The routine of a new mom is an endless rigmarole of frequent feedings, diaper changes and taking over domestic responsibilities. Amid all this activity the motivation to get back to shape gets lost.

So at the altar of sleep-deprived life of the new mother, exercise is the most obvious sacrifice. And yet exercise should be a top priority at this time of your life, says Chandigarh-based gynaecologist Dr Umesh Jindal. Because it is vital to re-educate the muscles that have become weak during pregnancy, she adds.

Exercise also helps you to return to your pre-pregnancy weight and shape, says another Chandigarh-based gynaecologist Dr Sonica Chugh.

Post-natal exercises offer many other benefits as well, asserts Dr Chugh. These include increased energy to cope up with the demands of new motherhood, faster healing process after birth, overall feeling of well being and health and reduced stress and post-partum depression.

There is no fixed time to start your post-natal exercises but according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology resuming or starting your exercise routine should be based on your physical capacity.

But always consult your doctor before starting any post-natal exercise routine, cautions Dr Jindal.

It is essential to take time to recover as childbirth can place enormous strain on your body even if the birth was a normal one. While certain simple toning and stretching exercises like Kegel and isometric contractions can be started in the first week after delivery (strictly under your doctor’s guidance), Dr Jindal advises to wait till the stitches have healed.

Normally after your six-week post-partum check up most doctors advise some sort of exercise routine unless you have had a Caesarean section, then the advisable waiting period is at least three months, adds Dr Jindal.

During pregnancy and childbirth uterine, abdominal and back muscles become lax, Dr Chugh advises some simple leg raises and stretches to tone these muscles.

However, if you had a Caesarean section, only deep or abdominal breathing is advised, along with simple toning exercises. Any exercise which puts pressure on abdominal muscles should be avoided for at least three months, she asserts.

Ms Jasbir Kaur, owner of a gym in Mohali, says many women want to join the gym immediately after delivery but ‘‘we normally advise them to wait for at least a month before joining any sort of exercise programme. And even after a month I make them start with light cardiovascular and floor exercises for toning their abdominal muscles. These are for not more than 30 minutes. These may include walking on a treadmill, cycling and simple stretching exercises. This light schedule is of at least one-month duration depending on the stamina of the individual. No weights or jumping exercises are recommended for another six weeks after starting the post-natal exercises’’.

Aerobics, too, are advised after three months even after a normal delivery, she adds.

Simrit Dhanoa (29), a Mohali-based housewife and a mother of two kids, highly recommends post-natal exercises to new mothers. Simrit has had two Caesarean sections. Both times she gained over 15 kg during pregnancy. Six months after her both deliveries she joined a gym. Beginning with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercises she increased it to 90 minutes and lost around 15 kg in four months after the first baby and 10 kg in two and a half months after the second delivery. She strongly recommends working with an experienced trainer as only a sustained effort will help you get back into shape which is not possible working out on your own.

A dietician, Dr Neelu Malhotra of Mohali, recommends a high calorie, high protein diet for lactating mothers. However, only 500 extra calories are needed for new mothers making it roughly a 3000-calorie diet. She also advises an intake of at least three litre of liquids out of which one litres should be milk.

Dr Jindal recommends calcium and iron-rich foods for lactating mothers. But fats should be strictly avoided, she says.

So go easy on that ‘panjiri’ or just dry roast the atta and use ‘shakkar’ instead of sugar, suggests Dr Malhotra.

A simple exercise routine and a sensible diet along with breast feeding will soon get you back into shape.

Ludhiana, September 8
Sahnewal zone pipped Gujjarwal zone 46-44 in kabaddi (u-14) in the Ludhiana District Inter-Zonal Games being played at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Gill, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, PAU.

The following are the results: Kabaddi (u-14): Sahnewal zone beat Gujjarwal zone 46-44; Jagraon zone beat Khanna zone 54-44; and Khanna zone got walk over PAU zone.

Kabaddi (u-17): Gujjarwal zone beat Gill zone 70-16; Jagraon zone beat Khanna zone 73-25; and Sahnewal zone walk over PAU zone.

Kabaddi (u-19): Gujjarwal zone beat Gill zone 60-38; and Khanna zone beat Sahnewal zone 54-46.

Volleyball (u-14): Gujjarwal zone beat Raikot zone; Jagraon zone beat PAU zone; and Samrala zone beat Khanna zone. U-17: Raikot zone beat Samrala zone; Gill zone beat PAU zone; Jagraon zone beat Khanna zone; and Sahnewal zone beat Gujjarwal zone; U-19: Jagraon zone beat Sanewal zone; Raikot zone beat Samrala zone; and Gill zone beat Gujjarwal zone.

Kho-kho (u-14): Sahnewal zone beat Samrala zone; and Raikot zone beat Khanna zone. U-17: Gill zone beat Sahnewal zone; and Raikot zone beat Gujjarwal zone. U-19: Jagraon zone beat Khanna zone; Gill zone beat Gujjarwal zone; and Raikot zone beat Sahnewal zone.

Handball (u-19): Gujjarwal zone beat Khanna zone; and Raikot zone beat Jagraon zone. U-14: Jagraon zone along with Samrala, PAU and Gill zones have entered semifinals while in u-17, Gill, Gujjarwal, Samrala and Raikot zones have made it to the last four stage.