Pregnancy brings with it the joy of bringing a life to this world.

But once the baby is born and everyday life begins to regain somewhat of a routine, most new moms start to look for ways to drop the pounds that they gained during pregnancy.

Most moms don’t reach their pre-pregnancy weight until one year after delivery. But, just like Lisa Hayden dropping those extra pounds takes does not take time, as most of your time is devoted to taking care of your new baby. While you cannot ignore your parental responsibilities, it’s also important to take care of your body.

# Breastfeeding

Along with fat accumulating during pregnancy, many moms experience an increase in insulin resistance as well as lipid and triglyceride levels. Lactation plays a key role in reversing these changes, thus “resetting” your metabolism after pregnancy.

This means that breastfeeding helps burn up extra calories, which in turn reduces stored fat and helps drop the extra pounds.

# Walks

Doing heavy exercise soon after delivery is not recommended for new moms. But if you wish to include exercise in your routine, walking is just the right choice.

Walking will not only help with post-pregnancy weight loss, it will even improve your cardiovascular health, boost your energy and mood, and help relieve stress as well as combat the baby blues.

# Exercise

Focus on easy and basic exercises to start with. This way you will not feel too tired or hurt yourself in the process. Some basic exercises suitable for new moms are jogging, running, swimming, aerobics, biking and hiking.

You can also do light weight training to gain muscle strength and speed up your metabolism. Plus, you can take a post-pregnancy yoga class to improve your muscle tone.

# Drink Water

Make sure you drink about 8 to 10 glasses of water throughout the day.

However, different people have different water needs depending upon their size, genetic makeup, activity levels and the weather. To make sure you are drinking enough water, have a look in the toilet bowl when you have passed urine. It should be clear or at least a light straw color.