will i be able to tighten my abs due to lose stomache after having a child?

Question

loose skin though i know the scars will not go away can i build muscle?

Answer 1

First of all, remember that it took your body 9 months to grow to a shape needed to accommodate a baby. So give yourself at least a solid 9 months to get back to the shape you were in before you had a baby.

You can do any kind of ab work out (there are tons out there for all levels of fitness and all kinds of schedules) and it will help tone that area, but the uncomfortable feeling most women get when they lie on their side and see the loose skin of their stomach lying next to them is something that only time will take care of in conjunction with a healthy diet and a healthy exercise regimen.

It also depends on whether this is your first or your seventh child - your body will take a little longer to recover each time and it will take a little more work to recover each time.

But yes, it CAN be done. I've had 2 children and am the same weight I was before I had them. I used dancing (middle eastern and ballet), martial arts (combat hapkido) as well as 8 minute abs and Tamilee Webb's "Abs, Arms, and Lower Body of Steel". I needed some variation to keep me motivated, it wasn't like I was cramming all of that into a one week workout schedule. I really liked Tamilee Webb's DVD because there were 6 15 minute workouts on it and I could be done i 15 minutes or keep going if I had more time, and with trying to take care of a baby time was a major factor in my workouts. There are also workouts aimed specifically at new mothers - you can google some of those up - the one I remember off the top of my head is Denise Austin's "Bouncing Back After Baby". This site looked pretty good, too:

http://www.fitnessbeginnings.com/postnatal-exercise-videos.html

I also tossed in some yoga and stretching DVDs to be sure I was keeping myself limber.

Combine a reasonable diet with a reasonable workout routine and you should be fine as long as you don't expect to get yourself back to shape within a month.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Yes you can gently and gradually increase the muscle tone of the abdominal area. It is best to wait at least 6 weeks after the birth so the muscles that separated to allow uterus to grow, have rejoined at the centre line. Check by laying on your back ,put chin on chest place fingers of right hand on abdomen just above belly button. Now lift shoulders towards ceiling, is there a gap between 2 firm edges? (You may need to feel deeply if there is tummy fat)
If more than 1 cm across, see a physio before doing exercises or you could cause a hernia.
Unfortunately the "flabby skin, deflated balloon style " will take time to resolve. Massage with pure vegetable or fruit oils may help
be proud of the body that bore your child however it looks, stand tall, shoulders back, tummy in, posture can help alot too.

Answer 3

Anthony Quinn was on the late side but I don't think that happens very often where someone is in their late 70s and has a child. Celebs do things normal people don't do all the time. My mother had a 21 year age difference between her first born and her last born baby. She got remarried in her 40's to a man 12 years her jr. My mother was a healthy person of 44 and 46 when she had my half bro and sis. The thinking was as she was older then him that she would pass first and he would be with the children. he died young so you can never predict how life turns out. My mother lived long enough to see her baby get married at age 22. My grandmother was married before she had my mother and aunt, my grandfather was nearly 50 when my mother was born. My mother had a half bro 19 years her senior from her mothers first marriage. I don't think age is that important if there are safe guards in place for a child such as extended family or funds to care for them if their parents should pass when the child is still young. I have known young parents who died when their children were still young, death can claim anyone at any age at any time. My nieces husband died just last week, he was 45, leaving her a widow with a 7 year old child. It is more selfish to have children at any age that you can not afford to take care of.

Answer 4

Absolutely. Just pick 2 or 3 exercises that hit your abs from top to bottom: floor crunches, knee tucks on the floor, side leg raises. Do these for 2 - 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions for 2 or 3 days per week and follow a sensible eating plan and I guarantee you will have a firm, flat, tummy in 8-12 weeks or less if you throw in cardio. Good luck. I hope this helps.

Answer 5

Most certainly, you will be able to tighten your abs, but you won't be able to tighten JUST your stomach....you have to get on a excercise program and work your whole body.....just as you don't gain weight in a certain area, you can't lose it in a certain area either.....

Answer 6

Of course. Situps, leg lifts, and curls will put your stomach back flat and your other internals back where they belong. My grandmothers and mother all preached working up to 100 sit ups, 50 leg 5 second leg lifts, and 25 10 second curls. It works.

Answer 7

It will tone back to what it was before as long as you didn't have a C-section.