Rehabilitation fitness: exercises after childbirth. Exercises after childbirth or how to safely and effectively get back into shape Postpartum abdominal exercises

Gymnastics after childbirth is an integral part of the complex aimed at the complete and effective return of the body to its usual, prenatal state. The sooner you start physical exercise, the sooner the final return to normal proportions will occur.

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Your figure changed during pregnancy and you want to return to your previous proportions after giving birth? But are you afraid to do gymnastics because you have heard about the dangers of physical activity in the postpartum period? Let's dispel some myths about not exercising after childbirth.

• “I just gave birth, my body is weakened, I’m not able to do gymnastics to lose weight and tighten my stomach.”

The first four weeks after the maternity hospital, gymnastics is contraindicated only for those who have undergone childbirth by cesarean section, the natural consequence of which was sutures. The rest are recommended to start doing simple gymnastics already in the ward of the maternity hospital.

• “I will go on a diet to lose weight.”

Dieting helps you lose weight – it’s a reliable fact. However, will a diet help normalize stretched transverse muscles and strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle?

• “I don’t have time, because caring for a child eats up all of it.”

You don’t even suspect that you are doing simple exercises in combination with while you cook, wash, clean, or carry a child in your arms.

The issue of losing weight is a sore subject for women returning home after maternity hospital. Since resorting to diets is strictly not recommended for nursing mothers, all that remains is gymnastics for weight loss.

What kind of gymnastics can you do?

To strengthen the abdominal muscles, you need to systematically resort to several simple exercises. This gymnastics does not require even five minutes a day and, with proper regularity, will give a noticeable effect.

There are many known sports techniques developed by eminent masters. Difficult to perform, taking too much time from young mothers. It is better not to use such complexes in the first months after childbirth. Below are basic and effective exercises that will help you achieve tangible results in the shortest possible time.

Abdominal retraction

Place a gymnastic mat on the floor surface and begin the exercise. Take a position lying on your back, bend your knees and firmly press your feet to the floor. Place the palms of your hands on your stomach, exhale strongly, and at the same time tense your abdominal muscles. Hold this position for 4 seconds. After the specified period, take a full, leisurely breath. Repeat the exercise at least eight times in one approach.

Bridge

The exercise is not similar to the “bridge” that gymnasts perform at world championships. After childbirth, gymnastics is exclusively health-improving in nature. Therefore, take a position similar to the one you occupied when performing abdominal retraction. Place your hands behind your head, weave the phalanges into a lock. Exhale strongly and lift your pelvis 20-25 cm from the floor, while simultaneously drawing in your stomach. You will definitely feel how your buttock muscles tighten.

The exercise may be difficult for beginners. Therefore, do not be alarmed if it turns out to be difficult or even impossible to complete the first time. Start with a small number of repetitions, gradually increasing the pace and load. For women who are in good physical shape, we complicate the process by pressing the chin to the chest, simultaneously with raising the pelvis.

Breathing exercises

Having completed the bridge exercise, not in my position, we move on to the next exercise. Bend your knees, with your feet 20 cm apart. Place your hands on your stomach, palms down. Calm your breathing and take a slow, full breath. Exhale just as calmly, accompanied by the sound “haaa”. As you exhale, draw in your stomach while stroking with your hands. Directional strokes should be performed carefully and effortlessly, from the pubic area to the navel area. Perform up to 10 repetitions.

The following exercise is suitable as a method for strengthening the abdominal muscles after childbirth. Lie on your stomach with a pillow under it. Transfer your body weight to elbow joints. Inhale, then as you exhale, move your pelvis forward. Simultaneously with the next inhalation, return to the starting position. Be careful not to put excessive pressure on your chest.

Vertical press

Starting position – standing facing the wall. Place your hands on the wall in such a way as to ensure a tight fit between your hands and forearms. Bend your legs slightly at the knee joints, place them shoulder-width apart. Contract your abdominal muscles as if you were stretching your left elbow towards your right knee, then vice versa. In fact, it turns out that muscles work without performing movements.

Elimination of varicose veins

To perform the exercise, go to the “lying on your back” position. Bend your legs at the knee joints, and bring your feet together, pressing them firmly to the floor surface. The position of the hands is along the line of the body, the palms, like the feet, are pressed to the floor. After this, proceed directly to the exercise: without separating your knees, straighten your legs, while simultaneously squeezing your toes with force at least ten times. Return to the starting position. To get the desired effect, perform 5 approaches every day.

