How to shed that post-baby weight

One thing that most new mums have in common, apart from a lack of sleep and a wheelie bin full of nappies, is a desire to shed the extra weight they gained during pregnancy.

Fitting in exercise and healthy eating can be easier said than done when you are at the beck and call of a tiny, but nevertheless demanding, person.

Exercise at home

There are many exercises that can be done at home, meaning you don’t have to be too far from your newborn as you work on losing weight.

A good form of exercise to start off with is yoga, as this gently gets the body used to exerting certain muscle groups again.

Yoga DVDs are available for those of all different abilities and there are even free online guides that you can follow.

Those wanting to lose weight fast may want to try something of a little higher intensity, such as celebrity aerobic DVDs or running indoors on a treadmill.

Got help? Head outdoors

Those who are receiving help with looking after their baby may find that they have an hour or two to themselves each day, so it is a good idea to use some of this time to get the heart pumping.

Going for a run or a bike ride is a great way of getting some fresh air, de-stressing and working off that excess baby weight.

Exercise with your littlun’

A number of exercise groups are springing up across the nation designed especially for new mums.

Pushy Mothers is one of these and it offers Buggy Workout classes, which help women to burn fat, tone muscles and improve their core muscles through a series of exercises involving their babies’ buggies.

Women can also attend gym-based classes that involve using their babies as exercise aids!

One great method of toning your arm muscles while also bonding with your baby is to lie on your back on the floor and hold your baby with both arms outstretched. Next, bend your elbows and, in one controlled movement, bring your baby closer to you and then push with your triceps to straighten your arms again.

Watch what you eat

Busy mums can have a tendency to skip proper meals and grab snacks of unhealthy foods throughout the day when they get the opportunity.

Doing this not only prevents you from losing weight, but can cause you to pile on even more.

Stick to eating three square meals a day containing plenty of fruit and vegetables to ensure you get lots of vitamins and nutrients – which are especially important if you are breast feeding.

Give diet supplements a go

Mums who are no longer breast feeding can also try slimming pills, which can help them to achieve their weight loss goals.

Last year, researchers at the University of Liverpool found that Zotrim Herbal Slimming Pills are effective in reducing the amount that a slimmer eats.

The diet pill is a formulation of the plant extracts yerba mate, guarana and damiana and scientists found it inhibited calorie intake by an average of 17.6 per cent over a mealtime.

One of the most important things to realise is that your child will not be a baby for long so try to enjoy every moment of motherhood that you can and don’t spend too much time worrying about losing weight.