3 Squeeze your pelvic floor muscle. Hold for a count of 10 seconds, then release.
4 Do this 12 times. Rest and then get on with another 12.
As many as one in three women suffer from stress incontinence after childbirth as a result of their hammock swinging low and loose. So if for no other reason, that’s surely a motivator. This exercise helps that not-knowing-if-you’re-going-to-get-the-key-in-the lock-in-time panic. And when you can even begin to think about it, it helps your sex life, too.
The praying bust lift
What it does: This exercise is fab for toning the boobs as it helps draw in and lift the chest muscles that support your new enlarged breasts, while at the same time working on strengthening your tummy muscles and lower back as you sit on your Swiss ball.
You will need: Your Swiss ball.
1 Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor. Good posture now, ladies!
2 Keep your belly button pulled in tight to the spine.
3 Extend your arms directly out in front of you and keep them at shoulder height.
4 Bend your arms and press the palms together—as if you were praying (that you don’t fall off the Swiss ball!).
5 Hold in those tummy muscles, pressing the palms together. Press for 4 seconds then release. Keep those tummy muscles engaged all the time as this helps to keep your balance.
6 Repeat 12 times. Rest and then get on with another 12.
The tummy toner
What it does: You will be working your deepest abdominal muscles for this simple exercise. This is great to build up strength in your abdominals and your lower back.
You will need: Your Swiss ball.
1 Sit on the Swiss ball with your feet flat on the floor and sitting with good posture. Place your hands on your hips.
2 Pull in your navel to your spine and lift one foot just slightly off the floor, only a few centimetres. Hold for a second (at the same time you must engage your abdominals as this is where your balance and strength will come from) then place the foot back down.
3 Repeat with the opposite foot.
4 Aim for 12, rest then repeat another set.
Be nice to yourself
As well as concentrating on your nutrition, make time to think of feeding of a different nature—feeding your soul. You have been through a lot (even though some really capable mothers push through all this with a no- nonsense, bristling efficiency), especially if you are used to feeling in control and suddenly you don’t feel in control any more. So be nice to yourself, or you could collapse in a melted pile of exhaustion later down the track—it’s a long journey.
* Take a long bath—grab the moment and don’t feel guilty.
* Get someone to come and give you a massage—sometimes student trainees offer discounts. Local training colleges are a good place to go to check out such a thing.
* Take a nap when your baby is resting. You can do the tidying later when you have the energy.
* Read a mag—who cares if it is full of rubbish about celebs? Quite fascinating secretly.
* Go and get your highlights done.
* Do not walk around in your stretchy tracksuit bottoms—even at home.
* Put on your make-up if you are going out.
* Take care of your nutrition—I know I said feed your soul, but you will feel so much better eating great stuff.
* Get some silk pyjamas and a snuggly dressing gown—at least when you are up in the night you’ll look beautiful, even if you don’t feel it. Nowadays silky fabric washes with the best of them.
* Use my tick lists (see box, opposite).
Your very first tick list
We all want to be perfect and do everything in this book by the book—but don’t. The tick lists that run through the book are to reward yourself for things you have focused on—there are points to be won! Doing all of these would, of course, be perfect, but only aim to do four things a day from this tick list—and do them well—and you are a winner.
Exercise
Nutrition
Be nice to yourself
Good news!
* Good news! You may lose