FITNESS

While the whole world is toasting the arrival of your little one, you are left feeling like a bleached whale. Depressed? Read on.

POST NATAL CHECKPOINT

The golden rule is to consult your gynaecologist before you leap into any form of physical activity. Begin by investing ten minutes a day in practising your Kegel exercises after you deliver, to strengthen your pelvic muscles. "For a normal delivery you can usually start your workouts after 15 to 20 days and in case of a C-section, often after 12 to 16 weeks, with due permission from your doctor," advises fitness expert Leena Mogre, Director, Leena Mogre's Fitness. Of course, many of us mothers still look pregnant even when the baby comes out and can't wait to get that tummy to go in. "You may start steadily with leg raises on the bed and follow up with some stretching exercises at home.

The pace at which you proceed is determined by the nature of your pregnancy, whether you were working out before and during the nine months and an assessment of your current fitness levels," says Mogre.

THE TUMMY TANGO

Worried about that ?leftover sag' post your delivery? Spot reduction is a myth you need to bust, together with those ungainly layers of fat on your tummy. "Bring in a combination of simple crunches, oblique crunches and reverse crunches. Remember, exercises strengthen your muscles, but to skim off the sag, the overall body fat has to reduce," points out fitness expert Shalini Bhargava, Director Jgs Fitness. Since your body took nine months to pile on the kilos, give it the equivalent time to shed the weight. What you need is a workable combination of core strengthening exercises, cardio and yoga and muscle strengthening exercises to get cracking, according to Mogre.

Then the figures of svelte filmi beings, courtesy adroit stomach stapling, cavort in front of your eyes. Take heart. Tightening the loose skin on your lower abs isn't an impossible feat to achieve. Work in activities like swimming and lawn tennis into your agenda gradually. Once you wean the baby off your milk, go on a low fat diet, packed with moderate carbohydrates and proteins. "You have to combine diet with workouts," says Bhargava. "A mix of interval training (cardio), gym circuit training, kick-boxing and power yoga can help you achieve your goal." So you can expect to wriggle into your pre pregnancy jeans in about 6 to 9 months, depending on how much weight you put on during the pregnancy.

LARGER THAN LIFE

Swollen hands and feet are a lingering legacy in the first few months. Sure, your ring size changed after the baby arrived. The bracelets no longer fit either. Breastfeeding helps in the contraction of the uterus but to shrug off the excess water in the body, you need to regulate the salt intake. "Tank up on coconut water and incorporate flax (alsi) seeds in your diet as they help in the reduction of intra-cellular water," suggests Mogre. For uplifting your sagging breasts, you need to make a sincere effort. "The muscles in this part need to experience chest press, pec-dec, dumb bell flies and push-ups," says Mogre. Of course, wearing the right bra both while exercising and otherwise helps tremendously in resurrecting the shape of your chest.

Thunder thighs arrive padded with cellulite. Combat these with a judicious blend of free hand exercises, cardio, and activities like cycling, jogging and brisk walking.

COMBAT ZONE

Usually it is difficult for women with polycystic ovaries or for those experiencing hormonal imbalance to lose weight easily. They shed inches, but shrugging off weight appears to be a frustrating experience. "Insulin converts food into energy by passing the glucose from blood steam to muscles, fat and liver cells. During PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) this is impaired as the body secretes excessive insulin together with testosterone and estrogen. The hormonal disruption caused by this impedes the ability to lose weight," explains Mogre. "A low fat and high carb diet does not work with such women because high carbohydrate increases glucose level.

Therefore a low glycemic index diet is suggested for those with PCOS." For non obese PCOS women with regular periods, the diet can have: 50-55% of calories from complex carbohydrates like whole grain, fruits and vegetables, and 20-30 per cent of lean protein, including egg whites,whole pulses and low fat dairy products. For obese PCOS women, carb intake must be lowered to 40% with mono-unsaturated fat like omega-3 fatty acid, flax seeds, olive oil and fish.

Often the last 3 to 5 kilos are most difficult to lose. "At such a time it's always better to cross train and keep changing your exercise and diet routine," suggests Bhargava. Cross training is a mix of standard weight training along with cardio or athletic training or even a sport . "Though you must not starve during this time as this will lower your BMR and hence you may not achieve desired results."

CHOMP IT RIGHT

If you are a 30+ mom, accept that your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is not the same as it was in your 20s. Skip crash diets, liquid diets, starvation diets or even hitting the gym more than what is recommended. Do not allow your BMR to fall down rapidly. Bring in weight training and cardio and keep a strict watch on your diet. Have all green, orange and red vegetables, like spinach, broccoli and carrots. Favour brown rice and whole wheat bread. Following is a list of food group quantity/serving servings/day

>    Milk and milk product 150 ml/ 2

>    Cereals and grains 60 gms/ 6

>    Pulses and beans 30/ 4-5

>    Vegetables + green veg 100gms 4-5

>    Fruits 50gms/ 4

(Leena Mogre)

SHAPE UP

Second time mothers should try to do what was right for them the first time. In consultation with your gynaecologist, do all workouts that are allowed during pregnancy and eat the right foods. Post pregnancy, after the doctor's advice, start exercising and get back in shape as advised earlier. Eat smaller meals everyday with a gap of three hours between meals.