Training At Home After Pregnancy

Walking is a great way to start getting fit. Even though walking does not have the same stress requirements on your shoes as running, it’s still important to invest in a good pair of shoes with good ankle support and thick cushioned soles.  If at all possible try and avoid any hard surfaces such as cement and asphalt that may jar your joints, even when only walking. Instead you could go to the beach, the park, an outdoor track, or even gymnasium floor offers a more comfortable surface to exercise on.

If you are unable to elevate your heart rate to the target zone (approximately 220 - age x 70%) with brisk walking then it would be suggested that you vary your workout to include more challenging exercise such as running, biking, climbing, or swimming. You don’t even need a gym membership or buy expensive home exercise equipment to get a good workout. For the calves use the edge of a step to do one-or-two-legged calf raises.

Do three sets to failure. Find this too easy? Wear a backpack full of heavy books. Or you could take a long walk in the sand. Also try it with that backpack. For the quads squat down with your knees pointed forward. Keep your weight on your toes then rise to a standing position. Do three sets of 10-50, depending on your own conditioning. Use a chair for balance if necessary. Alternatively you could walk down several flights of stairs. For a tougher workout do it with the backpack. For the butt and hamstrings lie down on your stomach. Bending only your knees, squeeze a firm cushion between the back of your thighs and your calves. Squeeze your butt cheeks as well. Do three sets of 15-30. Or you could squat down with your knees pointed out to the side as far as possible. Keeping your weight on your heels, rise to a standing position and squeeze your butt. Do three sets of 10-50, depending on your conditioning. Use a chair for balance if necessary.

Another good workout for the butt and hamstrings is to crouch down as far as possible, and jump as high as you can. Do three sets of 10 repetitions. For the back use the edge of your couch to do one-arm rows. If you don't want to invest in dumbbells, milk jugs work just fine. Add more water to the jug as you get stronger. Try three sets of 10-20. Go to a playground or park and try some wide-grip pull-ups on the jungle gym. If you're not strong enough to do it on your own, have a friend hold your feet and assist you. Do three sets of as many as you can possibly do. For the abs you can do abdominal crunches or bent-legged sit-ups are perfect while you're watching television. Do a set of 30-50 during every commercial break.

A bicycle crunch is a variation of the standard ab crunches and is also very effective for working out the abs. For the chest and shoulders try some push-ups. If you are only getting started with fitness you can start with girly push-ups from the knees. If this is too easy try some decline push-ups with your feet elevated on a chair.

Do three sets to failure. For the arms you try bicep curls, triceps kickbacks and extensions which work fine with those milk jugs too. Try three sets of 10-20. Remember those pull-ups you did at the park? Bring you hands together and reverse your grip for some chin-ups. Do three sets of as many as you can possibly do. It’s important that you make an effort to workout every body part at least once a week. This is important to prevent any muscle imbalances in your body and you are burning more calories when with a total body workout. If you only did the example workouts above, you will still be happy with the results.