By week two of my exercising excursions, I was ready to try something a little more difficult but still low impact. I started switching off every other day with a total body toning and strengthening work (because of the stomach down mat work, I was not able to do this workout after week eighteen of my pregnancy). It was a really hard workout and I was happy to only be doing it every other day!
Two weeks into my new post partum workout routine and six weeks post partum, I started feeling a little more tone in my abdominal muscles. At my six week post partum appointment with my midwife, she told me that my rectus abdominis muscles already pulled together quite a bit and were only two finger widths apart! That was the affirmation I needed to maintain my workout with enthusiasm.
By week three I was still doing the total body toning and strengthening workout four times a week, but I was feeling like I needed more cardio. I stopped doing the low impact dance cardio workout (the one I modified to use as a pregnancy workout) and started doing a more high impact fifty minute total body cardio workout. Describing this cardio workout as hard, hardly expresses the true nature of this routine. It is a kick-your-butt-out-of-breath-never-ending workout and it was exactly what I needed to start burning off the baby weight!
I kept at this core toning and strengthening workout and total body cardio workout for several weeks sometimes doing the cardio more frequently and sometimes doing the toning workout more often (especially when I needed a break!). My pregnancy weight was slowly coming off and more pre pregnancy clothes were gradually beginning to fit again!
(To be continued…)