I’ve Just Had A Baby Can I Do These Exercises
As we all know, a woman’s body changes a lot in her lifetime, and most significantly during pregnancy. To that end, stomach exercises that worked for you before, might not work now. You’ll likely have lost a lot of core strength, and getting back into exercise post-pregnancy is something that requires hyper-attention to the safety of you and your postpartum body. Before you try anything, you must get permission from your doctor. That’s a non-negosh, OK?
Once you’ve got the doctor all-clear, PT and postpartum specialist Charlie Launder suggests keeping the following five things front of mind as you jump back in:
For more of Launder’s expertise as well as a plethora of post-natal workout wisdom, check out our full post-pregnancy workout guide.
To Perform The Goblet Squat:
The movement is challenging because the weight forces your core to work to keep yourself from rounding over. So, not only do you work the legs, but you are also getting a nice tummy workout!
Perfect Poses Reduce Paunch
Along with abdominal exercises, certain types of yoga poses and stretches can step up your saggy belly reduction workout routine. The plank and boat poses are an intense tummy workout.
For the plank pose, start on your elbows and knees and place your feet out behind you in a plank position so your body is parallel to the floor. Hold this position for as long as you can, breathing normally throughout and try to increase the amount of time each time you do this exercise.
Begin the boat pose by sitting on the floor with your feet stretched out in front of you. Slowly tip your upper body back while you raise your feet and legs off the floor. Stretch your arms toward your legs. Your ultimate aim is to make a V-shape with your torso and legs. You might feel a bit wobbly, but your abdominal muscles will tighten as they help keep you in place. Breathe normally as you stay in boat for up to one minute, and don’t worry about falling out of it. Keep trying until you can nail the pose.
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Exercises To Lose Belly Fat In Women
Women are built for child-bearing which makes us fat-storing machines. Fast and furious efforts to lose belly fat are often not sustainable and can lead to health issues, eating disorders, and the loss of precious muscle.
In order for women to lose belly fat and body weight safely, they must commit to a long-term program that combines simple exercises with a healthy diet.
Losing one to two pounds per week is a safe and realistic goal. It will also help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Plus, belly fat is unsightly and makes your clothes fit tight and uncomfortable. There are two types of fat :
- the soft fat that makes you look pudgy and
- the visceral fat that causes your body to release cortisol, the stress hormone and other compounds that increase inflammation throughout your body.
The first fat you lose when you start an exercise program is visceral fat, however the subcutaneous fat may take a little longer to lose, so be patient.
For women, here are 6 exercises to consider in order to lose belly fat:
To Perform The Hollow Hold:

As with the plank, this movement is done for time and not repetitions. Aim for 3 sets of a 20-30-second hold.
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Avoid Swallowing Air And Gases
The biggest source of gas in the diet is carbonated beverages such as soda.
The bubbles in it contain carbon dioxide, which is released from the liquid in your stomach. This may cause stomach distention or bloating.
This can also happen when you chew gum, drink through a straw or talk while eating.
Eating in silence, drinking from a glass and swapping carbonated drinks out for water may help you achieve a flatter stomach.
Bottom Line:
Carbonated drinks and gum may both cause stomach distention and bloating in some people.
Eat Fewer Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbs are one of the leading reasons for obesity. By cutting down on your consumption of refined carbs, you can reduce fat accumulation around your organs and improve your metabolic health.
A study showed an improvement in metabolic health in people who ate unprocessed carbs and whole grains. Their waistlines also reduced over time.
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To Perform The Bicycle Crunch:
Increasing Lean Muscle Tissue
As you get older, you lose muscle tissue, your metabolism slows down and fat makes up a larger proportion of your weight, according to MayoClinic.org. Strength training exercises in a gym increase your lean muscle tissue, which helps elevate your metabolism and improve your body’s ability to burn fat at rest. Focus on exercises that target your major muscle groups. Do seated chest presses for your chest, dumbbell or seated shoulder presses for your shoulders, seated rows or lat pulldowns for your upper back, and leg presses for your legs, hips and glutes. Do three sets per exercise using light to moderate weights for 10 to 15 repetitions. Warm up with a cardiovascular routine to burn calories and fat and increase your core temperature. For example, do a 15- to 20-minute brisk walk on an inclined treadmill, or 15 to 20 minutes on the elliptical machine, stationary bike or rowing machine.
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Eating To Flatten Your Stomach
Walking Your Belly Away
Brisk walking is a gentle low-impact activity that is ideal if you are new to exercise, have joint problems or recovering from an illness. According to Harvard Health Publications, brisk walking at least 30 minutes a day combats belly fat. If you weigh 185 pounds, Harvard Health notes a 30-minute walk at 4.5 mph will burn 220 calories. Ensure you wear appropriate walking shoes to minimize any stress on your knees, particularly if you have a condition such as arthritis flat walking shoes may put less stress on your knees.
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Exercising To Flatten Your Stomach
Tips For Getting A Flat Stomach

