Keeping fit, watching diet important after having baby
Q: We had our first child four months ago, and I am trying to lose weight. But I am having difficulty getting to the gym. What can I do? A: Most new mothers will tell you that caring for a newborn is an exercise program in itself. However, a can-do attitude can’t hurt, according to a study from Cornell University.
“A woman’s intention during pregnancy to exercise after delivery, as well as her confidence in her ability to exercise frequently, were the strongest predictors as to whether women would exercise frequently and lose weight after giving birth,” says Christine Olson, professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell.
The research was conducted by Olson and Pamela Hinton, a former postdoctoral research associate in the division of nutritional sciences at Cornell who now is assistant professor of dietetics at the University of Missouri.
It was published in the Journal of the American Dietetics Association in December 2001.
The researchers also found that the more positive feelings a woman has about motherhood, the more likely she is to exercise frequently after giving birth.
Women in the study who restricted their food intake after pregnancy were almost four pounds lighter one year after birth than women who did not.
And women who were still breastfeeding a year after birth were almost three pounds lighter than women who were not, when other factors were statistically controlled.
“Regardless of how much weight a mother gains, frequent exercise, appropriate reductions in food intake and breastfeeding up to at least one year after birth all significantly help take off gestational weight gain, which is critical for women’s health,” says Olson.
(Send your questions to Steve Infanti, A Fit Life Column, 801e BAB, University Park, PA 16802 or via e-mail to SCInfanti@ compuserve.com.)