How to deal with a sagging postpartum belly, exercise to tighten muscles, diet and massage to combat a sagging belly, anti-stretch marks. Every woman, no matter how ideal forms she may have before pregnancy, after childbirth is faced with the difficult problem of a sagging belly. This problem is hard enough to solve, but quite possible. One has only to approach it with full seriousness and responsibility in order to discipline and systematically carry out all the required measures to eliminate it.
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Sagging stomach after childbirth: features of the fight
Pregnancy is a serious test for every woman. And even when the long-awaited child is finally born, a sagging belly reminds of this special state of the body.
With the birth of a child, numerous responsibilities of caring for the child burst into the life of every woman. But this is not at all a valid reason to refuse to work on your body to give it beautiful shapes.
The first thing that comes to mind is the fight against excess weight that appeared after pregnancy. However, even the most effective diet is not able to completely get rid of excess fat and tighten the belly. This is because the distribution of fat is often uneven. Therefore, extra pounds are concentrated in places with the least mobility: buttocks, chest, abdomen. At the same time, not only large fat folds are visible, often the appearance is greatly spoiled by the heterogeneity and tuberosity of the surface of the abdomen.
The main tasks in the fight against a sagging postpartum abdomen are: normalization of nutrition, a full diet, restoration of physical activity, an increase in physical activity to improve metabolic processes, as well as raising muscle tone, stimulation of metabolic processes in the skin by external means.
The fight against a sagging postpartum belly should include several methods of exposure in order to accelerate the achievement of the goal and not harm the body. It is desirable that the set of measures include a gentle diet, wearing a bandage, a set of physical exercises, massage of the problem area, and the use of cosmetics.
How to remove the belly after childbirth with a balanced diet
The diet for losing excess weight after childbirth should be gentle, balanced, so as not to interfere with the production of breast milk and its filling with useful elements. Then breastfeeding will be as beneficial as possible for the baby. By the way, the processes of milk production and direct feeding stimulate uterine contraction, in addition, the body spends up to 500 kcal per day for their implementation.
Recommendations for composing a diet in the postpartum period:
- Avoid unhealthy calories like sugar, unhealthy fats, and simple carbohydrates. Foods containing empty calories are not able to energize the body for a long time, they are very quickly deposited in adipose tissue, thereby increasing body weight. Foods that contain useless calories include ice cream, sweets, baked goods, and convenience foods.
- Instead of empty calories, eat healthy goodies - honey, dried fruits, fresh fruits and berries, with which vitamins and nutrients enter the body, for example, ascorbic acid, potassium and folic acid, which are urgently needed in the postpartum period. In winter, it is quite difficult to find quality fresh fruits and berries. They can be replaced with vitamin complexes sold in pharmacies.
- It is not advisable to eat white foods, for example, bread, rice. Replace them with whole grains, brown rice, oats.
- To lose weight faster, reduce the absorption of animal fats and increase your intake of dietary proteins, which are found in abundance in broccoli, spinach and other greens. Together with them, useful fibers, vitamins, microelements enter the body. Protein, which is easily absorbed by the body, is found in egg white, buckwheat, lentils and dairy products.
- It is better to divide the entire daily diet into a larger number of meals during the day. In this case, the volume of food can remain the same. Thus, overeating and digestion difficulties can be avoided.
- Consider the biological rhythms of the human body to ensure proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and rational replenishment of the body with calories. To do this, be sure not to skip breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day. Serving sizes should be reduced by the end of the day. The last meal is the lightest; eat, for example, low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt.
- As you know, the body is on average 60% water. Every day, the liquid leaves the body in one way or another, therefore it is vital to replenish water reserves by drinking it in a volume of at least 2 liters, excluding the consumption of other products containing liquid. Immediately after waking up, you should drink a glass of cool water to activate the digestive tract.
- Plan the amount of food in such a way that during the day you spend more calories than you consume. The energy lacking for physical activity will be drawn from the body's reserves, i.e. from body fat.
Wearing a flabby belly bandage after childbirth
A bandage is harmless for the general condition of the body - the first assistant in the fight against weak abdominal muscles, the use of which does not require any effort. The bandage is designed to maintain muscle tone and support stretched skin.