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During the period when a woman carries her unborn baby for nine months, a significant restructuring occurs in almost all systems of her body. Due to the increased overall load and hormonal changes The woman’s weight increases, and as a result, after the birth of the baby overweight the young mother still has them.

Without a doubt, every young mother wants to return to her previous shape as quickly as possible. But in the postpartum period, the body is weakened, a reverse restructuring of all systems occurs, and very often, in order to return to the previous weight, you have to not only limit yourself in nutrition, but also ensure sufficient physical activity.

In general, the postpartum period lasts about eight weeks: during this time, the restructuring of the body occurs most actively. Due to such high tension, doctors do not advise practicing too much physical tension at this time. But still postpartum gymnastics can gradually be introduced into the lifestyle of a young mother from the first weeks. The main condition is that exercises in the first days after childbirth should be as gentle as possible, and the load can be increased gradually, from day to day.

Basic rules of postpartum gymnastics

It is optimal to start playing sports after the birth of a child only after consulting with your doctor: he will be able to determine whether the recovery process is proceeding normally and will tell you which exercises can be practiced now, and which loads are best avoided for now.

The main task facing a woman who intends to gradually introduce postpartum gymnastics into her daily routine is the restoration of posture, gait, and the return of the normal tone of all muscles that have lost elasticity during the period (in particular, we are talking about the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles).

Also, gymnastics after childbirth helps to return the pelvic and abdominal organs to their normal position, activates blood circulation, breathing, and helps normalize the state of the nervous system.

In order for postpartum gymnastics to bring maximum benefit to the young mother and contribute to both physical and emotional recovery, several important points should be taken into account.

When starting to do exercises every day, you need to go from simple to complex, gradually increasing the load. It is advisable to perform a set of exercises every day that is at least slightly different from the previous one. Boring gymnastics, monotonously repeated day after day, can negatively affect the general condition of the body and have no effect in terms of weight loss. In addition, there is a high risk that such activities may simply bore the young mother.

In the first weeks of classes, gymnastics should be performed every day. When the intensity of physical activity and the total duration of the session increases significantly, the number of such workouts can be reduced to 3 times a week.

A woman who has recently given birth to a child should perform all movements smoothly and slowly; if necessary, immediately make a short stop and restore breathing.

For training, you need to choose suitable clothes - comfortable, not restrictive to the body. Recumbent exercises should be performed while lying on a flat floor surface. Before training, it is important to thoroughly ventilate the room so that during the exercises the woman deeply inhales clean and fresh air.

Before starting gymnastics, a young mother must empty her bladder and bowels. It is advisable to take a thoughtful approach to the time of training: it is optimal to do a set of exercises about one hour before meals and after the baby has finished feeding. The fact is that in the process of intense loads, production occurs lactic acid , which can change the taste of milk. If you exercise too much, milk production may decrease slightly. Therefore, it is recommended both during physical training and after performing exercises to drink as much fluid as possible - preferably plain clean water.

During the postpartum period, the preferred types of physical activity are walking with a stroller and swimming. In winter you can go skiing and ice skating. But with strength exercises, cycling, running, as well as extreme exercises and sports, it is advisable to wait at least a few months.

Exercises from the postpartum gymnastics complex in the first days after childbirth

Whatever set of exercises a young mother chooses, before starting the main part, you should do a short five-minute warm-up. If a woman exercises for at least an hour, then warming up can take up to ten minutes.

The beginning of the warm-up can be deep breathing - several very deep inhalations and exhalations. Next comes the stretching: you need to stretch up, then bend down and touch the floor with your fingers. The warm-up can include wide arm swings in different directions, up and down, and steps in place.

Almost the next day after the birth of the baby, provided there are no complications and good health, the new mother can perform simple exercises.

While lying down, you can twirl your hands at face level for several minutes, imitating washing in a unique way. In the same position, you need to tuck your legs one by one, sliding them along the surface of the floor.

While lying down, you should lift your pelvis up. In this case, the legs are bent at the knees, and the hands are behind the head. You can sit down several times from a lying position, while waving your arms, trying to reach your toes. It is also recommended to perform light movements, making a “bicycle”. Then you can roll over onto your stomach and, clasping your hands under your chin, lift your legs one by one, holding them a little in a suspended position. You can also lift your legs up one at a time while standing on all fours. All exercises are performed ten times. After this, clench and unclench your toes ten to fifteen times. These simple exercises are useful both for preventing the development and for training weakened abdominal muscles.

