Rehab for your Post Baby Body

Lots of new moms ask what exercises are safe to do shortly after giving birth to their baby. So, earlier this week, Jules (from Fitness with Jules) and I got together to show you two of our favourite post birth moves. We hope these help you feel a little more like yourself in the first few post-partum weeks! And we extend a big congratulations on the birth of your baby!

Post by Jules Hilliker.

The Elusive Sleep...

zzz... Getting More of the All Elusive Sleep as a New Mom!

The other night, I stayed up far later than normal to watch a movie that, if I'd thought about it much, was not really worthy of losing sleep over. Clearly, I wasn't thinking about getting through Sunday morning bootcamp when I was stretching my bedtime! The workout turned out to be far more difficult than it should have been if I'd gone to bed at the proper time.

I come from a family of women who complain about being tired ALL THE TIME, no matter how much sleep we've had. My mother, my grandmother, my aunts, my sisters, me. Over the years, I've found I feel a little less tired when I'm exercising regularly. This was especially true in my blurry sleep deprived years of babies and young children.

When you don't get enough sleep:

1. Your muscle tissue takes longer to repair since you're getting less of the deep sleep required to deliver the appropriate amount of oxygen and nutrients to heal your muscles.
2. Your energy levels are lower since your body isn't functioning optimally.
3. Your midsection holds more fat around it due to higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
4. Your cognitive and emotional facilities can become compromised.
5. Your desire to be intimate with your partner is lessened.

After you've had your baby, there are a few things you can do to help:

1. Sleep when your baby sleeps. Wasn't this the first piece of unsolicited advice you received as soon as you announced you were pregnant? It sounds annoying, but it can be very helpful for new moms.
2. Commit to a regular exercise routine. It helps you fall asleep faster and helps create smoother transitions between your normal sleep/wake cycles in the night, meaning you won't wake up as easily in the night.
3. Restrict caffeine. This may seem counterintuitive when you're so tired, but it truly helps! Remember that there's caffeine in many drinks and foods that we forget about - tea, chocolate, soft drinks and coffee flavoured foods, such as yogurt and ice cream, to name a few. Too much caffeine can wreck havoc on your sleep at night.
4. Go to bed earlier than you normally would - even half an hour earlier can make a difference.

For me, not getting enough sleep on any given night means I'm irritable the next day (which impacts others!). It means that I'm really tired and generally quite unproductive. It means that I feel like I have no energy to exercise and I'll likely talk myself out of it every time. It means I hit the mid-afternoon slump hard. If it goes on for more than a night and it's combined with stress, it means I'll suffer from headaches that I can't get rid of until I actually sleep them off.

In my pre-children days, my greatest worry about having kids was not getting enough sleep. Of course, it happened, but I was surprised at how well I managed during those early years, by implementing some of the suggestions above. Even today, when my kids are great sleepers (lots of sleep training FINALLY paid off!), I still employ many of the same strategies to get enough sleep, as I prefer the feeling of being awake and alert and not sleepy and unproductive (don't we all!). Which means I rarely stay up half the night reading a good book or watching a not so great movie... Well, maybe I do it sometimes!

Do what you Love...

Yesterday, my daughter came 4th in the 100 metre race at her School Board track meet. When she ran her first heat, she gave it just enough to come second and advance to the semi-finals. But after the morning race, she started hoping for a rain cancellation so that she wouldn't have to run again. Based on her ambivalence about that whole thing, I'll admit that I didn't expect her to make it into the finals. She surprised me and came first in her semi-final heat to advance easily to the finals. In the finals, she made me proud. She raced hard and earned a fourth place ribbon.

Having been a 100 m and 200 m runner throughout my school years, I was excited to see her taking an interest in running early on. She's a naturally fast runner and could do very well at sprinting or at short cross country (and has done well every time she's competed). But, she's not fond of running at all. In fact, where I liked the individual sports, she much prefers to play team sports. Funny, I can't understand the point of chasing a ball around and neither of my kids can see the point of running or biking with no end goal. Even in a race. They've grown up watching their parents (mostly their dad!) run in races, but they still can't figure out why someone would WANT to run in a race.

