My after Baby Body

Heidi Klum hit the Victoria’s Secret runway five weeks after she had given birth. If she can do it, I will do it too, I thought being pregnant myself. I didn’t do any research about how she or any other celebrity had managed to get back in shape in no time. I just figured if I continued working out continuously and if I wouldn’t give in some cravings, I would get the same results. And I did.

This was my body after 7 days:

And this after 14 days:

Many women approach me, saying that they are afraid they would put on weight during pregnancy. I tell them that they shouldn’t be. If you continue leading a normal life which involves sports and a healthy balanced diet, you certainly won’t put on any extra weight. Of course there are some unlucky girls who feel sick throughout the first trimester, and in some cases even until giving birth. I admit that it will be much more difficult and in some cases impossible for them to proceed with their routines. But if your doctor gives a thumbs-up, you should listen to your body and do whatever feels right for you. In my case, I went to the gym until the very last week. And of course my program had changed with my tummy growing. It’s impossible for you to do sit-ups when you are 8 months pregnant. But you can still work out most of your body parts which prepares you for birth perfectly. That is really a marathon actually, so the fitter you are the better. I had to deal with quiet some critics, some gym members asked me if I was planning to give birth at the club. Then some personal trainer approached me saying I should better not do a particular exercise. I asked him why and he couldn’t tell me.

Here I was 39 weeks pregnant, ready to pop and I hadn't put on any weight except for the baby. In my opinion the biggest risks for gaining weight are:

NO SPORTS  before you got pregnant. It’s not the best timing to start when you are pregnant. But you can still do something moderate like Yoga or Pilates which will make you feel great.

UNHEALTHY DIET. If you never paid attention to what you eat and are now confronted with all these articles about what you should eat or not eat, you may be kind of overwhelmed and eat more than you actually should, just by trying to get everything right. I know girls who didn’t put on any extra weight during pregnancy, but too much when they nursed – out of the same reason. They were terribly scared that they would run out of milk and wouldn’t be able to feed their baby. But think about it: What are cows eating, grass or chocolate?

ANXIETY. So far it has been you and your husband and everything was just perfect. You wonder how the baby is going to influence your relationship. If you are going to be a good mother. If your body will be the same after birth. If birth is as painful as they all say. You are just full of anxiety and seek comfort in food.

OTHERS. Husbands, mothers, sisters and friends urging you to eat “for two”. Don’t listen to them! You don’t need any extra calories until the very end. And even then, it’s only the equivalent of a piece of bread.

After 14 days I had my flat tummy back. Of course I had started light work-out right after my natural birth. That is one of the many advantages when you don’t have a Cesarian. I used the baby as a weight when doing sit-ups. After two weeks, I went to work out at the gym, slimmer than ever. Now I felt I would treat myself with some lessons from a personal trainer. And this is when it all began…