Kourtney Kardashian says new mothers should ignore 'unrealistic standards' about getting back in shape
Kourtney Kardashian recently opened up about her three pregnancy journeys and how she lost the baby weight in a Poosh piece. She also advised new mothers to listen to their bodies and not to unrealistic social standards.
The 41-year-old TV star is a mother of three. She shares two sons, Mason (10) and Reign (5), and seven-year-old daughter Penelope with her ex Scott Disick.
The eldest of the Kardashian sisters gave a piece of advice to new mothers who are trying to lose weight after their pregnancies. She said: “The most important thing is to listen to your body and to do what you’re doing for you, not for society’s standards of getting your body back because they are unrealistic.”
In the article, the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ star shared that while her weight remained consistent in all of her pregnancies, the pregnancies in themselves were quite different from each other. “I gained exactly 40 pounds with all three of my pregnancies but my body and my experience after having each of my kids were so different. I was in a different place mentally, emotionally, and physically, even if by just a couple years,” she wrote for her lifestyle website.
Kourtney revealed that her method to get back in shape after each pregnancy was also different from each other. For instance after Mason, she “wasn’t into intense workouts” and “wasn’t using a trainer at the time.” “I was very into running, usually a quick two to three-mile run with some good music in my neighborhood, combined with some at-home workouts and uphill walks with the stroller. I was breastfeeding for 16 months, which really helped me lose weight after Mason.”
She stated that after her second child, Penelope, she “was still doing mellow workouts and a lot of yoga, even mommy-baby yoga together, but it was harder to get my body back.”
“After about two years, I felt really ready to be in the best shape I could be in and started getting into intense workouts. I did a lot of HIIT workouts, which is High-Intensity Interval Training. It’s a lot of short, super intense bursts, like jump lunges, squats, or running upstairs, and it burns crazy calories and builds strength,” Kourtney said, adding that results started showing when she began working out with her "super motivating" trainer, Don.
However, after a couple of months of starting with Don, Kourtney found out she was pregnant with Reign so she had to stop the intense workouts but continued to do some easy ones like the StairMaster, treadmill, and some Tracy Anderson dance workouts in the Hamptons, where she spent three months of her pregnancy, mixed with a lot of walks with the kids.
“Everything was a workout, which made exercising seem so much more accessible,” Kourtney said, adding that she was eager to revisit the rigorous program after she gave birth to her third one in late 2014. “I couldn’t wait to get back on my high-intensity schedule after the pregnancy, and it felt so good to jump back into it. Especially because I was going through the breakup with Scott, I found that these workouts helped crush my anxiety,” she added.
“HIIT workouts are really what made the biggest difference. It’s hard at first, but I noticed once I became used to that sort of intensity, I craved it,” Kourtney remarked.
In her article, the ‘Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive’ star has also recommended “breastfeeding for as long as you can” to new moms. “It forces you to eat super clean for your baby, drink much less alcohol and caffeine, and hydrate with a ton of water. It’s amazing for the baby’s immunity and strength, and it burns around 700 calories each feeding,” Kourtney revealed.