Most of us have gone through the experience of carrying around pesky belly fat that just wouldn’t go away no matter how many exercises we do or how far we run.
Out of all the fat that we store in our body, belly fat is the hardest to get rid of and it always sticks out like a sore thumb. There are several reasons why we gain belly fat and it isn’t just due to the fact that we’ve been keeping up an unhealthy diet (you can see everything you need to know about tummy fat here).
Aging and heredity play a major role in the development of belly fat but that’s not all, our hormone fluctuations also induce belly fat to accumulate around the lower abdomen.
In order to help you lose baby weight and eliminate most of your belly fat, here are 5 effective lower-ab workouts that you can include into your post pregnancy exercise plan.
Elbow plank
- Get into a push up position.
- Lower your forearms to the floor and keep both hands in a grasp.
- Remember to keep your elbows lined up directly underneath your shoulders.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles and squeeze your butt together.
- Make sure your head, neck, back, and are kept in a straight, strong line.
- Hold for 20 seconds and release.
- Repeat for 5 times.
Full Plank Twist
- Start by getting into a full plank position (similar to a starting push up position).
- Slide your right knee across to the left.
- When it’s done right, you will feel your hips turning to the left and you will pivot slightly on the ball of your left foot.
- Bring your right knee back to the starting position and repeat the motion with your left leg.
- That’s considered as one rep. Complete a set by doing 10 full reps. Do 3 sets.
U-Boat
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground
- Lean back and use your elbows to support your upper body.
- Make sure that you keep your upper body lifted throughout the entire exercise.
- With your knees kept together and toes pointed out, life your legs into a 90 degree position.
- Tighten your abs and make sure both hips remain on the ground.
- Slowly move your knees towards your left.
- Then lower your legs whilst still keeping the 90 degree angle, and lift them to your right as if you’re spelling out the letter ‘U’.
- That’s one rep for you. Repeat for 20 reps.
90 degree static press
- Lie down flat on your back and lift your hips and knees to a 90 degree angle whilst keeping your feet flexed.
- Extend your arms and press both thighs with your palms.
- Take a deep breath and when you exhale tighten your abs inwards as if you were pressing your lower back against the floor.
- Hold for 1 count and relax. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Frog press
- Lie down on the floor and lift your knees outwards whilst keeping your heels together.
- Lift your hand off the floor just slightly until you can feel some tension in your arms.
- Inhale and lift your head and shoulders up from the floor like and curl your ribcage.
- When you exhale, slowly extend your legs at a 45 degree.
- Inhale and bring your knees back to your body.
- That counts as one rep. Repeat for another 10 reps. Do 3 sets.
Please note that these exercise are ONLY suitable if you are fully recovered from giving birth and do not have any muscle separation or back injuries
Get Our Exercise DVD
And for the ULTIMATE SAFE, EFFECTIVE & TRUSTED Post Pregnancy Workout – see our EXPERT Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD below – you can purchase and see more information on it here
The DVD can be followed by all mums (for example new mums or mums with older children) and can be followed by someone with a basic or a more advanced level of fitness.
Lisa Westlake is our incredible fitness instructor and postnatal exercise specialist throughout the DVD. With her extensive physiotherapy experience and qualifications (Lisa is one of the most awarded fitness professionals in Australia), Lisa is the perfect fitness instructor to bring The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD to life – you will love working out with her. (You can see our Q&A with Lisa with commonly asked questions on the DVD here)
The exercises in The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD are effective and safe and Lisa will guide you through each of the workouts. As well as assisting in the improvement of your overall fitness levels, the workouts in the DVD will also help in the burning of calories, the improvement of your core strength and the strengthening of your pelvic floor.
The six workouts are broken down into 10 and 15 minute sections that you can do when it suits you – or if you have the time and energy you can do the DVD as one 70 minute continuous workout. The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD also covers special considerations post-birth, such as caesarean sections, back strains, muscle separation, incontinence and pelvic floor issues.
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