By THERESA WINSLOW Staff Writer
Elicia Brand-Leudemann thought she’d lost her body.
After the delight of having twins 8 months ago came the realization that her body had changed dramatically.
She’d gained almost 80 pounds on her petite 5-foot-1-inch frame during her pregnancy, had a Caesarean section, and was now giving all of herself to her children. A first-time mother, the 38-year- old was a bit depressed about her physical condition.
“After the C-section, I thought it was all over,” the Eastport resident said last week. “I felt so lost. I’d see myself in the mirror and didn’t know who I was.”
One day this spring, though, she made up her mind to change that, and took the first step to getting her body back. She enrolled in a two-week workout program at Premier Fitness in Annapolis, and since then has been more diligent about exercise. Now down to 134 pounds (about 15 more than before she was pregnant), she’s just begun a more intensive fitness regimen at the health club under the guidance of personal trainer Nathalie King.
“I’m not going to give up getting my body back,” Ms. Brand- Leudemann said after getting weighed, having her body fat percentage measured, and having Mrs. King show her some exercises. “I want it to be healthier.”
What she’s learned over the past few months is something that Mrs. King, a mother of two herself, tells lots of clients: A healthier body and attitude make for a better mom.
“Don’t feel guilty about taking time for yourself,” the trainer said. “It’s so important to get out and feel you’re not the only person going through this. There is life after baby.”
Exercising your options
The key to taking off baby weight, according to Mrs. King and other fitness experts, is patience.
“You didn’t put the weight on in a day, you’re not going to take it off in a day,” said Price Booker, co-owner of Fitness Together in Annapolis.
“Be realistic,” added Erin Horst, owner of Evolutions Body Clinic in Annapolis and a new mom who got back to her prebaby weight just five months after giving birth. “A lot of people, it’s going to take nine months. I was lucky.”
A patient attitude also helps when a woman is eager to start working out immediately after giving birth. Typically, it’s recommended that women wait about six weeks postpartum before starting an exercise program. But that varies and can depend on whether or not the mom was working out while pregnant and how intensive a regimen she undertook, the experts said.The bottom line is that a start date should be left to the mother and her doctor, Mr. Booker said.
Once a mom has been given the OK, it’s also important to start gradually. “You’re not going to pick up where you left off,” said Jeff Miyamoto, the other owner of Fitness Together. “Work up slowly; pick up at a basic level (and) listen to your body.”
That’s exactly what Kristin Legg of Annapolis did when she began working out again just recently. Her son is 6 weeks old, and she began walking and doing light work on an elliptical machine four weeks after he was born. Ms. Legg, who works at Evolutions, increased her workouts from there.
“I don’t stress about it,” she said of taking off baby weight. “I know it will happen. I know I’m dedicated. You want to go right back down, but it’s hard. But the little baby is definitely worth it.”
Like many new moms, Ms. Legg’s biggest issue is finding the time to exercise. But she’s had the support of her husband and family, which she said makes it a lot easier. Danielle Cavallo of Annapolis agreed.
“Finding the time is tricky,” said Mrs. Cavallo, who has a 4- month-old son. “It’s about the baby now. It’s much more challenging, but I’ve had a lot of support. I can see how (you’d) forget yourself. (But) my time working out is my time. I cherish it and it refuels me.”
Her routine mixes strength training with cardiovascular work, and of course she watches what she eats. Ms. Horst said nutrition has been the biggest reason why her baby weight came off so quickly. (Of course, women who are breast-feeding need to eat a bit more than those who aren’t, but the additions to their diet should be healthy, experts said.)
A large part of Ms. Brand-Leudemann’s current program encompasses nutrition, and she’s supposed to eat six small meals a day. It’s based on Bill Phillips’ popular “Body for Life.”
“When you become a mom, you need to give yourself the gift of health,” she said, smiling. “The gym has to be part of your life.” {Corrections:} {Status:}
EXPERTS ADVISE NEW MOMS TO START SLOWLY, PAY ATTENTION TO NUTRITION
(c) 2008 Capital (Annapolis). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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