Minna's Post-Pregnancy Workout

Finding The Time To Get Back Into Shape

(CBS)  While it can be tough to bounce back after baby, the challenge usually lies more in finding the time, with all of it now devoted to your newborn. Once a childcare routine is established, however, it becomes quite easy to fit fitness back into your lifestyle.

From feedings to playtime, Early Show fitness contributor Minna Lessig says there are fun ways to shape up that can benefit baby, too.

Lessig now has first-hand experience, with her daughter Ema. She says establishing a routine with her baby was a priority in regaining her pre-pregnancy shape. From the beginning, she began forming her routine around Ema's feedings, naps, high activity time and lower activity time.

Feedings have become a time when Lessig calms and centers herself. Ema's nap time has become Lessig's time to catch up on sleep, too. Playtime has become a time when she does some extra strength and stretching exercises to make herself feel good.

Lessig has structured her schedule to include a minimum of 3 days per week when she wakes up super early, while her husband and baby are still sleeping (those are the days she joins her daughter in nap time for sure), to go to the gym or go for a run outside. Other days, Lessig sneaks in extra calorie burning by stroller-cising the baby outside if the day is nice, or heading to the mall and pushing the stroller there.

Here are suggested exercises:

Baby On The Ball:
Whether feeding or just playing, you can use the exercise ball to help strengthen your core muscles as you hold your baby. Just sitting on the ball requires you to keep your balance by engaging the core muscles, and in doing so, extra blood flow goes to the back which nourishes this area with oxygen and nutrients and helps alleviate lower back aches and pains (perfect after 9 months of carrying baby, in which your back has been a trooper.)

Feeding time is a great time to center yourself through meditation. It is a time that is sacred for mom and baby. When possible, make the environment conducive to relaxation – with soothing background music or just silence. While holding your baby with good posture (shoulders relaxed, strong core muscles), breathe deeply in and out through your nose (yoga breathing), filling your abdomen and expanding the air into your chest and throughout your entire body.

Allow yourself to forget the worries and drop the "to-do" list during this time, and instead rejuvenate through deep breathing and the soothing sounds of your baby enjoying her bottle. Baby will appreciate mommy's calm more than she can even let you know. Lessig has found that Ema is less gassy and fussy when she relaxes during her feedings this way.

Lower Body Work While Holding Baby:

Plie Squats, Standing Lunges:
Squatting and lunging is easy to do while holding baby and can be incorporated into playtime with her, or even a great way to settle her down during fussy periods, whereby leg toning becomes the byproduct. Just make sure baby is your primary focus, supporting her head, neck and body, hold her securely by keeping her close to your body. Lessig likes to face baby outward (with Ema's head against Lessig's chest and one hand around the front of her body holding her chin), so that her attention is occupied by curiosity of the surroundings.)

• Plie squats are great for shaping thighs and glutes - especially inner thighs.
  
• Lunges are also excellent for toning thighs and glutes and can be done a variety of ways to shift emphasis on either the front or back of thighs: stationary, walking, reverse lunges, etc.

While Baby Is On Her Back, On The Floor:

Standing forward bend
This exercise stretches the entire back, and back of legs (hamstrings). This exercise opens the spine, alleviates lower back tension, lengthens the hamstring leg muscles, and brings more oxygen to the brain thru increased blood flow to the head.

While in this position, Lessig can play and connect with her baby. She places her hands by either side of her baby and gently rocks her side to side. Or she makes silly faces to bring out a smile. She hold the position for 30 seconds.

Pushup-kisses
This speaks for itself. Each time you do a pushup, give your baby a kiss. Pushups can be done in a modified position for beginners - with knees on the floor. Pushups are a choice exercise for strengthening your upper body, including your abs. They really help shape the shoulders, chest, and triceps, while increasing muscular endurance in your abdominals and lower back muscles.

Shoulder Stance
It's a modified pushup, but certainly not modified for intensity. You are in a pushup position, but with your forearms on the floor. Holding this position zaps your core muscles instantly. Place either forearm along side your baby and give her or his belly raspberries or funny faces to bring out the smiles.

With Baby In Your Lap:

Baby crunches, glute squeezes.
Rock and roll your baby with a crunch and a glute squeeze. Keep baby secured in your lap and hold her hands. Perform a crunch as you normally would, then follow it with a glute squeeze (lifting pelvis off floor by squeezing glutes). Baby will find the rock and roll motion to be quite enjoyable.

Last Exercise Of The Day

Star Pose (yoga)
This stretch for the pelvic region and lower back becomes a treasured way to help baby settle down for bedtime. Sitting with your legs bent and opened to the sides, feet facing one another and 1-2 feet away from your body, place baby in between your legs with her head resting on the soles of your feet. Lean forward to feel added stretch in your hips and lower back. Take this time to massage your baby or perform baby body awareness exercise: arms open and close, bicycles with the legs, rolling the spine, etc. When massaging baby, start from the center of her body and work outward, gently squeezing her joints (for example from shoulders to elbows to wrists, to fingers).