Question : I didn’t start to workout yet. 4 months back I give birth to an amazing baby boy 
, but since that I didn’t sleep well not once, I’m so so so tired, how can I start working out again ?!
Answer:
Congatulation on your baby boy! For now, you need rest and sleep and enough food. This is your main concern. Dont worry about exercise UNTIL you have your food and rest cycles under control. Here is the best advice any new mom can every get: PLAN YOUR OWN REST AND FOOD!
It can be easy to lose sight of your own needs. You are super excited with your baby and all your attention is directly going to him. Ignoring yourself is a natural instict but this is where many women make a mistake. Forgetting about your own health, mental wellness leads to you weakening in the long run.
PLAN YOUR MEALS: With sleep cycle already going crazy, you end up sleeping in weird times and this leads to missing some meals or not eating the proper type of food you need. You can start by writing down your sleep times and awake times and make a food plan. Dont forget to add in your timing of each meals. having something written down means your brain is already working on making it happen. Once you have real words on paper, you can tweak the times and meals to better place your food. Withing a few weeks you will get more comfortable at this and can easier manage your time.
WHAT TO EAT: This is where the question of energy gets answered. Lactating moms need to eat MORE FOOD. You need to support your own body plus make milk for your baby. Believe or not, your body now needs more nutrition to sustain all the work is has to to 24/7.
An average lactating mom needs to increase her caloric intake from 300-500 calories PER DAY.
BUT DON’T MAKE A MISTAKE IN EATING MORE OF THE WRONG FOOD. This means you have to eat more of the correct food such as more protein, mpre carbs and definitely more health fats such as ghee and coconut oil, omega 3 and omega 6 fats and dont forget your fish oil you can find from fresh roe or cold water fish (which are naturally lower in mercury content than warm water fish)
Add your specific meals into your daily meal plan. Don’t be afraid to eat more fats. fats are needed by the body to make more milk and keep your hormones balanced!
Protein: have a fresh range of lean red meat, chicken / poultry, whole eggs, and fresh cold water fish. It is best to do a simply research from your meat and fish supplier to make sure it is as toxic free as possible. dont ignore your protein intake, this makes your milk powerful and helps your baby’s organs and hormones also to grow powerful and strong. breastfeeding time is super crucial for baby growth in terms of brain, body and organ function.
Carbs: this is important. carbs that cause inflammation in the body should be avoided by all people and lactating moms should pay attention to this. carbs such as legumes have anti-nutrients that block absorption of proteins, so dont eat too much legumes or lentils. carbs such as gluten cause waste and toxic slush in the lower intestines that are hard to remove and cause leaky gut which further prevent nutrient absorption. fresh and clean carbs include potatoes and rice and oatmeal. off course you cant get bored of these 3 since there are tons of different recipes.
Fibre: most of your micro nutrients come from fresh and toxic free vegetables and fruits. 3 servings of fresh veg and 2 servings of vegetables daily is a minimum! keep those veggies colorful and fruits too. dark berries are rich in anti-oxidants, i love them !
Fats: ok back to fats, since they are so health and vital part of your baby’s growth and your wellbeing. Generally, an ounce (28 ml) of breast milk contains 19–23 calories, with 3.6–4.8% from protein, 28.8–32.4% from fat and 26.8–31.2% from carbs, mostly lactose. In fact, this milk may contain 2–3 times as much fat as milk from the beginning of a feeding, and 7–11 more calories per ounce.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential long-chain omega-3 fatty acid that is mainly found in seafood, including fatty fish and algae. It is an important component of the central nervous system, skin and eyes. DHA is vital for healthy brain development and function.
Adding DHA to baby formula has also been shown to improve vision in babies. If your intake is low, then the amount in your breast milk will also be low. Early-life omega-3 deficiency has been linked to several behavioral problems, such as ADHD, learning disabilities and aggressiveness.
Therefore, it is recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women take at least 2.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids and 100–300 mg of DHA daily.
OK SO HAVE I SAID ENOUGH !
Work on your food and sleep. and let’s talk about your workout in a few weeks. share your plan with us so other can benefit and if you are interested in my Post-Pregnancy Transformation Programme or send me a email at marina.farook@gmail.com.
Marina Farook 