Exercise after childbirth seems like a long-term goal. However, even in the eighties of the last century, women were recommended to start practicing simple gymnastics almost in the ward of the maternity hospital. In fact, feasible exercises are always needed, and if you do not have serious medical contraindications, you should start training as soon as possible. Figure after childbirth First of all, do not be afraid. Even the most slender girls see these changes in themselves. How the figure changes after childbirth: Expansion of the pelvis – Enlargement of the abdomen, stretched anterior abdominal wall – Edema and decreased muscle tone. At the same time, it is possible to fully restore the figure after childbirth only with the help of exercises and diet (see diet after childbirth). And training plays a decisive role here. “Postpartum belly” is removed only by special movements for the transverse muscles and breathing exercises, the diet will not help to reduce the stretched transverse muscles and strengthen the rectus abdominis. Exercises for the abdomen after childbirth In the first – fourth week, only those who have undergone a caesarean section or a difficult birth, the consequence of which was suturing, cannot be engaged. The first month is the best time for breathing exercises. First of all, master diaphragmatic breathing. Lying on your back, pull your stomach inward with all your strength, as if you want to glue the front wall of the abdomen to the spine. Then inhale slowly, directing all the air into the chest, holding the contraction of the abdominal muscles. Hold your breath for 10-12 counts, and repeat the exercise 10-20 times. At first, you will feel dizzy, but you need to perform this movement every day, immediately after you get out of bed. As you recover from childbirth, you will need to supplement this exercise with the following abdominal exercises: Cat breathing. Get on all fours, bend upward at the waist. In this position, perform 2 cycles of diaphragmatic breathing, then bend your lower back down, but do not stick out your stomach, 2 more cycles of breathing, repeat 10 times. Plank. Stand on the forearms and socks, pull the stomach inward, fix the pose, do not raise the pelvis, do 10 breath cycles (inhale-hold-exhale). Leg raise. Sit on a chair, on the very edge of the seat. Pull in your stomach, raise your legs, bent at the knees up, and try to tear them off the floor so as not to bend in the lower back and not “dissolve” the stomach. Hold at the point of highest tension for 10 breaths. As soon as you master this mini-complex, you can supplement it with exercises from the Bodyflex, Oxysize systems, as well as classic twists and leg raises on the press on the floor. Exercises for weight loss after childbirth Exercises for weight loss should be combined with training of the abdominal muscles. In the first two months, you need to do five forty minutes of moderate intensity workouts per week. It can be brisk walks, roller skating, ice skating, skiing at an average pace, treadmill or elliptical trainer. The main secret is that you focus on the duration of the workout and maintaining the so-called “fat burning heart rate” (60 percent of the maximum heart rate), and not on “records and jerks.” Interval exercises for weight loss after childbirth, for example, alternating light running with jumping rope, should be included only for 3-6 months of the recovery period. Additionally, from the second or third month after childbirth, you need to do Pilates, callanetics or strength exercises with dumbbells two or three times a week to tighten your figure. But before heading to the gym or starting home workouts, be sure to check with your doctor.