Getting Back In Shape

I know I'm one of those lucky moms out there. I didn't have to exercise much after having my daughter to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I just had a baby and the next day I lost 34 lbs. It took about 4 months until I dropped all the pounds. While I'm not where I want to be ideally for my fitness level, it's something that I'm working on. 

Here are some of my tips to help you get back your body after baby (not just losing the weight but keeping things tight if you know what I mean):

1. Breastfeed, if you can. Hands down the best way I was able to shed the baby weight. It's probably the most awesome way to lose weight because not only are you benefiting, but your whole family is. You don't have to buy formula which helps your family save a good chunk of change. Baby gets fed and bonds with mommy. You get to eat more but still lose weight! 

2. Getting back into shape involves being able to physically move around. After having your baby there's a lot that needs to be healed. To make sure you don't strain your body and cause any damage that may make it so you can't move around, you need to take care of yourself. I used a heater on my belly for about 3 weeks after baby to heal my insides. I did this for about ten minutes at a time two times a day. I also drank a lot of warm liquids (Miso soup was my go to meal. It's not only easy to prepare, it tastes goof and is good for you.) and ate whole foods. Doing so puts less strain on your body and allows itself to heal.

3. Keep it tight! Some women say that the belly band doesn't work, but I feel that it did for me. I wore it around the house for most of the day for a few weeks after baby and my belly feels the way it did prior to getting pregnant. It's about $30 or so, I got mine from Babies-R-Us.

4. Drink a lot of water. Not only is it important if you are breastfeeding to stay hydrated, but doing so keeps you from eating when you're not really hungry. I got a huge thermos and just left it by my bedside so I wouldn't have to keep on going back to the kitchen.