Postpartum ab workout to tone your belly

You have surely heard how important it is to strengthen your abdominals and stabilize your pelvis after you have a baby. The standard abdominal exercises are too intense, so it is crucial to follow postpartum ab exercises only. So you are probably wondering, what are some postpartum abdominal exercises that are safe to do?

Here are a couple popular postpartum exercises for tummy and pelvis, as well as to connect to your postpartum body:

Pelvic Tilt

1. Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Place a pillow under your hips, as well as another pillow or small stability ball between your knees.
3. Place your arms at your side, inhale, and then exhale. This is your starting position.
4. Engage your abs and tuck your pelvis under slightly. Squeeze your glutes as you do a Kegel.
5. Hold for a few seconds and then come back to your starting position.

Cat/Cow Stretch

1. Begin by resting your hands and knees on the floor. Your knees should be under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders.
2. Keep your back flat and your abdominals engaged. This is your starting position.
3. Inhale, arch your back from your tailbone to your neck, and rest your abdominals. Imagine a string is pulling your back up towards the sky, where your stomach relaxes and your back is engaged.
4. On your exhale, drop your head and round your back.
5. Slowly move between the two positions.
6. Return to starting position.

Single-leg Extensions

1. First, lie down with your knees leg bent at 90 degrees, your arms by your side, and your abs fully engaged.
2. Inhale, keep your abs engaged and raise one leg to tabletop position.
3. Slowly extend your lifted leg as close to the floor as you can.
4. Slowly return to the bent-knee position at 90 degrees.
5. Complete subsequent reps, alternating sides.

Other popular exercises include: heel slides, mini crunch, beginner plank, etc.

It is also crucial to do and incorporate basic breathing exercises where you breathe through your belly region and connect to this part of your body, then let your breath move through the rest of your body. Breathing exercises are something to incorporate into everyday life.

Now, what does a postpartum ab workout look like?

A postpartum ab workout incorporates these slow movement exercises that build up your core, posture and body for daily function. You’ll be especially thankful for doing them when you go to pick up your little one!

Read also: 4 effective post-partum core exercises

Postpartum ab workout

• Deep breathing – 1 minute
• Pelvic Tilt – 20X
• Deep breathing – 20 seconds
• Cat/cow stretch – 1 minute
• Single leg extensions – 10X
• Deep breathing – 1 minute

Be sure to speak with your doctor before beginning with any postpartum ab exercises.