How to Get Back in Shape After Having a Baby

Okay, if you are one of those women who only gained 15 pounds went you got pregnant, and then this isn't for you. See, I've been in pretty darn good shape my whole life - never overweight, worked out regularly and ate healthy. But damn! When I got pregnant I stayed on the regular exercise and healthy eating and still gained FIFTY POUNDS!!! I was shocked. I didn't feel fat, just pregnant. And I felt pretty darn sexy and womanly. And I thought for sure I would leave all that weight at the hospital. But I didn't. So here's some of what I learned about taking it off.

Things You’ll Need:
Patience
Self-discipline
Hope

Step1
Let your body heal. Whether a vaginal or c-section birth, your body needs to recuperate. This can be a heartbreaking time because you are really seeing your body for the first time without this awesome belly, and realizing UH OH, it is pretty far off from what you started from. That's okay. Give yourself time to heal and get into the rhythm of your baby.
Step2
Figure out the logistics of exercise. Everyone is different - you are staying at home, you are back at work, you have multiple kids. For each person, there is a plan. Trust me. It is just a matter of figuring out what works for you. A treadmill, a used jogging stroller, an old workout DVD.
Step3
Just 30 minutes. If you can give that to yourself everyday, that would be ideal. If you try for it everyday and wind up with 3-4 times a week, that's good. Finding time for you can feel impossible, but I promise, it's not. I come home from work and take my daughter for a walk for 20-30 minutes. It is my time to come down from the work day. 

Sometimes my husband will watch her in the morning so I exercise. I know you are exhausted. But here is the secret - exercising every day actually gives you more energy. Try it. You can live better on the 4-6 hours of sleep you are getting every night and the 10-12 hours your are working every day as a full time mom or working outside the home.
Step4
Take time to tone too. Burning off the fat is made all the easier by building muscle mass. And as much as we all wish we had the personal trainers and nannies of the Caleb moms, most of us don't. So to keep it simple. Start with 25 push ups and sit ups. Then tack on 5-10 more a week and work your way up to 100. If you can actually break away and take a yoga or toning class, the entire better.
Step5
Watch your eating. When you are pregnant, you are encouraged to indulge, and most of us do. But the good thing about eating during pregnancy is that you learn more about nutrition than ever before because you become hyper-aware of what you are putting into your body. Keep up this practice, because now you need to take care of you for YOU. Continuing to eat healthy, fresh foods without hydrogenated soybeans or refined sugar is great. Just cut the portions in HALF so you can ultimately burn more calories than you eat...the only sure-fire way to lose weight.
Step6
Give yourself time. Your body isn't going to look just like it did before you got pregnant right away. I've still got that last damn five pounds and my daughter is almost a year old. But I'm active, I'm healthy and I know I'll get there. You will too.