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CHALLENGE #22: 1/31 - 22 Days of Fitness & Health

BumpJackieBumpJackie member
edited February 2014 in Health & Exercise
8 Easy, Feel-Good Yoga Moves for Expecting and New Moms

Workout by Micky Marie Morrison, perinatal fitness expert and author of Baby Weight: The Complete Guide to Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness.

Yoga is a great form of exercise during and after pregnancy. It can help you to stretch, strengthen, become more aware of your body and connect with your breathing. Try this simple yoga flow to strengthen and tone all the major muscle groups, including the core! The complete flow will take you about 5 minutes. Try to do it 3 times in a row and work up to 5 or 6 for a great full-body workout.

1. Chair pose. Standing with feet hip-width apart, bend your knees to weight your seat as if you are going to sit in a chair. Lift your hands to reach forward and upward. Keep your weight back on the heels. Hold for 5 deep breaths.

2. Goddess pose. Step your feet open wide and turn toes outward, bend knees deeply to make thighs parallel to floor. Lift arms to shoulder height with elbows bent and palms facing forward. Hold for 5 deep breaths.

3. Bird dog. on hands and knees, lift the left leg back behind you so it is parallel with the floor; find your balance then lift the right hand forward to make the arm parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 breaths. Repeat on opposite side, for 3 reps on each side.

4. Downward facing dog (hiking a leg). From hands and knees, tuck your toes under and lift the knees, rolling the “sit bones” upward as you take the knees toward straight. Relax the neck and shoulders and let the head hang toward the floor. After 3 breaths, inhale to lift one leg up behind you, exhale to bring the foot back to the floor. Repeat on opposite side for 3 reps each side.

5. Child’s pose. From hands and knees, spread your knees open wide if you need to make room for a bump, then sit back toward your heels. Keep hands on the ground and arms outstretched. Breathe 5 resting breaths.

6. Plank. From hands and knees, step one foot then the other back to the plank position (just as you are at the top of a push-up). Hold for 3 deep breaths.

7. Modified push-ups. From plank, drop your knees and left your feet. Keep your hips down in line with your body. Inhale deeply and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Exhale to bend your elbows to lower down toward the floor. Inhale back up. Repeat for 5 reps.

8. Child’s pose (again). Finish with one more rest of 5 breaths in everyone’s favorite yoga position.


Focusing on #6 --- here is today's challenge!

Plank Challenge to shed the Baby Weight!

 

 The rolling exercises are for postpartum moms at least 6 weeks after birth. If you are pregnant, skip the Up Down Plank, Side plank,  and the Side Knee Plank. 

 

Beginners can take a rest in child's pose for 3 breaths between each of the exercises. More advanced levels can try to do 2 or 3 of the exercises before a short rest. Start with 2-3 sets of the series. Work your way up to 5 for a great strengthening and toning workout!

 

Basic Plank- With hands under shoulders and hips in line with your body, up on your toes, press up with tiebacks of the knees and back with the heels. Hold for 5 deep breaths.

 

Up Down Plank- From Plank, inhale to lower down to one elbow then the other. Exhale to press back up to Plank, one hand at a time. (down, down; up, up) Repeat 5 reps each side.

 

Side Plank- From Plank, place your right hand under your nose and roll over to the side edges of your feet while you lift your left hand to reach up toward the sky. Imagine a sling drawing the hips up toward the sky. Hold 5 breaths, Repeat opposite side. 

 

Side Knee Plank- From Plank, exhale to lift the right knee out the side, moving the knee toward the right shoulder while looking at the knee. Inhale to return to plank, looking center. Repeat opposite side. Repeat 5 reps each side.

 

Leg Lift- In Plank, exhale to lift the right foot about a foot off the floor. Inhale to return to plank. Repeat left. Repeat 5 reps each side.

 

Step Outs- From Plank, exhale to step on e foot then the other out to the side. Inhale to step on e foot then the other back in to Plank. (out, out; in, in) Repeat 5 reps each side.


 

 

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