getting back stomach muscle tone

jesennia · 10-15-2007, 11:16 AM

ok dudes the weight from baby has pretty much dropped already (and the boobs diminished too much to my horror) but there is still a serious lack of abdominal muscle tone

it aint firm AT all and it's a pile of loose skin

what to do? are sit ups the thing? i'm back in the water again so cardio is taken care of ..

mahalos

damiena · 10-15-2007, 11:37 AM

Jess - does your gym have ab machines? I am addicted to my gym's machines and they have done wonders for my abs!

I crunch 65 pounds on the crunch machine, use 45 pounds on the oblique machine and 45 on another ab machine that works like a crunch, but you fold up from lying back, instead of crunching forward.

nasila · 10-15-2007, 11:47 AM

I think you're supposed to wait 6 weeks before doing hard core ab exercises...and check for the muscle separation diastasis too. Yoga poses that concentrate on your core will help. Need to tighten the transverse muscles on the sides to get the tone back...where's Lauren?

firefly5 · 10-15-2007, 11:59 AM

Have your abdominal muscles joined back together yet?
If you lie flat on your back and lift your head it will tense up your stomach muscles (rectus abdominus-the central ones which run from ribs to pelvis) press gently with your fingertips, and if there is a gap of 2 or more fingers-width, you should not be doing sit-ups or any weight bearing exercise on your abs.
If this is the case it is best to start very gently, with exercises like lying on your back, and contracting the muscles by pulling your navel towards your spine, and small hip or shoulder twists lying down.
Seriously, your body needs a while to recover naturally after having a baby, don't put too much stress on these muscles before they are ready.

If they have gone back together again, you should be fine to exercise them however you like eg, crunches, sit-ups etc, but still start gently.

Hope this helps!
Ruth x

tahiradancer · 10-15-2007, 01:12 PM

Also, remember to use lots of lotion on your skin. this helps to hydrate it from the outside (I know you are drinking lots of water) and if you get a lotion which lift and tightens...

A warning on that - many things are trans dermal. I don't recall if you are breast feeding or not, but this is something to take into consideration.

{{{HUGS}}}}

kateryna · 10-15-2007, 02:30 PM

I use a balance ball. It's not too hard, doesn't put as much strain on your back, but so effective. There are a few different things you can do, like regular crunches, lying flat on the floor lifting the ball with your feet. And a new one I learned not too long ago, in the pushup position, feet on the ball, sliding the ball forward contract the belly and sliding the ball back relax the belly. The back needs to stay straight when you relax the belly, no arching.
I started doing mine 3 month after I had my son. A couple month into it my abs looked better than they were before I had my baby.
You can find more exersizes here
http://exercise.about.com/cs/abs/l/bl_core.htm

kashmir · 10-15-2007, 03:18 PM

"sit ups" frequently do little for ab tone as many people do them using the hip flexors. Assuming it is safe (see above), a modified situp that targets the abdominis rectus would be to lie on your back, knees bent. Use your fingers to find where the hip flexor crosses from leg to pelvis (lift your leg and it will bulge), now start a sit up but stop as soon as the hip flexor kicks in. Hold 30s. Repeat.

In time your abs will strengthen and you can get up higher. You are also teaching your abs to work rather than your hip flexors.

Good luck.

ashadanzatrice · 10-15-2007, 07:31 PM

what nasila and firefly5 said. also, congrats, because i've been here so rarely since having my own kiddo that i haven't said that!

i forget the author, but "essential exercises for the childbearing year" recommends that as soon as you can, and until you can do more strenuous exercise, you should focus on holding your abs in/being able to suck them in. has worked for me (though not like i have my body back yet, i'm only at 7 weeks postpartum, and my workout schedule consists of 3-year-old, breastfeeding little sis, lots of stairs, and laundry).

zumarrad · 10-15-2007, 08:07 PM

One of my dance buddies was flat as a board, though spongy, at six weeks. She's now got most of her tone back (six months), but she started out with crunches and then of course added - gasp - belly dance.

mish_mish · 10-15-2007, 08:09 PM

Be patient woman. Be patient.

