Working out from home

Creating routine
If you and your baby are good at routine then see if you can squeeze regular exercise times into that. If you make it part of your daily routine then you're more likely to keep the exercise going and less likely to forget. Before you say, 'but I don't have time!' even just 20 minutes of simple exercises in the morning can make a big difference, particularly if you use that 20 minutes efficiently and concentrate on your trouble areas, like your abdominal muscles. Try getting up 20 minutes earlier each morning to do the exercises so you can do them before your morning shower, or if baby wakes you early and there's no time to pack in more zzzs then do them then.

If you don't like exercising in the morning it'll be harder to fit the exercises in, but not impossible. Try and find a natural slot that you can repeat most days whether that's after you put baby down at night, or when your partner gets home and can occupy baby for half an hour.

Seizing the moment
If fitting exercise into your routine is difficult then you might need a more creative approach to working out, snatching the opportunity wherever you can. This might be when your baby's napping or being fed by your partner, but it can also be turned into entertainment for baby too. Granted, your baby might not be too entertained by you performing sit ups - unless you turn them into a novel form of peek-a-boo - but it's worth experimenting to see what exercises you can do while maintaining a level of interaction with your baby. If your baby's still young enough for a baby bouncer or old enough for a playpen you could try turning up the music for a joint dance and bounce session. What baby isn't amused by mum looking silly?

If you have older children then you can choose your exercise to involve then too, they might like to copy you in dancing, stretching or learning to skip.

Out and about
In ordinary daily life with your baby there's plenty of opportunity to exercise. If you like running then having a baby needn't stop you, with a suitable pushchair you can take her for a run in the park, rather than a walk. And even just walking with a pushchair can be great exercise if you keep up a brisk pace for half an hour, particularly if you can fit in some hills. On shorter journeys try walking all the way rather than taking the bus or car for ten minutes. This kind of exercise will be great for general weight control, but you'll still need to do specific toning exercises for those problem areas.

Multi-tasking
Time is of a premium, so it can be hard to motivate yourself to use some of what's left over for exercise, but think of it this way: exercise isn't just about losing weight, reining-in your batwings and getting rid of rolls around the stomach, it's also hugely important for increasing your energy levels, giving your mind a chance to unwind and promoting healthy sleep and relaxation. Which leaves you with more energy to deal with the challenges parenthood throws at you.

So remember, whenever you exercise you are multi-tasking. It's true of all forms of exercise, but it can be more immediately obvious with those that can provide regenerating 'me time', particularly yoga. If you've been to yoga classes before birth or have a good yoga video, there's nothing to stop you rolling out your mat at home whenever you can. You may be exhausted but trust me, you will feel better afterwards.

You don't need exercise equipment to work out at home, but there are some bits and bobs that can be very useful, see this article for ideas.