So, while my daughter seemed to appease my plea (and apparently one from a number of her school mates and teachers) to run at the track meet, she really wasn't that happy to be there and kept hoping that it would be cancelled due to rain (not a chance!).

When it comes to team sports, though, in over 8 years of shuttling kids to games and practices, I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard complaints from either of my kids, saying they don't want to go to said sport. I've heard them sometimes mention that they're not excited to go (usually, power skating or dryland training), but they don't ever put up a fuss and they're generally ready on time to leave. I count myself lucky. So, instead of trying to get them to do something they clearly don't want to do, we've tried to encourage them to do the things they enjoy doing. The reward? It's always a treat to see your child on the field/ice/court playing a sport they love. You can see it in the way they move and the way they play. But most of all, you can see it in the smile on their face.

As adults, when we think about fitness, keeping healthy and staying in shape, I think we need to follow a similar philosophy. What do you love doing? Whatever it is, it's time to just do it.

Ever Wonder What A FITMOM Stroller Strength Class is All About?

It's spring! Which means it's time to start exercising outside! We're so lucky to have great parks in Ottawa for our workouts. All of the FITMOM and FITWOMAN Classes started outdoors this week. We had just about the most perfect day for our first outdoor classes!

If you've just had a baby and are wondering what a FITMOM Stroller Strength Class entails, have a peek at the video.

FITMOM classes are designed for all levels of fitness, from beginner to athlete. For more information please see our website at www.fitmomottawa.com or email info@fitmomottawa.com

We're looking forward to meeting you!

Time Stands Still

As I wrapped up my last class before the March break, two of the moms in that class mentioned the dreaded "I'm going back to work" phrase. It'a a bit of a sad phrase to me, because it means I won't get to see their babies every week anymore.

In my job, I have the pleasure of meeting many moms either during their pregnancy or at the beginning of their mat leaves. They remind me of my own time on mat leave - a time I enjoyed immensely and cherish to this day. And now I am in the same position as the trainers I met on my leave, that led Strollercise and encouraged me to do things I would never have done before. I learned about push ups, tricep dips and how to do a proper lunge while walking with a stroller. I learned how to pull my belly button into my spine so that I could engage my core. I learned I could run a half marathon, even though I had never run more than 5 km before. And I learned that with a little hard work, I could get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes and feel good about my post-baby body. The best part though... was that I made many very special friends during that time in my life.

These days, I spend nearly a year with many moms and their babies. I watch their babies grow into little people who can move around, interact with me and most of all, smile or laugh at me. And I watch their mamas shrink back to their pre-preganancy bodies, gaining muscle, strength and stamina along the way.

But after about a year (give or take), most maternity leaves comes to an end. The babies that I've seen growing up before my eyes, go off to daycare and their moms come and workout in the evenings without their wee ones (and I love that I still get to see those moms!).

For me, though, Time Stands Still. Those wonderful babies in my classes are forever etched in my mind as babies. The first babies in my FITMOM and Baby classes (after I took over FITMOM in 2010) are coming close to their fourth birthdays! They will start school this September! And their moms are probably wondering where the time has gone. Time flies, but it also stands still. To me, they will always be the babies that I was lucky enough to hang out with nearly every week for the first year of their life.

Looking at those faces, who wouldn't consider me lucky? Thanks for all of the snuggles over the years:)

Tips for Getting Fit After Baby

Losing weight and getting back into shape after giving birth can often seem like a daunting task. We never really know where to begin and are often overwhelmed with choices that are all touted as being "the best" way to shed those unwanted pounds. The reality is that the gimmicks and tricks to increase weight loss in a short period of time are not sustainable and do not actually get to the root of the problem (inactivity and over-consumption).

So, what's the answer? How are you supposed to get back into those jeans? The hard truth is that a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise are the only way one can achieve healthy weight loss and maintain it over a lifetime.

So, as you begin your journey to becoming a FITMOM, here's the "skinny" to help you ensure success:

3500 calories is equal to 1lb of fat. There are only 2 ways to "kill the fat": reduce the consumption of extra calories OR increase activity levels.

Meeting with a nutritionist or dietician can help you put together a healthy meal plan that will meet your daily dietary needs and assist you with your weight loss goals.

