BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Image Seeking advice

Hello to all, I'm new to these forums and i realise that this might not be the proper area to make this post but I'm hoping I'll get some advice/feedback... I'm a new mom ( umm wait lol my son is 2, so I'm slightly broken in) and my son was delivered by C-Section (not by personal choice, but by necessity) and to date I've not had any success getting my stomach back in shape, and I feel pretty well blah when i look at my midsection. So, my question is which exercises would any of you suggest that might help? I've been doing the traditional core type exercises and theres been little noticeable change. Many thanks in advance <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Saga, unfortunately the only thing that's going to help is lots and lots of exercise - sit-ups and ab crunches. I saw a lovely idea on TV the other day where the mom had her toddler sitting against her bent legs while she did the sit-ups - not only did that give her a weight to keep her legs down, but she also got a kiss everytime she did the sit-up!

If sit-ups hurt your back, try this one - it's a veriation on a yoga pose:

Bend your right knee and lift your leg to your chest (other leg straight and resting on the floor). Stretch your left arm up above your head.

Now do an extended bicycle motion with your legs: straighten the bent right leg so that the ball of your foot points towards the ceiling, and start moving your left arm up to point to the ceiling. Gently lower your right leg to the floor while bending your left leg and raising towards your chest, and switch arms � lower your left arm to the floor while raising your right towards the ceiling and lower to the floor above your head.

Repeat for ten revolutions and try to keep a smooth constant motion as you cycle, timing your arm to reach the ground at the same time as the opposite leg.

Also, stomach muscles get lazy very quickly, so try to keep your tummy tucked in as much as possible during the day. Try and remind yourself often to check your posture and suck in your stomach - not excessively, but just so that you're still relaxed and comfortable but you're not letting those muscles get away with sagging out.

Got these tips from tjsamson.client.web-health.com.
Appropriate exercises for getting back into shape after delivery are:
o Walking
+ Walking is an ideal way to begin, since it will allow you to build up to more strenuous activities.
# Also, you can take your baby with you if you don't have someone else available to watch her.
o Head Lifts/Shoulder Lifts/Curl-Ups
+ Lie on your back, arms at your sides, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
+ Lift your head off of the floor.
# Exhale when lifting the head; inhale when lowering it back down
# Concentrate on keeping your lower back flat on the floor.
+ When you can easily do 10 head lifts, switch to lifting both the head and shoulders.
# (If this strains your neck, you may clasp your hands behind your head instead of at your side, but try not to use your hands for help.)
+ After you have worked your way up to 10 sets, progress to curl-ups: Do a partial sit-up, to an angle of approximately 45� (i.e. about halfway up).
o Leg Slides
+ Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor, with your knees bent.
+ Extend one leg out, as you breath in.
+ Bending the knee, bring the leg back in as you breath out.
+ Repeat with the other leg.
o Pelvic Tilt
+ Get down on your hands and knees (in a crawling position).
+ While exhaling, use your abdominal muscles to pull your hips back (your back will arch as you raise your rear end).
+ Repeat five times.
o Kegels (contractions done to strengthen the pelvic muscles)

[Note: Postpartum exercise classes are designed especially for new mothers. Often they involve the infant, too ("Mommy and Me" classes), or they provide childcare.]

Hope this can help.

Good luck!
How long do I need to exercise?

Exercise for 20-30 minutes.
o In addition, warm up and cool down for five to ten minutes, in order to lessen the chance of injury.
o Remember that exercising at an intensity which raises your heart above your target heart rate (higher than 60-80% of its maximum rate) is unsafe.

Wow...what great tips! Thanks, everyone.

Now some of my own:

I totally agree that getting in the habit of holding your belly in a little is great exercise. It becomes second nature, and you are then going around doing ab exercises all the time without even noticing. It is also great for your posture and your back.

Another exercise I learned in yoga:

Sit on floor, legs together and extended in front of you, palms on floor at your sides for support.

Raise feet off floor as high as you can.

Raise hands, palms facing in, so that each palm is alongside outside of knee.

You should now be in a "v" position with only your buttocks touching the floor. Breath and hold as long as possible.

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One note: I've found that all muscles in the world won't be visible if they're hiding under fat. You can be quite strong and still be "fat". So if stomach is a problem spot for you, it may be the last area on your body still clinging to weight. Losing 5 pounds could make the difference.

Good luck to you!