JUST HAD A BABY? NOW WHAT?

A few of my readers asked me to write about post pregnancy and exercise.  It can be VERY overwhelming for new moms AND new dads to get into a workout routine after baby comes.  I can write from personal experience.  I had two c-sections and gained 40-45 pounds with each of my boys.  After my first, I was a little more laid back and ate all of the comfort meals delivered to us and didn't "rush" to get back into a workout routine. I also had a bad case of post-partum depression and I didn't feel like doing ANYTHING.  It took all my energy just to take a shower every day.  It was a rough road...  It took me over a year to lose my baby weight.  With my second, I remember looking in the mirror 3 days post delivery.  I cried....my tight, flat tummy looked like a big, plump prune. It was all loose and hanging over my c-section incision.  That was enough to get me moving.  I am a true believer in listening to the doctor so I did no activity for 8 weeks.  NONE.  However, during that time, I cut all junk food out and ate really healthy, determined to get a head start on losing the weight.  I immediately established healthy eating habits and when 8 weeks hit, I was back at the gym!  I overdid it and my incision opened up.  My doc then told me NO AB exercises for 3 months.  Awesome....what the heck was I supposed to do with the prune that attached to my old, flat tummy?  Well, ladies....cardio, core and OVERALL resistance training help to flatten that tummy.  Don't worry about sit ups and crunches.  You'll get there...but be careful post partum and listen to the doctor.  I religiously workout out 5 days per week, taking step and boxing classes, weight training and doing lots of cardio.  I workout out one hour each day/ 5 days per week and ate very healthy, but balanced.  I allowed for moderate indulgence.  Within 9 months post partum I was in the best shape of my life and began training for a body building competition.  I learned very fast that training for a competition like that wasn't going to work with a 9-month old baby and toddler, so I had to put it on hold.  It's still on hold...  However, I continued my awesome workouts, healthy eating and here I am 8 years later, healthy as can be.  So...my advice to you?  It took you 9 months to gain the weight, give yourself 9 months to lose it.  However, as soon as that baby is born, begin to establish healthy, balanced eating habits.  Once you get clearance to exercise, start slowly and gradually work up to 5 days per week.  What?  Did you say that you don't have the time? Neither do I.  It's called PRIORITIES.  If it's important to you, you will NOT make excuses and you will figure it out, just like I have for the past 10 years since I started a family while working a full-time job. Here's a quote for you:
“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the SAME NUMBER OF HOURS per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Theresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.”   ~Life’s Little Instruction Book