There are some restrictions on the use of the bandage:
- The presence of unhealed sutures on the perineum. The bandage, in fact, compresses the body, thereby disrupting blood circulation. Because of this, it becomes possible to reduce the rate of healing of the stitches, which can lead to their inflammation.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, abdominal pain. Due to circulatory disorders and squeezing of the abdominal area with a bandage, edema and indigestion may develop.
- Individual intolerance to the bandage material. Contact with tissue may cause allergic skin reactions.
There are several types of postpartum braces. A pant-shaped bandage is the most comfortable type. It has a high waist. The Bermuda bandage is suitable for women who want to tighten both the stomach and buttocks. The bandage skirt is a wide Velcro strip that covers the abdomen and thighs.
Recommendations for the selection and use of the bandage:
- First of all, visit a doctor to consult on the presence of contraindications.
- Decide on the type of bandage.
- Choose a bandage for your current body size. Using a larger size product will not bring the desired result, and wearing a small one can lead to undesirable consequences.
- The use of a bandage is not allowed in the first week after delivery.
- The time of wearing a postpartum corset should not exceed 12 hours per day. Rest every 3-4 hours.
- Do not use a bandage while sleeping.
- It is advisable to wear the bandage for 1 to 1.5 months.
An alternative to a bandage is slimming underwear that can partially hide excess pounds. This option can be used when going out. Slimming underwear not only creates an aesthetic appearance, but also helps to distribute mass and maintain skin tone.
Exercise after childbirth for the abdomen
Immediately after childbirth, almost any physical activity is contraindicated for women. This is due to the processes of restoration of the uterus and the location of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity. The period of forced passivity for each woman is different. It depends on the rate of recovery of the body. It is known that after childbirth, which took place in a natural way, the recovery processes are completed in a shorter time - from 1 to 2 months. In the case of a caesarean section, recovery times vary from 2 to 3 months. When the body has returned to normal, you can proceed to the first physical exercises, if there are no contraindications to the doctor.
Tips for doing exercises for the abdomen
To quickly cope with a sagging postpartum belly, choose the most appropriate set of physical activity. The choice is wide enough: street jogging, jumping rope, swimming in the pool, aerobics, cycling, hula-hoop exercises, etc.
Many people choose classes in gyms, where there is always a professional instructor who will help you choose a set of exercises and correct them in the process. However, to save money, you can do abdominal exercises at home.
Tips for doing healthy exercise at home to get rid of a saggy belly after childbirth:
- Do abs work at least 3 and maximum 7 times a week.
- Always start any workout with a warm-up.
- Eliminate the use of dumbbells or other weights so as not to form excessive muscle definition.
- Develop the technique of correct breathing: when inhaling, do not allow the stomach to expand, keep the abdominal wall retracted; as you exhale, tensely draw in the front wall of the abdomen.
- Observe the technique of performing the exercises: it is better to do fewer repetitions, but with high quality.
- During exercise, the press should be tense.
- Gradually increase the number of repetitions. Try to perform a set of exercises without interruption at a fairly fast pace.
Exercises to warm up the muscles for the abdomen
To prepare your body for exercise, follow these simple steps to warm up your muscles:
- Standing or lying on your back while inhaling, round your stomach as much as possible. As you exhale, forcefully draw your stomach in.
- In the prone position, lift your torso by bending backward.
Fix each position for a few seconds. Repeat these steps 40-50 times.
A set of exercises for the postpartum abdomen
To be effective, try to do compound exercises rather than monosyllables, which are more conducive to fat burning, muscle strengthening and skin tightening.
An approximate set of exercises aimed at combating a saggy postpartum belly:
- I. p. - standing, back straightened, legs are together, hands in the middle of the thigh. Squat, while the buttocks should be taken as far back as possible, and the body should be tilted forward. Take a deep breath, while inflating your stomach with a "ball". As you exhale, straighten, raise your arms up, and pull your stomach in. Then inhale slowly through your nose, bulge your stomach forward, as if drawing air into it. Exhaling slowly through your nose, pull your abdominal muscles back towards your spine. Repeat 15-18 times.
- I. p. - horizontal position on the back, hands clasped behind the head. Exhaling, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, and bend your legs so that your heels are pulled up to your buttocks and your knees to your chest. While doing this, suck in your stomach. Spread your legs slightly. Straighten one leg, leaving it in weight, and pull the other knee to the opposite elbow. Do the same for the other leg. This exercise is quite laborious, start with 5 trips, bringing the number of repetitions to 15-20.
