• Focus on low resistance, high repetition exercises for the major muscle groups (i.e. chest, upper back, and legs), decreasing external weight used as you progress each week.
• Strengthening your upper back muscles is key to keeping good posture and counteracting the ‘forward’ weight of your growing belly and breasts. It will also help calm your achy upper back!
•  It’s important not to hold your breath, as this can spike your blood pressure quickly. Keep your breaths long and smooth.
• Alignment and balance are key when exercising because of the change in your center of gravity. Move slowly and deliberately.
• Avoid laying flat on your back for any exercise for longer than 60 to 90 seconds. How do you adjust for this? Incline chest presses on a stability ball with your hips slightly lifted or on the floor are perfect!
•  Keep your body temperature in a normal level, avoiding hot and humid workout conditions. Drink plenty of water.
• If you experience any bleeding, headache, chest pain, severe fatigue or severe calf pain, you should stop the exercise and refer to you medical professional.

Keeping your core active and engaged is key to lower back pain relief and recovery after giving birth. By contracting your transverse abdominals – the corset core muscles – you’ll not only keep your belly muscles toned, you’ll also keep them from separating as your belly grows (also called diastsis recti) and have an easier time getting your stomach back after baby!

How to do it: Sit on a stability ball or in a comfortable chair. As you breath in, let your belly expand forward. As you exhale, draw your navel toward your spine and lift the pelvic floor muscles (Kegels!). Imagine hugging your baby with your abdominals each time you exhale. Inhale and release the squeeze, squeeze the muscles back as you exhale. Repeat 20-30 times.

Bird Stance  

This exercise works both abdominal tone and back-body strength. It’s also great for maintaining balance.

How to do it: Still on all fours, extend your right leg back to hip height. Engage your core and lift the opposite (left) arm toward the wall in front of you. Hold here for 5 breaths, lightly contracting your navel toward your spine to keep your balance. Repeat on the other side.

For more of a challenge, as you’re in this position sweep your left arm in an arc to your hip as you exhale, returning overhead on the inhale. Repeat 10-15 times, then change to the next side.

 

Kendra Fitzgerald is the Founder of Barefoot Tiger (www.barefoottiger.com), an in-home personal training, yoga, pilates, nutrition and massage therapy company in New York City. She and her staff of 15 trainers, teachers and therapists teach regularly around the city, and now you can join them for classes at their newly opened studio in Midtown Manhattan!