There are other postpartum gymnastics complexes that can be practiced the very next day after a grand event in the mother’s life. Exercises that involve deep breathing are very useful. It is important that the lower abdomen is involved in the process of inhalation and exhalation.

For the first exercise, you need to lie on your back and bend both legs at the knees. Hands are on the stomach. Inhale through the nose, slowly, exhale through the mouth. When exhaling deeply, the stomach should be stroked from below to the navel. It is important that no pressure is applied to the abdomen: movements should be light. This exercise is repeated 15-20 times. After this, the woman should roll over onto her stomach. To make lying more comfortable, place a small pillow under your stomach. Breathing is done from the lower abdomen, it should be as deep as possible. When you exhale, the pelvis moves upward. Such exercises help improve the functioning of a woman’s cardiovascular system, activate blood flow, stimulate metabolism . In addition, by performing breathing exercises for several weeks, you can perfectly prepare your muscles for further more intense exercise. The total duration of gymnastics in the first days after childbirth should not exceed 10-15 minutes. But you can perform such simple workouts several times a day. But it is extremely important that a woman under no circumstances exercise too intensely in the first days after giving birth: she absolutely must not overexert herself.

Women who have suffered , should postpone physical activity until your doctor allows you to do light exercises.

Already in the maternity hospital, the young mother should remember the so-called Kegel exercises . To perform this exercise correctly, the pelvic floor muscles need to be pulled in as you inhale and relaxed as you exhale. Gymnastics afterward must necessarily include such an exercise, since it is extremely important for restoring the elasticity of the vaginal muscles. In order for muscle tone to be restored as quickly as possible, this exercise should be repeated every day at least a hundred times, performing it in several approaches throughout the day.

All the described exercises can be varied at your own discretion. There is no need to perform those that cause a persistent feeling of discomfort. The main thing is that the activity brings pleasure, and after it there is a feeling of vigor, not fatigue.

Exercises from the postpartum gymnastics complex during the recovery period

Around the third week, more complex exercises can be introduced into the postpartum gymnastics complex, which help strengthen the tone of the body muscles. It is advisable to diversify the set of exercises in a lying position. So, you can perform alternate leg lifts: straightening your leg at the top, a woman can hold her leg in this position and work with her toe, alternately pulling it towards her and pulling it back. On the following leg lifts, you should make rotational movements. Repeat lifting each leg 15-20 times.

In a lying position, the arms are extended along the body. As you exhale, your legs should be pulled toward your chest one at a time. The exercise on each leg is repeated 6 times. After completing the approach, you should straighten up, stretching out in a string: your toes are pulled in one direction, your fingers in the other.

Lying on your stomach, your hands should be folded under your forehead with the back of your head. Exhaling air, lift your upper body up. Hands remain pressed to the floor surface. You cannot throw your head back: it is in line with the spine. The lift is repeated 6-7 times.

It is useful to introduce the well-known “cat” exercise into the general complex of postpartum gymnastics: to perform it, you need to get on all fours and bend your back as much as possible, rounding it. While performing this exercise, you should also retract the muscles of the perineum.

An exercise is also performed on all fours, which helps strengthen the tone of the muscles of the perineum and abdomen at the same time. To do this, you need to lower yourself onto your elbows, exhale air and bring your shoulder blades together. As you inhale, the shoulder blades spread, and the back rounds as much as possible, as in the case of performing the “cat”. Remaining in this position, you should retract the perineum and abdomen as much as possible. As you exhale, maximum relaxation follows.

Another exercise should be performed while sitting on a chair. In this case, you need to straighten your back as much as possible and pull in your stomach. The legs are located approximately shoulder width apart. In this position, bends to the sides are performed. In this case, you need to reach the floor with your palm. You need to bend over 6-7 times in each direction. However, for women who had sutures placed on the perineum during childbirth, it is better not to perform sitting exercises for several more weeks. You can also bend to the sides alternately from a standing position: this exercise helps shape the waistline.

In a standing position, you can do any simple exercises aimed at training the abdominal muscles, arms, and legs. Exercises that include movements of the pelvis are useful: for example, standing on your knees slightly bent (with your legs together), you should swing your pelvis back and forth, draw a circle in one direction and the other. When performing rotational movements, you should try to strongly retract your stomach. As you inhale, you need to stop, as you exhale, continue moving forward.