- I. p.- lying on your side in half a turn, your legs are slightly bent at the knee and hip, the shoulder lying on the floor is slightly extended forward. With your shoulder and knees off the floor, reach with your fingers towards your heels without bending your legs. Fix in this position for 25-30 seconds. After that, move your arms to one side and your legs to the opposite. Repeat the set of movements while lying on the other side.
- Lying on your back, press your lower back to the floor. Bend your legs slightly at the knee and set your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands along the body. Exhaling, pull in your stomach as much as possible, and lift your pelvis up, lock in for 25-30 seconds. Repeat the exercise, straightening first the right and then the left leg to work the oblique muscles.
- I. p. - lie on your back, place your hands behind your head, do not close them, put your feet on the floor, bending your legs. As you lift your shoulders off the floor, inhale the air and stretch your arms towards your knees. In this exercise, the shoulders can be lifted off the floor slightly or raised higher. Try to strain your abs as much as possible, not your neck muscles.
- Lie on your back, put your arms along your torso, straighten your legs up (or lift them by bending them at the knees). Straining your abdominal muscles without waving your legs, lift your pelvis up and fix the position for half a minute. At the same time, try not to rest your hands on the floor.
- I. p. - sitting on the edge of the bed, place your hands behind your head, then lower your back onto the bed, pull your legs to your chest. Gradually straighten your legs along the bed, simultaneously stretching your entire torso.
How to remove the belly after childbirth using massage
In addition to the above methods of dealing with a sagging belly after childbirth, it is possible to use cosmetic procedures, which include abdominal massage.
Massage improves the supply of nutrients to tissues. Direct action on problem areas helps to restore the former elasticity of the skin. So that the results are not long in coming, carry out massage sessions every day for a couple of weeks. The best results can be achieved by contacting a professional massage therapist, but this does not negate the need for self-massage at home.
Self-massage can be done while showering using massage sponges or other massage devices. After mechanical warming up of the abdominal muscles, take a contrast shower, complete the water procedures with cool water.
In the struggle for a flat stomach, massage should be complemented by the use of a variety of cosmetics. These are massage lotions, creams and body scrubs. When buying a product, pay attention to the composition. Hendel's Garden pomegranate emulsion helps with stretch marks.
To get rid of a flabby sagging belly, the following beneficial ingredients are needed:
- Collagen;
- Horse chestnut, brown algae, menthol, mint extracts;
- Extracts of lavender, sage, ivy, oregano, hawthorn, calendula;
- Apricot pits, ground coffee, sea salt;
- Essential oils of orange, lemon, cypress;
- Vegetable oils (olive, almond, linseed).
Various cosmetic procedures are pleasant and effective in the fight against sagging skin on the abdomen after childbirth, for example, wraps, apparatus cosmetology, sauna, cryotherapy.
How to get rid of stretch marks on the stomach after childbirth
In addition to a saggy belly, many women in labor after pregnancy get a problem such as stretch marks. This is atrophy of the skin associated with a lack of nutrients in the body. If a saggy belly, in addition to spoiling the appearance, can lead to disturbances in the activity of the body, for example, digestive disorders, then stretch marks are only a cosmetic defect. However, it is quite noticeable and unaesthetic.
To get rid of stretch marks, it is necessary to establish metabolic processes in the skin and the synthesis of collagen and elastin, to ensure stable regeneration of skin tissue, to fill the skin cells with the necessary nutrients.
All the above measures to combat the defects of the postpartum abdomen, except for wearing a bandage, are applicable to solving the problem with stretch marks, they improve the general condition of the body, establish the work of all systems, which in turn has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin.
An important role in getting rid of stretch marks is played by local methods: massage and the use of cosmetics, for example: Skinformer stretch mark tonic, Liquid Chestnut cream, Hendel pomegranate emulsion. To make the massage more effective, and the results appeared a little earlier than average, use the following mixture during the procedure: 100 ml of aloe juice, 100 ml of olive oil, 5 drops of retinol (vitamin A), 10 drops of tocopherol (vitamin E).
How to remove a saggy belly after childbirth - watch the video:
Among the many ways to deal with a saggy belly, choose the most appropriate options and combine them. That being said, be disciplined in working on your body to achieve great results in no time.
