get all the macronutrients (fats, carbs and protein) in adequate quantity. Your body need some fats from good sources for proper functioning, some amount of protein so that you do not lose muscles and a good quantity of carbs in all your meals as you will be feeding your baby exclusively. Your diet should be rich in all the nutrients, because you and your baby will be dependent on what you eat. Have lots of water, minimum 4-5 litres in a day. If you are not able to drink so much initially, you can start gradually like with 2 litres and Target to increase half litre every week. Have enough of fiber in your diet to keep your digestive system healthy. Have enough of vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, etc in your plan.

Let’s not forget the micronutrients! A lady loses lots of nutrients from her body when she delivers a baby. She loses strength! So to regain all the lost nutrients, she should choose her food wisely. Some supplements can be taken to complete the micronutrients requirements, so you can get them prescribed by your doctor.

Just like changing eating habits, keeping yourself active is important too. It’s not just about losing weight (fats). It’s about living a normal healthy life. It’s about gaining strength.

No matter, if you had a normal or C-Section delivery, you should start staying active after 4-6 weeks of delivery. You can start by just walking for few minutes, mild yoga with some light strength training exercises, once you get a green signal from your doctor. If hitting gym is something which is not for you, with an infant, you can start doing exercises at home. Get some light weight dumbbells, resistance band, medicine balls etc and start doing light exercises at home. This will not only help you to lose the pregnancy weight, this will help you to regain strength, get active and will keep you away from the body pains, which we generally face post pregnancy.

Life does not end once you become a mother. It’s just that you bring a life on Earth and you should be more lively and energetic while raising your baby. Your child should look up to you as an inspiration. So start your journey today, not for anyone else, but for yourself!!

#fitmomslife

By

Amrita Bhatia
Fittr Coach
INFS & NESTA Certified
Instagram @fittrwithamrita