After completing a set of exercises, you should rest a little, lying on the floor on your stomach or back. In this case, breathing should be very deep.

At home, it is useful to include several exercises with dumbbells in the general complex of postpartum gymnastics. So-called resistance exercises to strengthen muscles are performed with light dumbbells (their weight should not exceed 1 kg).

In addition, after the postpartum 6-8 weeks, you can perform full abdominal exercises (sit down from a lying position), do push-ups from the floor.

Another option for quite fun postpartum gymnastics is doing exercises together with the baby and dad. While the child is small, he can act as a kind of “projectile”: the baby can be lifted on bent legs, squatted with a kangaroo backpack in which the baby is sitting. And later, the baby will gradually get used to the fact that daily gymnastics is the norm. In addition, activities with the mother always bring joy to a rapidly growing child.

Even with good genetics, women who have recently become mothers are dissatisfied with the changes that have occurred in their figure after the birth of a child. This moment increases the risk of dangerous condition– . Women are especially distressed by the condition of their abdomen. Exercises after childbirth for the abdomen are a tool available to every young mother that will allow her to regain her former shape.

What's happening to the stomach?

During the last trimester, a pregnant woman gets tired of a huge, uncomfortable belly. I want to give birth as soon as possible so I can pull on skinny jeans and go for a walk with my baby. However, in the postpartum period it turns out that the stomach has not shrunk enough.

It remains approximately the same as at 4-6 months of pregnancy, and at the same time looks flabby and saggy. Often stretch marks appear on it and a dark longitudinal pigment line remains, dividing the body in half. Why is this happening?

The uterus is stretched

The fetus grows and develops in the uterus for 9 months, the weight of which at the time of birth averages 3.5 kg, and its height is 51-54 cm. It is not surprising that the organ, under the pressure of an enlarging child, stretches significantly.

Contraction of the uterus occurs after childbirth for several months. Even thin girls with abdominal muscles pumped up before pregnancy have to deal with this.

A tummy immediately after childbirth is an inevitable and completely natural phenomenon.

Abdominal muscles soften

The muscles of the anterior abdominal wall, under the influence of the hormone relaxin produced during pregnancy, soften and become elastic. This is necessary so that they stretch and diverge under the pressure of the growing uterus.

After the baby is born, everything usually falls into place - but not immediately (and, unfortunately, not always: a complication such as diastasis often arises).

The fat layer increases

During pregnancy, hormonal changes occur in a woman's body and the percentage of body fat increases. Its function is protection developing fetus from negative external influences.

For obvious reasons, most of the fat accumulates in the abdomen. And after childbirth, it takes effort to once again enjoy beautiful abs and a slim figure.

Skin sags

Sagging skin adds extra centimeters to an already damaged waist. The epidermis had to stretch unusually as the abdomen grew, and the skin cannot instantly return to its previous state.

Every woman is dissatisfied with the condition of her stomach after the birth of her baby. But the severity of the problem depends on a number of factors:

• Body type. In thin girls, due to the absence of excess fat, the stomach stretches less and, therefore, goes away faster.
• Child's turns. With every next baby the anterior abdominal wall is more deformed and more difficult to return to its original form.
• Conditions of the muscular frame of a woman in labor before conception.
• Lifestyle during pregnancy. Has there been adequate physical activity or the woman moved little.
• Size of the fetus and number of children. Everything is logical here: a large child and multiple pregnancy cause greater stretching of the uterus, muscles and skin.
• Type of feeding. helps burn fat and increase the speed of uterine contractions.
• Heredity. Some lucky women manage to acquire an ideal shape without any extra effort in a matter of months.

What to do?

To quickly return to a slender, chiseled figure, there are 2 tools: dietary adjustments and exercises for the abdomen after childbirth. But sweet, fatty and smoked foods will have to be excluded from the diet, which is beneficial not only for the figure, but also for the well-being of the baby who receives breast milk everything that his mother eats.

You should also avoid so-called “empty” calories:

• snacks;
• carbonated drinks;
• fast food.

A nursing mother cannot strictly limit herself in nutrition: this will affect both her health and the quality of her milk.

Adequate exercise stress, which involves performing exercises aimed at strengthening the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall - just what you need.