1. Do core exercises
Exercises that target your core and strengthen the muscles there can help you get a flat and toned stomach without losing many pounds. These include core workouts and resistance training. Some of the simplest core-strengthening exercises include:
- Basic plank :
- Get on all floors in a table-top position with your face down. Make sure your hands are directly below your shoulders.
- Start lifting your knees slowly until youre supporting your weight on just your toes and hands.
- Keep your body in a straight line from the top of your head to your heels.
- Keep your core tight and back straight.
2. Try resistance training
3. Mix up your workouts
In addition to core exercises and resistance training, you may need to do cardio, although this will result in overall weight loss.
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Drinking To Flatten Your Stomach
Plank With Thoracic Spine Rotation
- Start in a standard high-plank position.
- Press the right hand into the ground, rotate both feet and hips to the left while raising the left arm off of the ground. Rotate the left arm down, then repeat the move to the other side, pushing the left hand into the ground and rotating the right arm up.
- Repeat for three to six repetitions on each side.
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What Exercises Can I Do To Flatten My Stomach
Best Flat Stomach Workouts You Can Do at Home Toe reaches. Side planks. Bicycle crunches. Boat pose. Oblique crunches. Burpees. Other tips. Results timeline. Luckily, there is one stomach flattening exercise that can also reduce low-back painthe plank. Because the plank exercise requires minimal movement while contracting all layers of the abdominal fascia, it is an excellent way to strengthen the core, which, in turn, helps reduce low-back pain. High-Intensity Interval Training workouts are a much more effective way to target your belly fat. Studies have found its more effective for fat burning around the abdominal area. It will also increase your heart rate and boost your overall fat burning.
Finally: Cardio And Healthy Eating
While targeting your ab muscles, remember they are protected by the fat and tissue surrounding them. A common mistake Lee sees when clients are working on flattening the belly is working on the abdominal muscles but forgetting about the layer of fat that covers them. You could have great muscles covered with a layer of fat. Calorie burning activities like spinning, HIIT, and cardio workouts are a great addition, and diet will need to be addressed trim down the belly most effectively, Lee says. I definitely think nutrition and exercise are equal partners in a goal of a flatter midsection, says Locey. You can do all the abdominal and core work you want for hours a day and every day of the week, but if you arent eating well, you will mask that muscle growth with layers of fat. As a fan of pasta, cheeseburgers with buns, and bagels, I will say you can have your carbs and get your flat belly too. Carbohydrates themselves are not the things holding people back from having a flat belly it is the amount in which they are consumed. So as long as you live by the old phrase everything in moderation, you can still see results. Pssst! Here are 23 ways you can lose belly fat without exercising at all.
- Nolan Lee, chiropractic physician in Chicago, IL.
- Jessica Fritsche, certified strength and conditioning specialist in Baltimore, MD.
- Brent Locey, certified personal trainer and SoulCycle instructor in Chicago, IL.
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Tone Every Part Of Your Core With These 7 Exercises
Losing belly fat and toning the stomach is one of the most common goals I hear from my weight-loss clients.
In addition to cardio, ab exercises can help you start getting rid of excess belly fat and flatten and tone the stomach area. Plus, abs are considered your bodys center of gravity and are responsible for aiding in balance and coordination. So theres much more benefit to strengthening your abdominals beyond the aesthetic reasons.
Many people’s first instinct is to drop down and start crunching. While there is a place for crunches in a core routine, they only target one muscle group in the abdominal region. To really see results, it’s important to incorporate exercises that target all of the muscle groups that make up your core.
Go Without Processed Grains
Processed grains, like white bread and pasta, take less time to digest and are quickly converted into sugar and eventually fat.
“By frequently eating highly processed grain products, even in moderate amounts, you will be signaling to your body to store the high levels of sugar as fat,” Quebbemann says.
What the research says: A 2010 study found that people who limit refined grains and eat more whole grains have lower levels of visceral fat, which is located around abdominal organs.
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Drink A Glass Of Water Before Eating A Meal
Research has also found that drinking a glass of water before a meal can help to suppress appetite, meaning that you’re more likely to indulge in a smaller and healthier sized portion while feeling fuller. One way to remind yourself? With a super chic reusable water bottle.
Stainless steel water bottle, £7.79, eBay
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Am I Engaging My Core Correctly

Many people learn to do sit-ups and crunches in a way that shortens the rectus abdominis muscle, making it pooch out at your middle instead of creating long, flexible muscles. If you do Pilates exercise in the same way, you won’t achieve core strength and long, lean ab muscles.
If you think this might be your problem, work on correcting your form and engaging all your abdominal muscles, as well as the lats, paraspinal muscles, hip flexors, and glutes, to keep your spine safe and stable. Hint: Picture zipping up your absbringing your navel up and toward your spine.
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Tricks To Flatten Your Stomach
Is a tight, toned stomach near the top of your wish list? With these 10 exercises from fitness professionals like Denise Austin, youll flatten your stomach and say goodbye to those Spanx once and for all…
1. Denise Austins Lower Tummy FirmerCheck out fitness maven Denise Austins favorite belly-busting exercise. This core exercise comes straight from her book, Tone Your Tummy Type .
2. Minna Lessigs Side PlankFitness guru and former Ms. Fitness USA Minna Lessig recommends the side plank for a challenging workout that targets your core, plus your shoulders and arms.1.Start from push-up position. Tighten abs.2.Bring your right hand to the center, halfway between its starting position and your left hand.3.Turn your body to the left. Shift weight from toes to the outer side of your right foot, stacking your left foot on top of your right.4.Lift your left arm off floor. 5.Extend your left arm toward ceiling in line with your shoulders. Your body should form one, straight line from head to feet, sideways. 6.Look straight. Hold position for 10-30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times. 7.Repeat on other side.Want to learn more? Get a copy of Minna Lessigs Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly and Boy Shorts Bottom .