How soon can you start working out after delivering a baby?

Exercise can help you regain your shape, but how soon can you start working out after delivering a baby? And what are the best postpartum exercises? Most importantly, how long will it take to get your pre-pregnancy body back?

One of the main factors in determining how soon you can regain your shape postpartum is how healthy you were during your pregnancy. Many people are astounded when Hollywood stars lose 60 pounds in the few short months after having their babies. By most people's standards, this is exceptionally fast. By Hollywood standards, this is normal. If you've ever wondered why the Hollywood stars manage to lose their baby weight so quickly, it's because they exercised before and during their pregnancies. Plus, they're pretty conscious about what they eat. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that they can afford nannies to watch their children while they exercise and personal trainers to get them to the gym seven days a week for two hours each and every day (sometimes even longer) Even though, most of them wear a girdle to help them recover without discomfort, and to look great since the beginning of their recovery time.

For us mere regular people who have to deal with families, jobs or the responsibilities of being a stay at home mom and new children, postpartum weight loss may not be so easy. While you might not have enjoyed dragging yourself to the gym throughout your pregnancy, you'll be happy that you did once you start trying to exercise after the pregnancy.

If you were fit during your pregnancy, you should start to see results sooner with your postnatal exercises. However, getting your body back to "normal" can take anywhere from three months (that would be the Hollywood stars) to nine months (that would be pretty much everyone else). For that in-between-time, you may want to use a support girdle to help your body heal and give the appearance of a flatter tummy. If you are breastfeeding, you have to consume more calories to make sure your milk is full of healthy nutrients for your baby.