Baby Momma’s Guide to losing the belly flab

 You’ve had the baby, and now it’s time to get you back into that prebaby shape.  What moves can a new mommy do that will help get her sexy pre-baby body back?   Can’t squeeze a personal trainer into the family budget?  There are a few things that you can do at home that will help you without hurting the pocket book.  We picked four exercise moves that will build a tighter core.  These exercises were selected because they target the major muscle groups that make up your mid-section.  If you can do these moves two or three times a day, you may not need those Spanx in your drawer. 

  C-SECTION BABY MOMMA’S:  DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE EXERCISES UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM YOUR DR. TO EXERCISE!!  THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOUR RECOVERY!  CHECK WITH YOUR OB FIRST TO DETERMINE WHEN YOU HAVE CLEARANCE  TO BEGIN STRENGTHENING YOUR CORE!

Plank with booty squeeze.  Get on to the floor lying face down.  Prop yourself up on your forearms.  Lift your lower body up by flexing your feet, bearing the weight of your body between your shoulders and your toes.  Pull in your belly button toward your spine while squeezing your booty at the same time.  Hold that pose for as long as you can working up to 1 minute intervals.  Do 10 reps. 

Side-lying V-ups-  This exercise targets the love handle region.  Lie on your side with your legs angled at 30 degrees in front of your hips.  Rest your left arm on the floor and put your top hand behind your head.  Lift your legs off of the floor, bringing your torso toward your legs.  Slowly return to start.  That’s one rep.  Do 15-25 reps on each side. 

Rotating Supermomma’s-  This one is harder than it looks.  Lying on your back, arms extended overhead and legs straight, tighten your core and raise your shoulders and legs about six inches off the ground.  Hold for 15 seconds, then roll onto your belly, keeping your arms and legs off the ground, as if you’re flying.  Hold for 15 seconds, then roll back.  That’s one rep.  Repeat 5-6 times.  To increase difficulty add hand, or ankle weights. 

Rock “n” raise aka Diaper Change- Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, knees pointed outward and soles of your feet touching.  Staying in this pose, slowly raise your legs until your toes are pointed toward the ceiling and your hips are slightly off the floor.  Return slowly to original position.  That’s one rep, try and do 20-25.  Add ankle weight to increase difficulty.

Baby momma’s this will help, but monitoring your diet, and trying to get as much sleep as you possibly can will also help.  Sleep deprivation contributes to belly fat.  We’ll explain more in another article.

*Images courtesy of Womeshealthmag.com