Prima Mama

Get your body back with these ballet-inspired moves.

As a new mom, you may be feeling slightly out of balance and less firm and fit than you did prepregnancy. A ballet-inspired workout is the perfect antidote, helping you regain stability and shed your excess baby weight while sculpting your legs, butt, arms, waistline and abdominal muscles.

Jody Hoegstedt, creative director of Balletone, a ballet-based exercise program, designed the following workout exclusively for Fit Pregnancy. "These graceful and effective moves will tone your entire body while improving posture and coordination," says Hoegstedt, who used Balletone to get back into shape after the recent birth of her third child. All you need to get started is a chair and workout band (tutu optional).

Helpful Hints
• Wait until six weeks after delivery before starting this workout, slightly longer if you've had a C-section. Always check with your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program.
• Warm up for 15 minutes by walking briskly, marching in place while doing opposite knee-to-elbow knee lifts, or dancing around the room with your baby in your arms.
• Cool down for five minutes by stretching your lower back, legs and hips, holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds without bouncing.
• Do this workout every other day, alternating with a day of cardio exercise, a yoga or Pilates class, or an at-home exercise DVD routine.