Your body goes through nine months worth of changes before doing the incredible job of bringing a tiny person into this world. Anyone would tell you that it’s going to be difficult getting your body back to its former glory, especially, with the added responsibility of caring for a newborn. How is it even possible to get skinny after birth?
Kate Middleton’s toned abs just months after having her baby. Photo Source: vanityfair.com
So how do these celebrity mums and fit mums do it?
Lately, we’ve had mums in the spotlight such as Kate Middleton flaunting sneak peeks at her abs just three months after birth. Then we have a new breed of mummies – better known as fit mums, baring washboard abs mere days after birth.
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Who is she?
The latest fit mother in question – Caroline Berg Eriksen, wife of soccer player Lars-Kristian Eriksen, shamelessly posted a photo of herself in nothing but her underwear on social media site, Instagram. Merely four days after birth with the slightly aggravating caption, ‘I feel so empty’ beneath the photo.
The photo that caused flurry of comments and responses. Photo Source: Instagram
Her photo has created a flurry of reaction from women and mothers who, having experienced the joys and pains of pregnancy themselves, felt it was virtually impossible for someone to look the way Berg Eriksen did just 96 hours after delivering a baby.
How does she manage to look so good?!
While she may have received an onslaught of negative comments from reporters and women who felt that it isn’t humanly possible to look the way she did less than 100 hours after giving birth – she also received almost 30,000 likes on Instagram along with countless supportive comments from followers.
Berg Eriksen said that she was working out religiously till the end of her second trimester, though she has not exercised since giving birth.
Supportive comments by followers along with close to 30k ‘likes’. Photo Source: Instagram
How should one feel towards mothers like Caroline Berg Eriksen, Maria Kang and other celebrities who seem to have bounced right back to their pre-baby bodies? Of course, there’s bound to be more than a little envy followed by either dismay or dismissal.
Some celebrities attribute their marvelous bodies to the fact that they have tons of help caring for the child and personal trainers to whip them back into shape. However, there are plenty of celebrities (Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon) who claim they didn’t rely on the help of a nanny.
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Unlike Berg Eriksen, many celebrity mums took anywhere between 3 months to a year to get back into shape. Personal trainer of supermodel, Heidi Klum, said Klum was very motivated to regain her body and worked very hard at it.
Supermodel Heidi Klum; during and after pregnancy. Photo Source: entertainmentwise.com
So, how do normal, non-celebrity, non-fitness-buff mums get our pre-baby body back? Well, here at theAsianparent we did a little bit of research for you – the trick is to start taking care of your body while you’re pregnant.
This makes it easier for your body to adjust back after you have delivered. There are plenty of pregnancy-safe, simple exercises that you can do while you’re expecting. Exercises that focus on your core muscles and can be done even while you’re laying in bed that’ll take no more than 5 minutes at a time – leg lifts, for example.
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Practising yoga when pregnant helps you stay mentally and physically fit. Remember to check with a doctor before attempting new fitness regimes.
Other factors, such as your diet both before, during and after pregnancy play a big part. We’re not saying you should starve yourself (not at all!) just eat good, nutritious food that will serve to benefit both you and baby! Being pregnant is not an excuse to indulge in empty calories. If you do, you might take longer to bounce back and getting back to skinny after birth will be harder.
We do understand that you’re worked to the bone and barely have time to breathe. But we are suggesting that you find some time for simple exercises and watch what you’re eating. Start making small changes slow and steady – the start is always the most difficult, it’ll get easier as you go!
You’ll find yourself feeling more energised!
On top of that, you’ll start feeling better about yourself and find you have more energy for the day and your ever-growing bundle of joy.
Don’t be disappointed if you don’t find yourself looking like a celebrity or fit-mum – everyone is built differently and genetics do play a part. Some people like these celebrity mums naturally have smaller baby bumps. If you’re fit before your pregnancy, your body also benefits from muscle memory in that it remembers what it used to be and responds to exercise effectively to return to that shape.
So use these celebrity success stories as inspiration and focus on your own goals to stay motivated!
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If you have any tried and tested tips for new mums on how to regain their pre-baby body, please do leave a comment below.