"Congratulations! It's a boy!" Oh what joy, what excitement, what bliss, what... what happened to my body! Now I'll be the first to admit that my body wasn't "pin-up" ready before pregnancy. In fact, I was still working on losing the baby fat from baby#2 when we found out about baby #3. So now, as I sit with my thoughts in my middle of the night breastfeedings, I started to wonder how the glamour girls of yesterday got their figures back. It was pretty tough finding out their secrets. Here is what I found out in my research as well as stuff that was popular at the time and advice from my grandma.
{Things the glamour girls probably did that we should do}
Wear a postpartum girdle -My grandma gave me a girdle after my 1st son, and I never wore it. Sadly I was left the the infamous "mommy pooch". With my 2nd son I wore a light support girdle and my tummy went down quickly, though I was still left with the pooch. So now after my 3rd son I took heed to my grandma's advice and wear a heavy-duty postpartum girdle. After 2 weeks I'm happy to report that my tummy has gone down to nearly normal and even my pooch is starting to disappear. Grandma does know best!
Cod liver oil - You might remember me recommending this supplement in a previous
article. In the 40's & 50's, cod liver oil was considered so vital that it was given to children every morning in school and recommended for infants. So because of it's popularity (and it's nutritional value of course!), our pin-ups probably took cod liver oil to help get themselves back into shape.
Uterine Massage - Still recommended today, uterine massage helps to shrink the uterus back to it's normal size. Massaging also helps to stimulate blood flow to skin tissue to repair stretched skin. Try using a nourishing oil like Jackie O's favorite sweet almond oil for even more benefits!
- Weight Training - We've all admired Marylin's famous pic of her weight training, and considering that Jayne Mansfield's husband was a weight trainer, she most likely weight trained as well. If it worked for them it'll work for me!
Minimal Processed Food - Need I explain ladies? They didn't eat protein bars, no red bulls, or soy shakes. They did however have fruit, yogurt, cheese, nuts, and milk. Basically, they ate real food!
{Things the glamour girls probably didn't do but should have done}
Breastfeed - Breastfeeding was at an all time low in the 50's. That is a shame because not only is it a super food for baby, but it also helps mom to lose baby fat and shrink the uterus to normal size quickly.
Hip Slimmer - Okay this one really isn't fair, it wasn't available in the 30's, 40's, or 50's. But we have it now baby! This nifty corset sits low at the hips to help your hips return to normal.
Pilates - Although Joseph Pilates was training and promoting his philosophy of body conditioning in the 50's, it was not nearly as popular as it is today. Pilates exercises fit the pin-up mentality of exercise to a T; it's enjoyable, energizing, no grunting or hard bodies, creates long muscles with lots of natural curves.
{Things the glamour girls might have done that we definitely should not}
Lastly, remember that though yesterdays glamour girls seemed practically perfect after baby, but they weren't. If you look closely at Jayne's picture above, you can see her stretched out tummy. Is she any less hot? Of course not! So let's shoot for "better", not "perfect".
Posts
