Size zero A list mums may be all over the front pages, but in real life your tum might not spring back to its pre-baby state easily. However, the good news is you can get trim and toned without getting a personal trainer or going under the knife.
Fortunately, nature can be kind as well as miraculous, and your muscles will regain a lot of their tautness naturally, especially after your first baby and if you’re reasonably fit and a healthy weight. However, for the rest of us, more effort may be required to cut the slack.
Targeted exercise is the only way to de-flab your abs without resorting to surgery (and better for you all round, not to mention a lot less painful and non-invasive). Here's how to get yourself a yummy mummy tummy.
Crunches
A tried and tested method for toning your tummy, whether you’re a mum or a marathon runner, or both, is regular sit-ups or crunches. Try and do them five times a week. Check with your GP first if you have any back problems.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor as close to your bottom as possible. You could also try the butterfly crunch, in which you place you feet soles together instead of flat on the floor, with your knees bent out to the sides.
- Rest your hands on your chest or behind your head and relax your neck.
- Look up at the ceiling, contract your stomach muscles and slowly raise your shoulders from the floor using only your stomach muscles to lift you, keeping your lower back on the floor.
- Breathe in, hold the position for a count of 10 then breathe out.
- Slowly relax your stomach muscles and allow your shoulders to return to the floor (or almost to the floor once you’ve built up stamina).
- Repeat 10 to 15 times, rest for a minute then repeat once more.
- You can make it more effective than the standard crunch by bringing your legs up one by one, bent at the knee, when you lift your shoulders from the floor and, touching your left elbow to your right knee followed by right elbow to your left knee as you crunch.
The plank
The plank is even more effective at flab busting than crunches, says Melinda Nicci, a fitness consultant specialising in pre- and post-natal exercise and founder of fitness programme, baby2body.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Lie flat on your front.
- Bend your arms and place your hands at either side of your chest, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- Keeping your back flat, push yourself up onto your knees so that your upper body is off the floor, supporting yourself on your hands and knees.
- Keep your back flat and pull in your tummy as high as possible as if you’re trying to draw it up to your spine. (Do the plank in front of a mirror if you can to check that your back’s straight.)
- Breathe normally and hold this position for up to one minute.
- Lie back down on your front to rest, then repeat twice.
- ‘Aim to do the plank at least five times a week,’ says Melinda’ and you should see an effect within four to five weeks. But if you want to really get your body sculpted, ‘you have to do some form of cardiovascular exercise and eat healthily,’ she adds.
Pilates
‘In 10 sessions, feel the difference; in 20, see the difference, in 30 you’ll have a new body, ’ as claimed by Joseph Pilates, founder of the favoured exercise regime of a roll-call of toned celebs including Jennifer Aniston, Uma Thurman and Madonna.
But behind the hype, Pilates is a great exercise for mummy tummies. ‘Pilates can’t get rid of the stretched skin. But it can return your tummy to one that might entertain your jeans again,’ says Pilates coach and mum, Lindsey Jackson. Pilates uses stretching and holding positions to build your body’s core strength and improve your posture.
‘Pilates is a fabulous way of getting back into shape after having a baby. It can be safely done after your six week check and some moves can also be done immediately post birth,’ says Lindsey. ‘Suitable for mums who’ve had a ‘C’ section, Pilates improves core strength. I’ve taught women who, even years post-birth, have managed to get their abs pulled back in.’ Lindsey recommends a 10 minute Pilates workout every day ‘to feel the difference within a few weeks.'
Wait until at least six weeks after the birth of your baby - longer if you had complications or a caesarean- and always check with your GP before you start any exercise.
