Post-Baby Belly Progress Part 3, and First Workout Report!
So, now that I’ve resumed my workouts, I’m back in peak physical condition, right? Fortunately for you other moms out there who may be struggling to get back into shape postpartum: NOPE! Not even close. So no worries, there won’t be any belly-baring photos here any time soon. (Ever, actually, haha.)
Seven weeks postpartum, the belly is still deflating!
I feel like I’ve slimmed down a bit—my stomach is definitely flatter—but it isn’t registering on the scale quite yet. I have the feeling that like last time, that 10 extra pounds is going to hang on until the breastfeeding slows down a bit. So now I’m in the stage where my normal jeans are too tight and a pair I bought postpartum in a size bigger keeps trying to slide off my body. The in-between clothing sizes of pregnancy and the postpartum life never fail to be frustrating.
The three-month mark.
Zumba has been going great. I do love the workout, and it’s great for my mental state to get out of the house for an hour. I love that Zumba is great cardio, but you also throw in toning moves, like squats and standing ab-work, so you really feel like you hit up your body from head to toe. I don’t remember Zumba being this physically demanding, but it is getting easier as my cardio improves. Plus, I really give the workout my all, moving as much of my body as far and as hard as I can. It’s my longest stretch dedicated to a real workout during the week, so I have to make it count. And I always come out of class flushed and sweating, feeling great.
Other workouts? It’s admittedly a huge challenge to fit them in. I’m walking with the kids. And I’ll throw in a four-minute workout here and there. But it’s inevitable that when my daughter is down for her nap, my son wakes up fussy. Or I get five minutes into a workout and he wants to be held. So sometimes I’ll hold him and modify moves for added resistance. Other days I simply have to be happy with getting that five minutes in.
I know it’ll get easier. I know that eventually the little one will have a more predictable schedule. He’ll sleep longer. He won’t want or need to be held all the time. There may even come a time when he naps at the same time as my daughter. Or gives me a couple of hours with just the toddler to contend with. Either way, until things settle down just a tad, I have to be happy with the small chunks of workout time here and there that I’m getting to do. And I’m not discounting all of the baby-carrying and bending and standing up I do all day. My biceps remain fierce!
Did you have to adjust your mindset when it comes to postpartum workouts? Be happy with what time you get to yourself? —Erin