Post Baby Body

Hilary Duff gave birth to Luca Cruz less than two weeks ago, but is already exercising to get her prepregnancy body back. She hit the gym Saturday and tweeted, "20 minutes on the elliptical seems like an eternity!!! What the hell…"

Though many obstetricians recommend holding off on exercise until six weeks postpartum (longer for a C-section), every woman is different. Here are some workout tips for brand-new moms.

• Check with your doctor before exercising: How ready you are depends on how well you're healing. Most doctors recommend avoiding exercise until the bleeding stops, but may give the green light for low-intensity workouts, such as short walks or stretching.
• Start off slow: Don't expect your body to run 30 minutes straight like it did before you were pregnant. Aside from the stress of the actual birth, lack of sleep and low energy levels associated with nursing offer new moms little get-up-and-go. Start with low-impact exercise like walking, yoga, or swimming. A 10-minute walk around the block every day for a week (or longer) will feel like plenty. Gradually increase the intensity and length of your workouts as your strength and stamina increases.
• Invest in some baby gear: If you find it emotionally difficult to leave your baby, exercise with them. There are hundreds of baby carriers out there to enable you to walk with your baby. I'm a huge fan of the Moby Wrap, since it feels the most supportive on a new mom's often-sore back. If you're not into wearing your baby, or a C-section won't allow for it while you're healing, buy a jogging stroller (walk at first and run when you're doctor gives the OK). Postnatal fitness classes are another great option, not only for exercise, but as a way to connect with other new moms.

Keep reading for more workout tips for brand-new moms.

Suck it in! New mama Christina Applegate appeared on The Tonight Show last night to talk about her highly anticipated new show Up All Night. On the way to tape the show, the actress sent out a hilariously revealing tweet that read, "On my way to the Tonight Show. Spend a little time with Jay. My spanx are so tight I feel I may faint. Good times . . ."

When Leno complimented the actress on her postbaby body, the never-shy Christina jokingly responded "Don't let all the girdles fool you! I have this thing on called a Mother Tucker. It's for mothers, and it's a tucker!" Mother Tuckers are compression tanks that smooth and shape the midsection and, like Spanx, are a must have among new Hollywood mamas. See how the new mama describes the shaping garment, how she's handling new motherhood, and what a "bed day" is in the clip above!

New momma Kourtney Kardashian gave birth to her son on Dec. 14, and she's already on the cover of OK! magazine looking like she's back to her prebaby body. Before you get all jealous or outraged, you should know that the photo is a lie, and Kourtney is not pleased. She told Women's Wear Daily, "They doctored and photoshopped my body to make it look like I have already lost all the weight, which I have not."

Kourtney also twittered, "One of those weeklies got it wrong again . . . they didn’t have an exclusive with me. And I gained 40 pounds while pregs, not 26 . . . But thanks!" Kourtney never even spoke to OK! for the cover story.

It's great to hear a celeb come forward and tell the truth about being photoshopped, and although I have my opinions about the Kardashians, this definitely makes me respect Kourtney a little more.

Kourtney Kardashian gave birth to Mason Dash Disick about a month ago, and now she's slowly getting back in shape. Could she be inspired by sister Kim, who recently reached her weight loss goal? Kim slimmed down with a strict exercise regimen and the QuickTrim diet products, so what's Kourtney's plan? According to a recent Us Weekly article, this 30-year-old is hoping to shed her extra 26-ish pounds with — I can't believe it — QuickTrim? Mom Kris Jenner says, "I'm going to do it with Kourtney. Kourtney is going to do it for after the baby. We are very excited."

According to Us, Kourtney is all a-Twitter about her latest food choices — P.F. Chang's and Pinkberry. This new mommy isn't too concerned with dieting at the moment and is focusing on taking care of her wee one. But when she is ready to get serious about losing the weight, I hope she utilizes good old-fashioned exercise (like she did when she was prego) and a healthy diet, rather than sketchy diet products.

Thanks to a healthy attitude — and a little encouragement from hubby Seal — Heidi Klum is working to get her body back in shape after baby number four. Still, if you're expecting the supermodel to take a turn in the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, you might be surprised to learn that she won't be walking the runway this year, but playing hostess duty instead.

In an interview with US Weekly, it seems this mom is a little more realistic when it comes to shaping up her body after giving birth. Heidi told the magazine:

"I wouldn't say I'm back in the shape yet. But I don't know. Everything changes when you get older. It was different when I was 31 with the first one. Now, being 36 with the fourth one, it's different."

It seems to me the mom is setting a realistic expectation for getting back in shape and going about it the right way. She knows that it takes some work to get the bod you want, saying that, "For me, it always works to get back into it immediately. I think that if you wait too long, it kind of sticks on and it stays there forever. I have to be motivated." Still, she's not gym-crazed or diet-obsessed, adding that she's not exercising too much for now: "I walk on the treadmill a little bit. I walk on the driveway. I'm very active with the children." Sure, she's blessed with some supermodel genes (and possibly a very long driveway), but even still, Heidi's take on weight loss seems surprisingly down-to-earth to me — do you agree?

Olympic beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh gave birth to her first child last month, and of course everyone's interested in her post-baby body. Kerri told People magazine, "36 lbs. is the official number. I just didn't want to hit 40 because that would be 200 lbs. But I feel pretty silly now that I see Joey."

As a professional athlete, Kerri's sense of body image goes beyond the numbers on the scale. She admitted that a lot of the 36 pounds came off during the first week after giving birth, but commented, "Now I just need to build my muscle because I'm skinny soft, which is the worst thing to be."

Kerri knows that a slender appearance does not imply a fit body. The benefits of exercising go way beyond looking good. Summer is the perfect time to work out in the sand; go for a walk, a run, or get inspired by Kerri and organize a group for a fun game of beach volleyball.