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Home › Articles › Physical Fitness › Pilates After Pregnancy

Pilates After Pregnancy

How to Get a Fit Belly with Baby

By Lyn Mettler

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There's nothing like having a child to make you feel like you've been run over by a truck, and while the exhaustion and discomfort brought on by labor and delivery soon dissipate, they give way to new challenges to your body – from carrying a car seat and a growing toddler to bending over to pick up Baby and breastfeeding around the clock.

Fans of the popular Pilates method of exercise, develop by Joseph Pilates in the mid-1900s as a training regimen for dancers, say it can do wonders for helping new – and veteran – moms meet these challenges with a body that feels great and looks good, too. And better yet – it's a workout you can do with Baby.

"Post-natal Pilates is the best workout I know for providing you with the means to enjoy time with your baby while getting your body back in shape," says Sarah Picot, creator of the exercise video and DVD Post-natal Pilates (Pilates Pregnancy, 2003), which can be done with your 6-week to 6-month-old baby.

Why Pick Pilates?
You've had your baby and you're looking for a way to get back in shape. Should you go for aerobics? Weight training? Yoga? Tae Bo? There's an endless number of choices on video store shelves and in local gyms, but Pilates offers many benefits that specifically address many new moms' concerns.

First up is toning that newly-babyless belly. "Pilates strengthens and flattens the deep lower abdominal wall that is so hard for postpartum women to tone after delivery," says Picot. Every exercise requires you to keep your naval to your spine so your tummy is always getting a workout.

Additionally, says Melinda Bryan, who developed and stars in the video and DVD Pilates After Pregnancy

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