Shape it up

Shift the baby weight naturally & get back into your skinny jeans 

Photo by Meg Kannan

A lot is going on during the weeks and months after the birth of your baby (whether this is baby #1, #2, #3...). When you're at the stage where you want to lose some of your baby weight you've come to the right place. You'll find lots of tips on active parenting in this blog.

For the first 8-12 weeks or so after having given birth it's recommended to stick to low-impact exercise, your body needs to heal and organs need time to move back into place. The type of exercise that you can do also depends on how much you were doing when you were pregnant, and what kind of birth you had. To know more, ask about exercise at your postnatal check-up (around 6-8 weeks after birth).

You can stay active in lots of ways even when you are not thinking about exercise. Soon after my son was born I took him for daily walks in the pram - to the shops, to meet a friend for tea or just to get out for some air. It always feels good to set a goal for the outing even if you aren't specifically going anywhere. To be out is the perfect activity, it helps with your energy levels and it structures your day a bit, plus it helps to beat the blues. 

A few weeks after birth I discovered the sling, this opened up a new world. Once I got the hang of using it I could just pop my baby into the sling, and go out hassle and hands-free. At home the sling was always on hand too, my baby would be very cosy, and I could take care of the chores.

When my daughter was born I used the buggy board with our pram. A summer stroll would turn into a good workout pushing them both along. My daughter also went into the sling from early on. As an added bonus I could keep up with my son if he wanted to go out on his scooter. My daily activity would mount up just by being out with the kids.

Fast forward to around 9 months and you can take your baby on a bike with a good baby seat. To cycle with a baby is really practical, you can easily get to those places that are just a little too far to walk to, and it goes without saying that cycling is a great way to exercise. I now have an awesome cargo bike, so I can take both of my children on my bike with extra 'cargo' - whatever we need to take with us. 

Exercising can also come in the form of unwinding. After a long day with your baby you could do with some unwinding (in between feeds!). This is the perfect time for a bit of light yoga or other floor exercises. Get your partner to hold the fort with your baby so you can have some active me-time, add some mindfulness music and switch off for a moment. Try and pick roughly the same time each day so it will become part of your routine. You don't have to keep going for ages, even 10 minutes will be great.

There are lots of ways to get active. When the activities are part of your day-to-day they won't be much effort... now hoovering may not be so bad after all ;)

• Take your baby for a long walk in the pram or stroller. 1 hour = 140-200 calories burned depending on your weight 
• Turn a walk into more of a workout - push your stroller by alternating walking with short running bursts (roughly double walking to running)
• You can also go for proper runs with the stroller
• If you want to take up 'stroller exercise' as a regular thing then invest in a running compatible stroller
• Pop your baby in the sling/baby carrier for a good chunk of the day - baby carrying will double the calories burned compared to walking. You'll have your hands free, so you can be active inside and out
• Dust off your bike. Leave your car at home and cycle - into town, the next village, a friend's house, or a nearby playground... A 20-minute bike ride = 220 calories
• Take public transport more often. Toddlers especially love to use transport and chances are that there will be a considerable amount of walking in between
• An effective bonus exercise is cleaning. When you put your energy into hoovering or mopping it is like a workout at the gym. A 30-minute hoovering or mopping blast will burn almost 100 calories. There is lots of cleaning to do with little ones around, but at least you'll know that it'll be part of your shape-up plan! When your baby is in bed and you're still tidying/cleaning put a good podcast on to make it more fun
• Cooking (without eating throughout of course) is another bonus exercise. Stand up and cook for 45 minutes = 110 calories (around 150 for 1 hour)
• Unwind with a good dose of yoga to recharge your batteries - a 20-minute yoga workout will burn between 70-200 calories depending on the type of yoga you do. If you are keen on your yoga you can work out its intensity using a yoga calculator
• Don't forget your pelvic-floor exercises. They are easy to do and really important to get your pelvic strength back

I would love to hear if you have any other daily exercise tips. Now go and enjoy the time with your baby actively and get stuff done – the multitasking life of a mum!