Lauren_ · 10-16-2007, 08:51 AM

I think surfing will do the trick very nicely, Jes. It's just going to take a little time. I'm with Mish Mish, be patient.

maliam · 10-16-2007, 10:28 AM

I'm also with Mish on this one. I had my lil girl about three months ago. Started walking and doing crunches as soon as I could (about 4 weeks post-partum). Also got back into dance. I've dropped most of my weight but still have a bit of tummy flubber :). I think it helps with the shimmies!

Shirin. · 10-16-2007, 11:04 AM

I know I'm having this problem as well. My baby is 9 months old now, and most of the tone is back (considering I don't have a regular exercise routine) but I have the loose skin problem in my belly.
Is there a minor surgery for that? I don't want a tummy tuck, thats too drastic for me.

aazura · 10-16-2007, 11:16 AM

Pilates -- does wonderful work for the core!

jesennia · 10-16-2007, 07:42 PM

patience? laughs (just kidding) shhh i was back in the water at 3 1/2 weeks..

just had the four week checkup today and was given the green light to go ahead with sex and surfing once again. my nurse says well i can tell you already have been out in the water because of your tan lines. i feel great. she says so long as bleeding doesn't increase (actually it stopped) that i can start mild exercise again. i'm not ready to do sit ups or anything really strenuous yet (in fact with surfing i'm not even trying to stand yet, i'm just out in the water using the arms and legs) .

we've been walking every morning, baby and me. i am just pushing him in the stroller because i'm not the jogging type . pilates or yoga sounds appealing.

went from 177 to 150 in four weeks, i still have 10 to go to be back at prepregnancy weight but nurse says it's common to keep a bit of extra on the bones to help out with breastfeeding. i'm sure most of that weight was water and baby but i'd like to credit also the swift reduction of the postpartum hemmorhoids as part of the weight reduction too. seriously world record here. ok TMI but you know you wanted to hear it. hahaha

laura 2 · 10-16-2007, 10:21 PM

OMG, sex after 4 weeks??????? My doc okayed me after 6, but between hubby's nervousness and my complete lack of interest ("Don't even THINK of coming near me with that thing" was a common refrain), I think it was about 12 weeks before I was back in the saddle, so to speak.

It sounds to me like you're bouncing back fantastically, Jes! Good for you!

elisagamal · 10-17-2007, 11:06 PM

patience, patience, patience, girl! it took you nine months to build that baby; cut yourself a little slack, here! your body just did something dramatic and amazing - give it time to recover and thank it for what it did for you. :)

all of your weight will drop off. soon. especially with the nursing and surfing. I PROMISE. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT. women's bodies are made to bear children, and to recover from it! and if you were trim and fit beforehand, that is what you will bounce back to.

I didn't work out after either of my children (sami just turned one today, hooray!). with both, I was 10 pounds below my prepregnancy weight by 6 months. with both, I gradually got back into dancing, and by 6 months felt like my body looked great again, but didn't feel like I had my core muscles and my "snap" back for about 11-12 months. this was just with casual dancing - no crunches or gym or anything like that.

what helped me the most this second time, is that any time I hold my baby, I concentrate on flexing my core muscles to lift my pelvic floor, pull in my lower abs, and keep my lower back straight. I do this partly to spare myself the wicked back pain I suffered with my first (all of that bending and twisting getting a baby in and out of a crib!), and partly to get myself back into shape. for me at least, when I hold a baby my body wants to push the pelvis forward and roll my shoulders up around the baby to keep him over my center of balance. ow. fighting to keep the pelvis aligned has really shaped my body up, and I haven't had the back pain this time around.

once you're up standing on your surfboard, you'll be back to ripped-abs hottie so fast you'll laugh at how you worried about it. but seriously - it's not a race. enjoy these early months, respect and honor your body, and trust that it will go back to normal very soon. :)