Finding the perfect postpartum workout
“Pag kaya mo na, ayusin mo ang bihis mo kahit nasa bahay ka lang. Pangit yung bata ka pa losyang ka na (When you can, dress nicely even when you’re just at home. You’re still too young to look haggard and wasted),” Mama said while she took note of my unkempt hair and granny night clothes.
For the past days, I have been lounging around the house in my old loose dasters. My other wardrobe of choice are Kernan’s old baggy shirts and old jogging pants. I admit I have not been the picture of a pretty mom and wife.
Aside from the fact that I just feel too tired and exhausted to dress nicely, my sexy clothes still don’t fit and my belly still makes me look like I’m five months pregnant.
Still, I know I have to start getting in shape if I want to shrink the size of my post-preggy belly and to wear my old clothes again.
I just need to choose the best postpartum workout.
Kernan said he’ll start going to the gym on Monday and I’m thinking if I should join him too. We used to go to the gym together. But between us, he was the one who really had great results. Though he had a little help from Hydroxycut hardcore and protein shakes, Kernan was really diligent with his daily gym routine.
Initially, I enjoyed going to the gym and seeing other people doing their workouts. It felt like “we were all in this together.” Like when someone would hop on the treadmill next to me, I would feel encouraged to go the extra minute or to kick the speed up a notch.
But later on, I couldn’t stick to my daily workout. After a couple of days, I got bored too easily. I guess I’m just not a “routine” person and I thrive better doing various physical activities.
I read that Pilates is a good way to get back in shape after pregnancy. I tried Winsor Pilates a couple of times before and I must say it was a really challenging workout. I did get some results but they weren’t really dramatic since I was still slender then.
Pilates targets the core abdominal muscles, the ones I really need to focus on, so I will put this first on my list.
I also want to try swimming. A friend has been taking regular swimming workouts for months now and she got some impressive results. She has lost a lot of weight and she really toned up. Besides swimming looks like a fun way to work out. I just wonder if there are swim suits equipped with girdles. 
I’m also thinking of doing Bikram Yoga again. I tried Bikram Yoga last year with great results. The price was just a bit steep, almost four times more expensive than a regular gym membership, which is why I had to stop after a month. Though I found another Bikram Yoga studio in Greenhills, they have a pretty competitive offer of P700 for the first week. I will check them out next month.
Badminton also looks like a good workout. I used to play badminton when I was a kid and I could say I was pretty good at it. Though I guess, I would have to wait a couple of months before I can actually play because I don’t think I can handle a lot of running, bouncing and jumping just yet.
So far these are the four workouts on my list that I feel I would actually enjoy enough to commit to regularly. The next challenge would be how to fit them into my schedule. With breastfeeding and diaper -changing patrol almost 24/7, I would have to do some serious scheduling to make sure I can do all of these. Not to mention having to deal with that “new mommy guilt” when you feel like you’re “abandoning” or “neglecting” your baby because you have to leave her behind to do something for yourself.
But it must be done if I want to fulfill my promise to Kernan and myself that I will always be a hot wife and a sexy mom. That even when I grow older, I will never be losyang.
I’m already visualizing myself wearing my cute shorts and body hugging tank tops, just like I used to before I got pregnant. I’ve kept them in my closet ready to be worn when the day finally comes.
Have you got a workout that really works? I’d love to hear your suggestions. 
This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 10:35 pm and is filed under Fit and fabulous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
iriss...
