Are you still wondering how the gorgeous Begum, Kareena Kapoor Khan, lost her post-pregnancy weight? Well, there is nothing weighty about it, just a sensible diet and a proper exercise plan.
Recent past:
It was only in December that Kareena became a mother to Taimur Khan. She lost no time in getting her mojo back. ‘Sweating it out, working it out’ at a gym, the new mother is now flaunting her svelte self and on the winning road to shedding pregnancy add-ons. Glowing in her motherhood and looking smashing for the camera, getting back into shape was exciting as it was a lot of hard work too.
While she is waiting to begin shooting for Veere Di Wedding, we take a sneak peek into the fabulous actor’s routine which helped her lose 12 kilos of post pregnancy flab.
Don’t lose weight, rebuild your bone instead:
We are not talking skinny (‘Tashan-size zero’), we are harping on a healthy shipshape. Therefore, it is important to know that you should not just lose weight but concentrate on rebuilding your bone and muscle density. The more bone and muscle you have, the neater you look and lesser gives you a flabbier look. So remember, when you go on a crash diet, you may lose weight, but will still look flabby!! OMG….
Now that is our Begum’s secret. So let us follow Kareena to her gym to get a glimpse at how she works out.
Climbing up and down the stairs:
Oh yes, you think it is easy…try it once. Run up and down the stairs a couple of times like Kareena and her dear dost Amrita. It is similar to step exercise and total fun. Race up with your bestie, carefully climb down backward. Climbing down will take time but try not to relax the fast pace when stepping down. Don’t pause, race up again. Repeat the loop.
This step aerobics gets your heart racing, readying you for what is to come. Phew!!
Core strengthening: Kettlebell squats
Apart from yoga and pilates combo, here is another killer exercise that Kareena undertakes. The Kettlebell resembles a mini bowling ball but with a handle. It is a large cast-iron ball-shaped weight with a single handle. So it is the bell with no whistle! It is a fantastic exercise to burn fat, a lot of fat. It strengthens your hamstrings, glutes, and core.
Are you ready to rock and swing?
So, grab the handle of the kettlebell (weight of your choice) with both hands in an overhand grip and hold it in front of your chest. Stand tall with the feet about shoulder-width apart and toes pointed outward.
Half sit up: shape up the core
Bend it like Begum…the half sit-up that is. Get onto the floor. Hold your dumbbell straight in front of you (dumbbell is for resistance). Come up, half way, go back to starting position. Come up again without pausing.
Workout rope exercise:
Also called Battle ropes, this unorthodox workout is here to stay. A fitting name considering we all are fighting the ‘Battle of the Bulge’. Bring it out of the martial arts gyms this is a high-intensity exercise. These long, thick ropes work your cardio levels to the max while enhancing your grip, strength, conditioning, and overall level of work capacity. They are also great for general fitness.
Another benefit of these exercise ropes is that they are a low-impact form of training. So you don’t have to be concerned about wearing out your knees, etc.
Exercise: Take a walk
In her recent Facebook Live chat, Kareena along with her dietician Rutuja both swear by walking as an exercise to get back in shape. Post delivery, sometimes even getting on a treadmill can be tough, so 20-30 minutes of walking can really help. As the actor says “It has helped me beautifully. I can already feel my core strength increasing.”
Take a break, drink water:
It is extremely important to hydrate yourself when exercising. But sip, don’t gulp is the trick.
Diet Riot:
Talking about water, now let us turn our attention to the diet Kareena followed. In her recent Facebook live chat, she has urged us to have ‘faith’. She explained, “The idea is to have faith, and to do it all in a continuous, sustainable way.” The video, which is now a huge hit on social media, has fans, especially women, putting out their own diet queries.
Oh those nine months:
It is no secret that when it comes to dieting, Kareena is most comfortable holding her dietician Rutuja Diwekar’s hand. Kareena notably added on 18kg during her pregnancy.
Though she could have chosen low- fat diet, she wanted to do everything the conventional way. It is then no wonder that she gorged on all the ghee and paratha and proudly showed off a bulging belly. It is always sensible to stick to wholesome, nutritious food which is fresh and home cooked. She also alternated with eating light every two- three hours.
Don’t hurry through the process:
Her focus was to take one step at a time and not rush the process. She followed her diet with concentrated yet regular steps which went a long way to help her stick to her diet plan. This beats the ‘One step forward and two steps back’ which is what happens when you go on a crash or extreme diet, added Rutuja for a good measure. So we had Kareena enjoy good hearty meals, but striking the right balance. So enjoy your meals but all in right quantities.
Reverse back into shape in the same order:
Once you want to lose your post delivery flab, your goal should be a systematic reduction in a progressive manner. Don’t aim to lose your weight overnight. It is not healthy anyway. Irrespective of how long it will take for you to lose weight, your focus should be to feel light, energetic and healthy.
For new mothers, here are some good points on how to get back into ship-shape while maintaining good health.
Crash diet a big no-no:
One thing that Kareena and Rutuja repeatedly insist upon is the importance of refraining from crash diets. “That is what leads to a lot of lifestyle disorders, such as post pregnancy thyroid,” Diwekar warned. “Because when you’re on a crash diet, you reduce the calorie intake so much that your body is forced to slow down its metabolism.”
Increase calcium intake:
It is crucial to know that in one pregnancy, a woman loses five years of calcium. So getting back into form also means increasing calcium levels in the body. Our heroine religiously gulps down a tall glass of milk every night. You should too.
The happy news is that dairy has a lot of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) that helps you burn fat especially from stubborn areas like tummy.
Dark circles under the eye:
Counteract the dark circles by increasing the intake of foods that have a high content of Vitamin B12 and iron, such as dahi, chaach and pickle. Even til ka laddoos (sesame seed) has a lot of B12 and iron that help get rid of dark circles. Coconut with jaggery, bajra roti with ghee and jaggery are some of the items that help in boosting your iron levels. “But no binging” warns Diwekar. She stress that, “Everything should be had in controlled amounts.”
Dal Chawal:
Eat rice twice a day!! Why oh Lord why?
“The reason is that eating rice allows you to bring back a lot of the good bacteria that something as strenuous as a delivery may wash out,” Diwekar explained.
With Kareena on her way to looking like a yummy-mummy, our readers cannot be far behind…so get on to a healthy and a beautiful way and bingo you are fit and fine.
Note: Newbie moms should consult with their doctor before they start any form of exercise.
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