Visiting the gym - perfect option, but often a young mother cannot afford to leave her baby for a long time. But home workouts are available to everyone.

And the child will not be a hindrance here, because allocating 15-20 minutes during the day to perform the complex is not a problem.

When can you start training?

There's no need to rush. Exercises that will help remove belly fat after childbirth should be performed after the body has been restored, weakened by powerful changes - when the child is at least 7-9 weeks old.

If the baby was born through, or the woman had stitches, you will have to wait until 2.5-3 months. Otherwise, consequences cannot be excluded: suture divergence, prolapse of the vaginal walls, increased intra-abdominal pressure.

In order to lose weight during this delicate period, it is better to pay attention to nutrition: give up sweets, fried foods, and fatty foods.

Home workouts: general principles

Following simple principles will allow you to achieve good results without harming your health in the shortest possible time:

• one hour before training and about the same time after training, you cannot eat;
• Exercises with weights should not be practiced;
• during the execution of the complex, the press must be in a tense state;
• you need to monitor the technique: the work is done to achieve a result, so it is better to do 25 correct exercises than 55 defective ones;
• classes should be regular: the abs are formed by performing the complex at least three times a week;
• the number of approaches and the number of exercises should increase gradually - this is especially true for women who have not previously been involved in sports (however, it is better for those who visited a sports club before pregnancy after a forced break to be more careful).

Before starting the exercises, it is recommended to do some stretching:

• 1st option: while inhaling, the anterior abdominal wall is rounded as much as possible, while exhaling, it is retracted and fixed in this position for several seconds (perform 10 approaches);
• 2nd option: lying on your stomach, you need to bend back as much as possible and freeze for 5-7 seconds (you also need to do it 10 times).

Effective exercises

Exercises that help strengthen the muscular frame of the anterior abdominal wall and burn excess fat will help to remove the belly after childbirth:

1. Abs pumping. The exercise, familiar to most from school days, is performed lying on the floor with your hands behind your head and your legs bent at the knees. Rhythmic lifts of the body are performed at a pace, but without haste or fuss.
2. Working out the lower abs. Lying on the floor, we raise our legs, trying to maximize the distance from the heels to the floor.
3. Side bends. With our feet shoulder-width apart, we try to reach the floor alternately with our right and left hands.
4. Pelvic lifts. Lying on the floor, we raise the pelvis up, while tensing the abdominal muscles, and stay in this position for 10-12 seconds. A minimum of 10 repetitions is required.
5. Plank. Difficult, but effective exercise, aimed at strengthening the deep abdominal muscles. To perform it, we lie on our stomach, lean on our forearms (a right angle is formed between the shoulder and forearm) and gradually lift our chest, stomach and knees from the surface. As a result, 2 fulcrum points are formed - toes and forearms. The body is fixed in this position for 20-30 seconds (to begin with, then the time gradually increases). In this case, the pelvis should not move up and down.
6. Wall squats. We stand against the wall, pressing our back close to it, then put our feet shoulder-width apart and take a step forward. After this, we begin a smooth slide down until the thighs are parallel to the floor. The next stage is lifting without using your hands. A couple of sets of 14-15 repetitions is enough.
7. Leg raises. Exercise helps shape your waist. To perform it, lie on your side and raise your leg until it forms a right angle with the floor. Ideally, a couple of sets of 20 repetitions (alternating the work of the right and left legs).
8. Cross twists. Lying on the floor with our hands behind our heads, we raise our shoulder blades and bend our knees, pulling them up in our chest. Then we straighten our left leg, simultaneously reaching with our left elbow to our right knee, after which we do everything exactly the opposite: we straighten our right leg and touch our left knee with our right elbow. The number of approaches and repetitions is determined by the woman’s capabilities: the more, the better. The exercise trains the oblique abdominal muscles, which form a beautiful waist.

If a woman is diagnosed with postpartum diastasis, some of the above exercises are contraindicated.

Diastasis is a complication after pregnancy and childbirth, manifested by excessive separation of the abdominal muscles. Under the pressure of the growing uterus, a woman’s muscles, softened by the hormone relaxin, diverge.

Normally, after the baby is born, everything falls into place within 2-3 months. But if a girl had problems with weight before pregnancy, or carried a large baby (or 2 or more children), the muscles never connect.

As a result, diet and exercise do not help: a sagging, protruding belly cannot be removed by any means. In addition to a cosmetic defect, the unpleasant condition can manifest itself as pain.

