Why walking is the perfect exercise for a new mama
Celebrities seem to drop their baby weight before they've even left the maternity ward. In the real world, walking is an …
Post Pregnancy Fitness
Exercises you can do inside and out at home
At home with a baby and struggling to find ways to get back in shape? Follow fitness expert Lisa Yates' advice for getting fit without stepping out your front door. As a busy mother, it's not always easy to arrange a trip to the gym and, while …
How to: yoga with a new baby
If you're looking for a way to exercise and socialise with your newborn baby in tow, follow the advice of yoga instructor Petra Tip, and head to a mums and babies yoga class near you. For the first few weeks after having your baby, your focus …
Best exercises for strengthening your core muscles
Jane Gibson shares her tips for strengthening your core. 1. Sit against a wall and try to make the outside surface of your shoulders touch the wall. Hold for up to 20 seconds then relax. Repeat this up to 10 times to engage your back muscles and …
Fit tips for postpartum mums
Postpartum exercise empowers you – body, mind and soul. Fitness expert Jane Gibson explains how you can make it a core part of your life. While pregnant with my first son, I felt an overwhelming pressure from social media to attend ‘preggy-yoga’ …
How caring for your baby can hurt you
Caring for children can hurt. OHbaby! expert and physiotherapist Renée Vincent explains why motherhood should meet occupational health and safety standards. Many mothers weather the discomforts that accompany pregnancy only to find that the …
When you can't work out, work in!
Renée Vincent helps new parents find ways to exercise in their own homes, and shares tips for designing a personalised and well-balanced workout. Starting a family can be a time of great upheaval. All your previous routines and habits go out the …
Healing your pelvic floor
Many women are secretly suffering problems they simply consider "the norm". With information and exercise, you can say goodbye to pelvic floor problems and say hello to strength. In the article "At risk of a pelvic flaw?", we looked at one of the …
How to reconnect with your body
A gentle stretching routine can help you reconnect with your hardworking body and ease tensions common to motherhood. OHbaby! fitness expert Renée Vincent explains how. During pregnancy, your posture and movement altered completely. And after …
Pilates - An introduction to Pilates as a postnatal exercise
Pilates is a natural fit for postnatal mums looking at get back into shape gentle and without injury, writes Simone de Cunha. During pregnancy, you go through a myriad of changes to make way for the new life growing inside you. Ligaments loosen, …
Latest Fitness Technology
What does the latest technology have to offer mums of young children who want to exercise but can’t get out of the house? Ruth Brown investigates. Outside it’s wet and cold but inside we’re pumping. Well, the kids watch entranced or confused while …
Looking After Number One
Number one is you and your body: There’s no point in starting on an exercise regime if it leaves you injured and uncomfortable for days after. One of the downsides to exercising at home is that there’s no one to monitor the “safety” of exercises …
Yoga For Beginners
Yoga with Adriene is one of our favourite new discoveries. Her YouTube videos are great for mums who find it hard to get out of the house for exercise. If you're really keen on jumping on the yoga bandwagon, try her Reboot programme - 29 days of …
Start exercising from scratch
The demands of caring for small children mean exercise is the last thing many new parents have time for. OHbaby! fitness expert Renée Vincent gets honest about deconditioning and answers the awkward question of just how fit is unfit. Quite often I …
Aqua fitness
Just add water For the ultimate low-impact workout try swimming and aqua exercise - it's a great way to keep fit during pregnancy and tone down after giving birth, as Lisa Yates explains. Swimming is one of the most versatile, low-cost total …
Don't ignore your pelvic floor
Pelvic floor – not to be swept under the carpet! You’ve probably heard the ads on the radio, or seen them on TV – you know the ones, they make you cringe, or at least leave you thinking “not that ‘embarrassing little problem’ again!” If you think …
Try a triathlon
Why tri? Why not! Put the "try" back in "triumph" and make a triathlon your fitness goal this summer. Physiotherapist John Forrest offers some advice on getting into this increasingly popular sport for the first time. As the days get warmer and …
Exercise outside
Are you stuck in a fitness rut after the long, rainy winter? Wondering how you can get in any decent exercise with a baby in tow? It's time to get out of the house and get fit, says fitness expert Lou James. After the wettest winter on record, …
4 Steps to post-baby fitness
When you've just had a baby, exercise is probably the furthest thing from your mind. But exercise not only reduces stress and tension, it gives you more energy and helps you to sleep better at night - even when your baby won't! Our fitness expert …