Our resident fitness expert, Equinox‘s Regional Group Fitness Manager Mark Hendricks, was recently on The Social to give new moms like co-host Melissa Grelo tips for getting back into pre-baby shape as safely as possible. Check out the four best exercises for the sport of motherhood below!
EXERCISE 1:
Lie down on your back, wrap a towel across your lower back and cross it over your belly. Do a crunch and pull the ends of the towel together, creating a girdle-like effect.
EXERCISE 2:
Balance on one leg while bending at the hip to lower your chest toward the floor.
EXERCISE 3:
Go on your knees, with your weights in front of you. Mimic the movement of putting your baby in a tub, picking baby up on one side and putting it down on the other side. This movement is real to the movements all moms will be doing in the upcoming weeks and months following childbirth.
EXERCISE 4:
Wrap an exertube around a pillar/support beam. Hold the end handle and turn sideways to create tension pulling you to the side. Brace your core and move the handle away from chest, then up over head, then back down to chest level, and back into your chest. This is a total body exercise that focuses on your core and is perfect for post-birth.
CARDIO:
If, like Melissa, you were an avid runner before having your baby, you might find high-cardio exercises more difficult now. Walking is the most that Mark recommends during this time. Stationary bike is also good as there is not skeletal pounding, but not everyone has a bike at home. Mark suggests an interval for walking that would raise the heart rate, but keep the exertion level low. For example: Walk at a brisk pace for a warm up, 30 second power walk, 30 second recover, 60 second power walk, 30 second recover, 90 second power walk, 30 second recover, etc.
Courtesy of The Social
