You know, I think some of the most useful Internet resources were created by mothers on leave. Stroller Hikes is no exception. The author lists her favourite stroller-friendly hiking trails around the San Francisco Bay area, describes her criteria system and talks about when her hiking group is meeting up next.
Walking is always a great way to lose baby weight, reduce stress and feel less isolated from the rest of the world.  Turning a walk into a hike gives the activity an added fitness dimension and gets you out into the fresh air. We try to do it every weekend …read more

In my effort to find the perfect exercise for new mothers, I’ve often read about NIA a combination of yoga, dance, and martial arts. Created by Debbie and Carlos Rosas in the 1980s, I started researching the technique because my friend, the poet Peach Friedman, found it instrumental in recovering from her eating disorder. And, if there is anyone who needs help coming to terms with the female body in all its femaleness, it is a new mother.

Today’s Parent has a great article for new mothers called Easing Back Into Fitness by Andrea Neblett.
The piece outlines eleven tips for mothers to gain the most benefit by making little changes and if you have time, you should take a look at the full text. I’ve quoted Neblett’s tips, but summarized her point in describing each of them. The links refer to other articles we’ve already discussed that deal with the same study.
1. Set goals. Figure out what you want to achieve before you start a new exercise routine.
2. Be Selective. Choose activitie you have fun doing.
3. Build your …read more

I got some real exercise last night for the first time since the baby was born.
Sure, I’d been jogging once before. Sure, I’d done my own version of postpartum pilates (thanks for coining that for me, Jill) on the floor. Sure, I’ve been walking with the baby every day.
Last night, though, I was so desperate to move, so desperate to get out of the house ALONE, that I pushed myself and walked/jogged for a full hour. I built up some speed, burned off some frustrations, and felt, well, free.
Today, I am having some difficulty moving. This starting over on the …read more

We live in a culture where having a six-pack is now the anti-beer belly. Talk about abdominal exercise and you hear about crunches, sit ups and other regimes that are not appropriate for the post-partum mother. Re-building stretched out muscles shouldn’t been seen in the same light as trying to achieve a six pack.
After a woman gives birth, her muscles are in a state that I call abdominal amnesia. The muscles there have lost their memory. You may not even be able to feel the muscles when you consciously attempt to tighten them.
My mother-in-law swore by girdles for new mothers. …read more

Three weeks after the birth of my first child, I weighed a kilogram (2.2 pounds) less than I did before getting pregnant and I glowed. When I went back to the gym, my muscle memory switched on quickly and I was back at my pre-pregnancy fitness level by the time my boy was five months old.
That miracle was the result of a fit pregnancy. I walked or swam for an hour every day, I slept for about 12 hours a day, and I ate low-fat yogurt three times a day.
My second pregnancy was more difficult. For much of it, I …read more