If you’re looking to lose weight after baby, you may have been tempted by these, or you will certainly have seen then… Online ads or DVD covers offering regimes that promise to get you ‘ripped’, ‘tiny’ or give you ‘rock hard abs’. The workouts are proudly described as ‘tough’ with an emphasis on fast & dramatic weight loss.
It’s not difficult to see why some mums who are really motivated to lose the baby belly & get back into shape might be clicking ‘buy now’ with abandon!
But if it’s post natal weight loss you’re after, these programmes are really not designed for a body that gave birth in the last 6 months. And even if it was longer than that, unless your abdominal muscles & pelvic floor muscles (even after c-section) have been repaired & restored from the inside, this kind of workout could cause more harm than good.
Very high impact & other intensive moves could compromise already weakened muscles & lax joints for post natal women. They programmes may be generically effective & based on sound weight loss principles, but they’re really not appropriate for most mums.
There are physical reasons why these programmes may be unsuitable, but there are also logistical ones. The nutritional guidelines & time commitments needed (30 mins – an hour daily, plus complicated & hard to follow diet plans) are simply not realistic for most mums.
Fast weight loss & ab-focussed programmes will almost always include traditional crunches or sit ups, or some variation of these. Crunches (straight leg lifts / scissor legs or twisting oblique crunches are even worse!) will exacerbate a diastasis recti as well as produce intra-abdominal pressure which is the last thing you need after having a baby.
I know from women who have come to me that trying to follow such a program often leaves them exhausted & de-motivated because they feel they are constantly failing to follow them… Exercise routines that are too hard or too long & dietary guidelines that are unrealistic for a busy mum feeding a family, combined with the exhaustion of caring for young children is all just too much. Separate ingredients, separate meals & routines for mum because she’s ‘on a diet’ just don’t work. (It also doesn’t really set a great role model for healthy eating for kids )
Be nice to yourself! These ‘hard core’ workouts may be great once you’re all repaired & restored & recovered. But if you’ve had babies (however long ago you had them) you really need to address this as an integral part of any program you follow. Otherwise you really do risk injury, exhaustion or even issues in the future such as prolapse.
That body carried & birthed babies not so long ago… so don’t you think a little nurture as well as a health & fitness kick is in order? What do you think? Have you tried these types of workouts & have they worked for you?
For the 12 week MuTu System download go to mutusystem.com
Post by Wendy Powell
Find her on Twitter @MutuSystem
Great article Wendy must say I really love your videos so easy to follow and you have made it look easy!