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How to Lose a Baby Belly – 10 Great Tips

Giving birth to a baby is an amazing miracle. Figuring out how to lose a baby belly postpartum may seem like another miracle to you, but don’t worry, you’ll get there. Let’s go over some tips to help you get that pre-pregnancy belly back.Tip #1. Reduce overall body fat. When wanting to lose a baby belly, it won’t work for you to just focus on losing the fat on the belly only. You will want to focus on losing fat on your body as a whole. Good news though, normally, for many, the belly fat is the first to go!Tip #2. Cardio is a great way to burn fat. Brisk walking is a great way to get started, but the higher the intensity, the more fat you will burn. It is best to check with your doctor before starting any kind of exercise routine.Tip #3. When wondering how to lose a baby belly, remember that a healthy diet is very important. When you combine your healthy diet with cardio and strength training, the fat will be flying off! Just remember to stick to the proper amount of daily calories for your body to lose the weight.Tip #4. You can tone your abdominal muscles with exercises such as crunches or situps but the results won’t show until you get rid of the belly fat. The belly fat sits on top of the abs so you have to get rid of the baby belly first with cardio and strength training, and then you can tone up those ab muscles.Tip #5. Complex carbohydrates are the “good carbs”. It is best to include these in your healthy diet. These are a very important part of how to lose a baby belly. Some examples are legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.Tip #6. Interval training is a type of cardio exercise that allows you to work at a high intensity interval in short bursts, followed by a recovery interval where you work at a moderate pace to “recover” from the high intensity interval. This type of workout is great for losing a baby belly but if you are just starting out with exercising (i.e. your body is not used to working out), then it is best to start with regular cardio and work your way up to interval training, as it can be a pretty intense workout.Tip #7. When going about how to lose a baby belly, it has been shown in a study that a group of people who have eaten whole grain foods have lost more fat around the belly than a group who has eaten refined grains. Whole grain foods are also great to eat because they help you to feel full for longer amounts of time.Tip #8. Stick to eating foods with monounsaturated fats (MUFA). These are the healthier fats. Some examples are nuts, seeds, avocados and dark chocolate. When thinking about how to lose a baby belly, always try to avoid foods that contain those unhealthy bad fats, such as saturated fats.Tip #9. Avoid fatty cuts of meat. It is best to eat lean cuts of meat when wanting to lose weight. Some examples are fish, tenderloin, lean or extra lean beef, chicken, turkey, etc.Tip #10. Some good tummy exercises to try:Bicycle1. Lay flat on your back, supporting your head with your hands/fingers.

2. Lift shoulder blades off the floor and bring knees into your chest.

3. Straighten one leg (keeping it in the air), twist towards bent knee bringing opposite shoulder (yes, shoulder, not elbow) towards it.

4. Repeat with the other leg/shoulder.

5. Keep alternating.

6. Push yourself to do as many as you can.Reverse Crunch1. Lay flat on your back, with arms on the floor at your sides, palms down.

2. Bend your knees in towards your chest until they are bent to 90 degrees (feet can be together or crossed).

3. Use your abdominal muscles to pull your hips up off the floor; release.

4. Repeat, doing as many as you can. Remember, push yourself a little.*Note: Focus on using your abdominals to pull your hips up. You don’t want to swing legs and create momentum; that won’t work your abs

effectively.Elbow Plank1. Lay on your tummy with forearms and elbows on the floor.

2. Push yourself up, keeping your forearms/elbows and toes on the floor so that you are in one straight line.

3. Abdominals should be tucked in (towards your spine) and contracted.

4. Hold. Try to hold for about 20 seconds (if it’s less to start, that’s okay too) and work your way up to 60 seconds.

5. Try for 3 reps.*Remember: With any type of abdominal exercise, really try to focus on the ab muscles as you’re doing it, making sure they are contracted, etc. as this will help you work your ab muscles more effectively.