Moreover, with a high degree of diastasis (muscle discrepancy of 10 cm or more), traditional complexes for shaping the abs are dangerous: there is a high risk of prolapse of internal organs or the formation of a hernia with subsequent pinching of organs.

For women facing diastasis, gentle exercises are suitable:

• cat – performed 10-15 times from the “on all fours” position: exhale – round the back and draw in the stomach, inhale – return to the starting position;
• leg bending - performed in a lying position by alternately bending and straightening the legs (the feet slide along the floor);
• compression - starting position lying down (knees bent, feet on the floor, a towel is stretched under the lower back, the ends of which are in the hands of the trainee): as you exhale, raise your head and shoulders, tightening your waist tightly with the towel, inhale - return to the floor.

Home workouts

Regularly performing exercises to lose belly fat after childbirth is a necessary condition for a slim body. beautiful figure. But the maximum effect and maintenance of results is achieved by combining the complex with so-called household workouts - exercises that are easy to perform without interrupting your daily routine.

While performing daily household chores you can:

• draw in the anterior abdominal wall as you exhale and relax as you inhale;
• in the shower, regularly rub your stomach with cold water;
• while swimming in a pond (or working out in a pool), massage your stomach by clasping your palms horizontally and moving them at a distance of 4 cm from the anterior abdominal wall;
• be in the “back straight, stomach pulled in” position as often as possible - gradually this will become a habit;
• walk more with a stroller: walking at an average pace in the fresh air with weights in the form of transport with a baby is an effective cardio workout.

When can I expect results?

This question is especially of concern to young mothers. It all depends on a number of factors:

• intensity and regularity of training;
• adherence to the principles of healthy eating;
• heredity and the condition of a woman’s figure before pregnancy;
• type of feeding - breast or artificial.

On average, subject to regular exercise, after 2 months a muscular frame is formed that holds the abdominal wall and provides the chiseled outline of the body.

A beautiful figure or a child? The ultimatum today is not unique. There is no need to explain the birth of a baby as an imperfection in your figure. Self-organization and a little effort are what is required to achieve the coveted flat stomach.

Useful video about abdominal exercises after childbirth

Replies

Guru breathing exercises bodyflex, the only licensed figure correction specialist in Russia using breathing techniques, Marina Korpan, has developed a set of exercises that will help women who have become mothers gain a beautiful slim figure without strict diets and exhausting workouts in the gym. In her new book, “My Slim Mom,” Marina tells how, spending no more than 25 minutes a day, you can get the body of your dreams.

Basic rules of bodyflex

• It is necessary to exercise not just on an empty stomach, but on an empty stomach. Exercising on an empty stomach forces the body to burn fat. If you eat immediately before training, your body will burn carbohydrates rather than fat.
• You don't have weekends or holidays. "Bodyflex" must be done every day within 1-2 months.
• Exercise in the morning, then your metabolism will remain elevated until the evening. And everything you eat during the day will not be stored as fat.
• Your workout should not exceed 20-25 minutes.
• Eat after training you can only in 1 hour.

Breathing technique. Stage 1. Exhale through the mouth

Stage 4. Holding your breath and pulling your stomach under your ribs

After we have done the “groin”, we hold our breath, tilt the body parallel to the floor, slightly round the upper back, direct the chin to the jugular cavity, make a throat lock (we strain the neck muscles, feeling the effect of “swallowing saliva”). At the same time, the lower lock is activated: we strain the muscles of the perineum and internal genital organs. You should feel how your internal organs rise from bottom to top, while the abdominal muscles (rectus muscle) do not participate in retracting the abdomen. At first glance, this may seem complicated, but this is exactly what needs to be done so as not to harm your internal organs and quickly achieve the effect of losing weight. Please note that simply retracting the abdomen cannot reduce the size of the stomach and, therefore, reduce appetite. And never ignore body tilt!

You will notice how your stomach will literally be sucked under your ribs. As soon as you have the first desire to inhale, be sure to inhale.

Attention!

Under no circumstances should you hold your breath for a long time in the initial stages of training. The breath hold can vary from 4 to 10 seconds.