Blast Belly Fat. Sorry, but you just can't target your weight loss to a specific body part or region. Why? Fat cells are found all over the body and unfortunately, you can never know which ones will be broken down to provide you with the energy you need to complete a physical activity.

Leg, Bums and Tums. For most women, these are the top 3 areas we seek to improve. Why does it take so long? There are certain hormones that are produced in our body that actually inhibit the breakdown of fat cells from those specific regions. To help improve these areas, a combination of cardio and strength training will help increase muscle mass, decrease fat, tighten and tone.

Set a goal and make it SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely). For example, To improve my core strength, I will perform The Plank 5 times per day and hold it each time for 45 seconds.

Build exercise into your daily activities. To achieve any weight loss goals you can expect to work out up to 1 hour at least 4 times per week. This may seem like a lot, so start by exercising for 15 minutes every day, then increase your sessions by 5-10 minutes every week until you are up to 1 hour of physical activity. Always increase TIME and then INTENSITY.

You don't have to have had a baby in the last year for these tips to work! I've seen so many FITMOM transformations in the past 4 years. These are women who work hard and see changes slowly, but consistently over time. You can do it, too!

Get Your Baby Involved in your Workout!

It's been soooo cold out for the past few weeks, that it's hard to go anywhere without bundling up! If you have a baby, there's always a worry that she might get too cold in this weather. Or, sometimes you have a toddler at home with you as well and getting out of the house with a baby and toddler feels a bit like running a marathon.

If you're feeling couped up, I've put together a few exercises that you can do at home with your baby. Don't forget to warm up your body first... You should do some full body movements (running on the spot, walking/running up the stairs, arm circles, shoulder rolls) to get your blood flowing and to prepare your body for a workout with your wee one.

Aim to complete each exercise for 30 to 60 seconds and then start at the beginning and repeat a second or third time.


1. Squats with Baby

Using a baby carrier or just holding your baby, you can squat up and down. With your feet shoulder width apart, be sure to sit back, like you're reaching for a chair that's behind you. Keep your weight on your heels, so that your knees don't go over your toes and pull your belly button into your spine to keep your core stabilized. Inhale as you go into your squat, exhale as you come back to standing.


2. Triceps & Shoulders

You can face your baby towards or away from you for this one. Hold her under both arms and beginning at your chest height, lift her up towards your ceiling. Inhale as you lift, exhale as you come back down to chest height. In this same position at chest height, you can also extend your arms forward, staying at chest height, so that they are straight (but with loose elbows) and then bring them back into your chest. Alternate between these two moves to work both your shoulders and your triceps.




3. Baby Lifts (aka Deadlifts)

Holding your baby either facing you and supporting their head or facing out, stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart. With a nice flat back and open chest, inhale and hinge forward at your hips until your upper body is parallel to the floor. Keep your back flat, shoulders back (waaayy back!) and belly button pulled in towards your spine. Exhale and use your core to bring you back to standing position. You should feel this in your lower back and hamstrings.

4. Wall Sit with Baby

Find a wall where you can sit with your legs at 90 degrees, making sure that your knees do not go over your toes. Remember to pull your belling button into your spine and push your back flat against the wall. You can hold your baby on your lap to increase the difficulty or you can use him to do chest presses while you're sitting.





5. Kiss your Baby Pushups

With your baby lying on her back and you in pushup position, inhale as you lower your body down to give your baby a kiss and exhale as you push your body back up. Remember to pull your belly button in towards your spine, keep your back flat, lead with your chest and keep your head in line with your spine. Modify to your knees, if you need to.

6. Hamstring Curls with Baby

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and heel close to your glutes. Place your baby on your pelvis or use him to do chest presses while you lift your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes. Lower your hips until they graze the ground and squeeze them back up again. Repeat lifting and lowering for the allocated time.

7. Front Plank

Resting on your forearms and toes, pull your belly button into your spine and keep your back flat. If you have trouble holding your belly button in towards your spine, lower to your knees. Push your elbows into the floor to help engage your core even more. Increase the level of difficulty by lifting one foot off the floor. To pass the time, try to make your baby laugh.



Complete your workout with a full body stretch and remember to drink lots of water during and after it!

If you're new to exercise or haven't been at it for a while, please remember to consult with your physician before you begin a new fitness routine.

Enjoy!