Most moms hope that upon the birth of their child, their once taunt tummy returns to its previous tightness. While this does almost miraculously happen in some cases, much to the chagrin of many moms, this is not always the case. If the birth of your child left you with some skin that just won’t cooperate, no matter how many times you beg it to tighten up, consider some things that you can do to promote skin tightening and create a physical appearance that at least closely approximates the one you used to possess.
Step 1
Get into shape before you get pregnant. If you are the think-ahead type and haven’t yet gotten pregnant, consider hitting the gym before you do. By getting into great shape before you get pregnant, you not only likely make your pregnancy easier to bear, you also reduce the amount that your skin has to stretch. If your skin is already stretched to the max because you are carrying some extra pounds, the stretching required to accommodate a growing baby will have an even larger impact.
Step 2
Mix muscle-toning exercises into your routine. Many new moms, eager to lose the pounds they packed on during pregnancy, dedicate themselves to cardio. While cardio exercises are certainly helpful, they won’t necessarily help your excess skin issue. To do this, you must focus on tightening the muscles that rest under the skin as this will, by connection, tighten your skin.
Step 3
Identify and target your troubled areas. Decide where you need the most work. If you can decide upon specific spots, such as your lower abdomen, your flanks or your upper stomach area, you can target these spots with exercises specifically designed to tone muscles in those areas, increasing the likelihood of your skin-tightening-effort success.
Step 4
Seek professional help. A personal trainer or professional fitness instructor may be able to make the task of tackling this extra skin easier. These professionals are trained in the art of body sculpting and have an assortment of tools in their bag that they can use to make you the lean, mean — and extra-skin-free — fighting machine that you wish to be post baby.
Step 5
Consider surgical intervention, if all else fails. In some cases, nothing you can do will get your skin back to the way it used to be. This is particularly common amongst moms who gave birth to multiples. If, try as you might, nothing does the trick, consider a tummy tuck. While it may seem like cheating, in some instances, it is the only option at your disposal.
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