How Can Exercise Help to Shift the Mummy Tummy–Part III

Today, in the final part of this three part series, I’m going to discuss exercise, and in particular, the right exercise new moms need to be doing to help to shift their “mummy tummy.”

If you do no exercise at all and consume a poor diet, then your “mummy tummy” is pretty much there to stay.  Harsh words I know, but it’s quite true.  As I mentioned in Part II of this series, diet and exercise work in tandem and as the old saying goes, “You can’t out-train a bad diet!”

You may have heard of a fitness acronym called HIIT, this stands for High Intensity Interval Training.

So, what is it and what does it mean?  HITT is proven to be the one of the more successful ways of burning excess body fat, particularly around the mid-section. Training in this fashion takes your heart rate into different training zones,  making it work at different intensity levels, for example: high and low intensity/work and rest/50 seconds “on” 10 seconds “off.”  So, when training in this way, you might perform a cardio move such as step-ups, followed by a strengthening exercise such as a squat.

This form of training is gaining in popularity, but is HITT appropriate for postnatal women? Well, yes and no and certainly not immediately postpartum or even in the months that follow.

The reasons? Up-top, down-below and everything in between.  What I mean by that is, each woman’s recovery will be different based on her fitness level during pregnancy, the particulars of her labor/delivery, as well as her overall postpartum health and wellbeing.  The “up-top and down-below” stuff I am referring to is having increased breast size and heavy “mummy boobs” as well as a weakened pelvic floor.

So, if you went along to a class at six weeks postnatal and did burpees, jumping jacks and jump squats, chances are, you’d feel quite uncomfortable and/or find yourself with wet panties and I’d very much rather you didn’t.

So, it’s my job as an Pre & Postnatal Specialist, to provide you with a safe, and effective alternative to high intensity exercise while under my care.  Enter “One-on-One: Postpartum Recovery.”

If you are a new mom, this is THE session for you as it will help to clear the confusion regarding how to return to exercise safely and effectively.  We will create a plan to restore your core, help you to gain strength, and return to fitness!

Postpartum, it is vitally important to approach exercise in stages. I always suggest new moms do some core strength work first that focuses on pelvic alignment, pelvic floor, core, posture and stability, and then once they’ve got this mastered, that they then think about introducing some low-level cardiovascular training, resistance exercises, yet never stop focusing on their core/pelvic floor program, as this forms the very foundation of their body’s unit.

Once you’ve built that solid foundation, and only after that (bear in mind this can take months, possibly even years for some women), you can then start thinking about upping the intensity of your workouts to something along the lines of HITT.

So, because it can takes several months before your body is ready to work at a higher intensity, it’s no wonder your “mummy tummy” doesn’t shift as quickly as you’d like it to, huh?

Now, if you’re sitting here thinking, well, I go out for walks with my baby/stroller every day for 30-60 minutes at a time. I walk to the shops and back for a coffee.  I take the dog for a walk to the park every evening to give them some exercise etc, that’s great. But, how structured is this walk and more to the point, how hard/intense is that walk we’re talking about on a scale of 1-10? It’s probably around 4 or 5, isn’t it?

HITT is called High Intensity Interval Training, because it’s hard work! But, the hard work phases are shorter duration, so I’m not expecting you to train at a high intensity for 30 minutes – you simply wouldn’t be able to do it.

Now, I’ll let you into a little secret (well, it’s not that well-known if you’re a Fitness Professional), but, pushing your stroller for 30 minutes at the same speed, along the same level route to the park and back for the same long-duration/low-intensity actually isn’t burning fat, and it isn’t doing much to improve your fitness level either.

However, if, for example, you were to push your stroller at a brisk walking pace for two minutes (we’ve got to look after that pelvic floor/unstable joints here, remember – no jogging allowed), and then you drop your pace down to a real stroll for one minute, THEN you’d be burning fat, ok?  This is the “IT” part of HITT – High Intensity Interval Training.

So, what can you do to increase your chances of shifting your “mummy tummy” with exercise? Well, by taking your heart rate into different training zones, and working at a higher intensity for some of your workout, mixing it up with shorter intervals of high intensity/work versus low-intensity/rest phases, and coupling it with some nasty resistance exercises that you know and love like lunges/squats/press ups, plus your foundation work for your core/pelvic floor, THEN we’re very much in business to shredding some serous body fat.

You’ll now realize that the reason you’re struggling to lose your “mummy tummy” is a combination of a lot of different factors. There’s no one quick fix here, I’m afraid. Get all of the factors right though and you’re well on your way to banishing your “mummy tummy” for good.

Work with me one-on-one for an individualized program to banish that stubborn “mummy tummy” and return to fitness!

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Written in collaboration with Claire Mockridge, www.clairemockridge.com

Claire Mockridge is a qualified and experienced Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor and Pilates Teacher with a passion for fitness and wellbeing.  Teaching general exercise and Pilates classes in West Bridgford, Nottingham, Claire has a specialism in pregnant and postnatal fitness.

See more at: http:www.clairemockridge.com