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Tummy exercises
I was told that sit ups could make my stomach worse, as the two muscles have divided to let the uterus through and sit ups could push them farther apart, rather than bring them back together.
Has anybody been advised on what exercises should be done to restore tummies to pre-pregnancy states?!
Thanks x
Has anybody been advised on what exercises should be done to restore tummies to pre-pregnancy states?!
Thanks x
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Replies
I dont know about muscles or anything... not sure if mine are ok, will find out if I am safe to exercise properly tomorrow at my 6 week check.
xx
Jo xxx
Do I need to be careful of my abdominal muscles?
Most women develop a gap in their abdominal muscles as their belly expands during pregnancy and labor. It takes approximately four to eight weeks after giving birth for this gap to close.
If you start doing abdominal exercises before the gap closes, you risk injuring those muscles ???????? so make sure your belly is ready before you start:
??????????? Lie flat on your back with your knees bent.
??????????? Place the fingers of your left hand, palm facing you, just above your belly button. Place your right hand on your upper thigh.
??????????? Inhale, then exhale. As you exhale, lift your head and shoulders off the floor and slide your right hand up your thigh toward your knee. This will make your abdominal muscles tighten, and you should be able to feel the gap where the muscles have separated.
If the gap is three or more finger widths, you can gently begin to strengthen your abdominal muscles with pelvic tilts and leg slides. Once the gap narrows to only one or two finger widths, you can start doing crunches or sit-ups.
My MW has said it's good to be pulling in my abs when lifting (car seat etc) so static abdominal exercises beat in this early stage, as opposed to active ones.
I'm very excited to exercise again but not because I'm a psycho, it's just that sport is a massive part of my life (and has been since I was 4 y/o) and when I'm preggers, I really miss the adrenaline rush of it all! Definitely agree with Jo though that 'easy does it' is best approach in these early days, to avoid injury & allow for full post-partum recovery. It took me a year to get back in shape after Juliet because I didn't want to diet & I enjoyed great food the whole time! I did it though and taking same philosophy this time. Getting back to pre-preg shape & weight is a marathon, not a sprint, if you don't want to be hungry and miserable, that is!!
I'll stop rambling now. I'm very passionate about healthy exercising though so can't resist these types of threads!