Bouncing Back after Baby
Pregnancy and motherhood have their own challenges; meet Tamara, a new mom! Before giving birth, she was full of energy and took great care of her fitness. She went to the gym almost every day and kept her calories in check. Due to this, she was always very confident about her body and bright.
As she got pregnant with her first child, still feeling quite enthusiastic, she went to the gym for yoga almost every day and made sure she took her supplements. All this worked out well for her, as she had the most beautiful pregnancy glow of all time! Along with other changes, she had a cute little bump that she loved.
However, during the fourth trimester, something changed, and she started feeling less confident and fell into a pool of insecurities. The journey had been positive, but the ending was messing up with her.
Postpartum Challenges
Postpartum life can be extremely hard on mothers; they are transitioning between being a new mom and recovering from labor and childbirth.
Tamara faced these challenges and had to juggle between taking care of the newborn and addressing the changes that her body had gone through. She knew that she had to address it and take charge of it. Amidst all the emotional challenges of being a new mom, a woman faces many physical changes as well, like weak core muscles, back pains, physical discomfort, etc.
3-month postpartum fitness transformation
Tamara knew she had to bounce back and regain her shape; it wasn’t just about the looks, but she wanted to be strong and fit for the new role in her life. She knew her mental and physical well-being was the key to her and her child’s happiness.
In this journey, she took help from healthcare professionals and trainers, which gave her a customized plan for her 3-month postpartum fitness transformation. She mainly focused on strengthening her core muscles and regaining her energy.
Exercise Routine
During pregnancy, a mother carries a lot of weight; after pregnancy, her lower body muscles are weakened, and she needs to gain her core strength back. These muscles require a workout that mainly targets these areas. Tamara planned a six-day workout plan for herself, but due to sudden life adjustments, she often took two days to rest.
Before starting any exercise regime, make sure to do light warm-ups and do not stop suddenly. Let your body cool down with various stretching.
So here is what she did each day:
Day 1: Chest and Abs
On day one, she focused on her chest and abs and also did treadmill for 30 minutes. The exercises she did were chest presses, dumbbell pullovers, wall pushups, crunches, oblique knee tucks, and leg raises.
Day 2: Glutes and Abdominal Muscles
On day 2, she focused on her abdominal body and glutes; she started with 30 minutes of treadmill and then did squats, dumbbell lunges, dumbbell bridges, fire hydrant, donkey kicks, stiff leg deadlifts, and calf raises.
Day 3: Biceps, Triceps and Abs
On day three, her focus was on her biceps, triceps, and abs muscles; she did treadmill for 30 minutes and then the following: Double hand hammer curls, bicep curls, bicep concentration curls, dumbbell skull crushers, bench dip, overhead triceps extension, triceps kickback, flutter kicks, crunches, plank, and leg raises.
Day 4: Arms and Abs
On day four, her focus was on arms and abs; she did treadmill for 30 minutes, and then dumbbell bent over rows, low one-arm standing rows, dumbbell deadlift, dumbbell upright rows, resistance band seated rows, knee crunches, plank, and leg raises.
Day 5: Shoulders and Sides
On day 5, her focus was on shoulders and sides. She did 30 minutes treadmill and then begin with exercises like dumbbell Arnold press, dumbbell front raise, dumbbell lateral raise, seated shrugs, dumbbell rear delts fly, and pleated side bends.
Day 6: Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves and Quadriceps
On day six, her focus was on glutes, calves, hamstrings and quadriceps. She did 30 minutes of treadmill and then begins with dumbbell bridges, jumping squats, dumbbell lunges, fire hydrant, dumbbell split squats, calf raises, leg raises, plank, high knees, dumbbell goblet squats, and dumbbell step-ups.
If you are not consulting a professional coach, then all of the above exercises are easily available on YouTube for you to follow. Do three sets of each exercise, and if you find the energy, try doing bike for 15 to 20 minutes.
The key is to stay consistent in whatever you decide to do. You will have low-energy days where you would not want to move, but don’t stress about it. Listen to your body! On slow days, make sure to get in at least 30 minutes of treadmill and cardio. On your rest days, relax your mind and body as much as possible. Have your cheat days, but don’t overeat, as it will cause discomfort. On your cheat days, it is suggested to eat what you are craving to avoid the extra calories.
Keep a calorie count, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Ensure you are taking all the necessary vitamins and nutrition as your body is still in the recovery stage and healing from a natural phenomenon.
Postpartum Physiological Changes
Due to pregnancy, a women’s body is drastically changed, and so it requires targeted exercises, as discussed above. Tamara made sure to strengthen her core and abdominal muscles as they were majorly affected by her pregnancy.
It meant she improved her posture and repaired her abdomen, so she had reduced back pain and was feeling fresh and bright like before. Her body felt light and right as she was doing all these exercises and taking in all the good nutrients consistently.
Tamara’s Mental Well-Being and Recovery
Tamara had read about women getting postpartum depression (PPD) and how they suffer, so she knew what to prepare for. She focused on her physical fitness and well-being, which helped her mental health as well. Exercising creates happy hormones (Endorphins) in our body, which deal with mood swings, low energy, stress, anxiety, and depression. Exercising helped boost her mood during the tough times.
Why Staying Consistent is the Key?
The key to Tamara’s success wasn’t an extensive high-intensity workout but instead her consistency. She made sure to remain consistent and not rush for instant results. Her body went through an entire journey of childbirth, and she couldn’t undo the marks in just one day.
So, with commitment, we can expect great results.
In Conclusion, Tamara’s 3-month postpartum fitness transformation is an inspiration. She stayed positive and didn’t rush, which gave her the results she was looking for. It is evident that with the right approach and guidance, you can bounce back to your desired shape.