Stage 5. Inhale

After holding your breath and performing the exercise, you can inhale through both your mouth and nose. After inhaling, the abdominal muscles relax. The most important thing that you must understand and remember at this stage is that if you hold your breath for up to 10 counts, then on the 9th count you must relax all your muscles, return to the starting position from which you started breathing, and already at rest take a breath. If you cannot withstand a delay of 10 counts, then the scheme is the same. If you want to inhale at the 5th second, then relax at the 4th and calmly inhale at the 5th count. Try repeating the breathing steps several times. Don't worry if you don't succeed the first time. It is impossible in 10 minutes to learn to breathe as you have not breathed your entire life.

Attention!

By taking a very sharp breath after holding your breath, you put a tremendous strain on the heart. You should have a natural desire to inhale, and you take a calm breath.

Exercise “Diamond”: for the muscles of the arms and chest

It is aimed at reducing fat deposits in the shoulder area, strengthening the muscles of the arms and chest.

Technique:

1. Starting position: stand straight, legs apart. Execute breathing exercise, hold your breath, pull in your stomach and take the next position.

2. Raise your arms to chest level and join your fingers to form a semicircle in front of you, as shown in the figure.

3. Round your upper back slightly. While holding your breath, begin to press as hard as possible on each other with your fingertips.

4. After 8-10 seconds, relax your arms, lower them, and inhale.

This will not only strengthen your pelvic floor and abdominal wall, but will also support uterine repair and protect you from thrombosis. But, most likely, at the moment you are still too weak and need peace rather than setting another task that requires new efforts from you. Then it’s better to give up gymnastics for now and don’t worry. For optimal recovery, it will be enough if you start doing appropriate exercises 4-8 weeks after giving birth.

If you feel well and have the appropriate mood, you can attend recreational gymnastics classes, which are held in most parent schools. Your midwife or physiotherapist will also show you exercises that you can do on your own in your bed. At first these will be light warm-ups, mainly designed to help you get used to your new body. Now that the belly has disappeared, you suddenly feel very light. But perhaps sometimes you feel like you are not strong and protected enough. Then it’s time to feel that the pelvic floor is a reliable support for your body.

It's better not to rush

For pain, swelling or inflammation in the perineal area, which may appear after birth injuries (rupture or cut of the perineum), pelvic floor exercises can only be started on the 7-8th day after childbirth. And after a cesarean section, you should refrain from exercising your abdominal muscles for about 14 days. In both cases, your doctor or midwife must give you the go-ahead to exercise.

Exercises for the pelvic floor in the early postpartum period

Pelvic floor tightening

• STEP 1: Lower the back of the hospital bed, lie on your back, relax and place a pillow under your lower back.
• STEP 2. Cross your outstretched legs, arms resting loosely at your sides, palms up.
• STEP 3. Take a deep breath and exhale.
• STEP 4. Squeeze your buttocks tightly and at the same time try to pull the anus and vagina upward, towards the navel.
• STEP 5. Count to four, release tension, relax your legs. Repeat the exercise two more times.

New support

• STEP 1: Lie on your back and place a pillow under your lower back.
• STEP 2. The arms lie freely along the body, palms up, the legs are slightly bent at the knees and rest on the feet.
• STEP 3. Spread your knees loosely and press the soles of your feet together as firmly as possible.
• STEP 4. Do not try to press your knees to the bed - this is not at all necessary.
• STEP 5. With muscular effort, pull the anus and vagina upward, towards the navel, and count to four.
• STEP 6. Release tension, relax and repeat the exercise two more times.

Tension - relaxation

Lie on your side with your knees slightly bent.

• STEP 1. One hand lies freely in front of you, the other rests on top along the body.
• STEP 2: Squeeze your vaginal muscles very tightly for a moment and relax again.
• STEP 3. Alternate tension and relaxation without interruption, as if you were closing your eyes tightly and opening them again.
• STEP 4. After flashing five times, rest a little, breathe calmly and deeply.
• STEP 5. Repeat the exercise two more times and then roll over to the other side.
• STEP 6. Repeat the entire exercise again in a new position.

Inappropriate postpartum exercises

During the early postpartum period, avoid any positions that cause pain in the perineum, especially if you have birth injuries. Exercises such as sit-ups (often called sit-ups) weaken the pelvic floor as the abdominal muscles put uncontrolled pressure on it, which can lead to prolapse of the uterus and persistent muscle weakness.

Therefore, in the first weeks after giving birth, exercise only under the guidance of a competent specialist and first ask your doctor or midwife if you can start gymnastic exercises at all.