Recommendations for toning postpartum problem areas, please.

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Brandilee2015
Brandilee2015 Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
Can anyone recommend specific exercises to help tone my postpartum body? I've had two kids, youngest being 1.5 and pregnancy was not kind to me. I would like to improve my lower belly pooch, and my thighs. Thanks!

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Sadly, there is no way to spot reduce fat. You can, however, strengthen muscles, which can improve your overall look when/if the fat is gone. A full body strength training program is a good place to start. There are many such programs. Two that are easily found online are All Pro's Simple Beginner Plan and the book New Rules of Lifting for Women. Another program is the Nerd Fitness beginner bodyweight workout (also easily Google-able) which can be done with almost no equipment.
  • Brandilee2015
    Brandilee2015 Posts: 10
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    Thank you. Yes, I know I can't spot reduce. I'm looking for specific exercises to tone those specific areas. They definitely need some extra attention.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    ^Yep. You just have to create a calorie deficit and the fat comes off where it wants to. You can do a thousand crunches a day and it's not going to force the fat off of your stomach.
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
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    Work on a full body strength training program. In my opinion, it is Bette to start with a written program, like New Rules of Lifting, Start in Strength, Strong Lifts, or Strong Curves. It is easiest to learn and follow a program that has the exact details written down. As you learn, you can tweak the program to make it suite you better.

    I have 3 kids and found from experience that it doesn't matter how much "weight" you lose if you don't have a good foundation (muscle). This time around I have done strength training, and some cardio when I feel like it, and have a lot better results than before when I just followed a diet.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    The compound exercises in these programs work the core, not just your arms or legs. Planks are nice (and certainly help with things like pushups) but crunches, etc. don't give you near as much bang for your buck as do compound strength training exercises. So for efficiency and effectiveness, full body programs are the way to go.
  • 7elizamae
    7elizamae Posts: 758 Member
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    I started back in with pilates after my pregnancies. It has a lot of core work strengthening, and stretching. It was also quiet -- which made it easy to do in the house while the babies/toddlers were sleeping!

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