It’s true, former Destiny’s Child girl group member Kelly Rowland is ‘preggers’ and the last time anyone saw her, she was in her workout clothes cycling with her trainer. And yes, she bore her belly for all to see. You may have guessed already where I am going with this; it is safe and in fact encouraged to exercise when pregnant – especially after the first trimester.
Why you may ask? Well, who wants a big floppy belly after the baby arrives? We all want to go back or even come close to how we looked before we made that big announcement, right? Well if so, then buckle up mom-to-be, and let’s get those abs ready for you after the baby is due.
However, ensure that you talk to your obstetrician first. Women with a high-risk pregnancy or a history of miscarriage may need to avoid exercise for safety reasons.
1. As you start it’s important to know that focusing exclusively on the abdominal muscles is a bad idea, whether or not you’re pregnant. Instead, think of your core as the rotational point for your whole body. When you’re doing aerobic exercise, such as walking or jogging, tighten your core to keep your body balanced.
During pregnancy, you’re particularly prone to injury, since your centre of gravity has shifted. Being mindful of your core will help prevent injury.
2. The plank pose uses the arms, glutes, thighs and abdominal muscles. So you not only get toned abs, but also stronger arms and thighs. Begin on your hands and knees with your wrists in line with your shoulders. Step back with one foot after the other.
Your body should be completely flat from head to ankles. Hold the pose for 10 seconds, and then relax back into the hands-and-knees position. Work your way up to holding the pose for 30 to 60 seconds.
And mommies who had no workout schedule when expecting their bundles will agree, getting back that pre-baby-body sometimes seems like a pipe-dream. We get it.
When you are faced with the choice of you versus baby, the baby will always win, but this does not mean you cannot tear yourself away from your new found joy to regain that old self-confident lady that could rock that fitting little black dress. It will only take 15 minutes of your time each day, all while in the comfort of your home.
Remember this is high-intensity interval workout, because we don’t have an hour to workout. You will do an exercise as hard as you can for 20 seconds, followed by ten seconds of rest. Then do another exercise for 20 seconds, followed by ten seconds of rest. It sounds easy, but after four minutes you should feel the effects of cortisol build-up. This is just a fancy word for PAIN.
1. Lie face up on the floor with your heels on the seat of a chair, knees bent. Position yourself so your hips are about six–eight inches behind your knees. Relax your arms by your sides. Keeping your lower back in contact with the floor, curl your torso upward, bringing ribs toward hips, until shoulder blades clear the floor.
2. Holding this position, tilt your pelvis under, press down with your heels for leverage, and use your abs to lift your pelvis off the floor until your legs and hips form a straight line. Lower buttocks to the floor, then lower upper torso.
Do one set of eight–12 reps; when that’s comfortable, add a second set of eight reps and build to 12 reps. You should feel your abdominals strengthening. And don’t forget to pace yourself, 20 seconds of workout, 10 seconds of rest, repeat.