Heidi Powell Has the Best Advice for Getting Rid of Your Tummy Pooch

Author and co-host of Extreme Weight Loss, Heidi Powell, shares her best tips for moms who want to get rid of their "mommy pooch." Check them out below!

If you've had a C-section or a hysterectomy, and you are struggling with the surgical battle wounds, this post is for YOU! Now don't stop reading if this isn't you… these tips and tricks can apply to any postpartum belly.

The common question goes something like this: "I had a C-section X number of years ago, and I have this shelf of skin now to accompany my pooch that I just CANNOT get rid of! How on Earth can I get rid of my tummy shelf and postpartum pooch?"

Oh mama… that extra skin that gathers at the bikini incision line after a belly surgery can be so frustrating, as can be the seemingly permanent bulge! Well, ladies…it's time to ditch the Spanx and "shelf" that tummy shelf problem once and for all.

Before we get started with my tried and true exercises, I need to make two things clear:

Abs are made in the kitchen

While people love to think that unlimited crunches or weighted sit-ups can help reduce the layer around the belly shelf (and obtain those washboard abs we've always dreamed of), the cold hard truth is that ab exercises have NOTHING to do with minimizing that layer of fat over your abs to reveal the "bricks" underneath. It is a complete myth that you can spot reduce by working an area really hard. Fat is lost globally, which means all over your body at the same time. You may notice fat loss quicker in certain areas, but that has nothing to do with the exercises done to tone or work the muscle. So how is fat lost? With proper nutrition, first and foremost, and through increasing your calorie deficit with exercise.

Just because your extra belly skin has not tightened yet does NOT mean that it won't.

While this isn't always the case, I want new moms to be patient with your bodies! Any extra/loose skin over your abs will likely tighten (even if just a little) over time depending on your skin's elasticity. But if you do have some loose skin that will not go back after lots of hard work and body fat burning, the fact is that we may have to learn to live with it… and appreciate that it is one of our worthy battle wounds we gained while creating our little miracle on Earth or from surviving that surgery.

So while you cannot reduce the layer or get rid of the shelf with exercise (we just established that this is done with nutrition), resistance training plays a vital role in sculpting the muscles underneath the layer of body fat and skin. By training the abdominal muscles properly, you'll add some shape to those muscles and create proper core strength to help you COMPLETELY eliminate the pooch. Bonus: Once that layer IS gone (by eating right), you will have some beautiful flat abs waiting for you.

Even better, we are going to create a solid core from the inside out to help minimize the all-too-common condition for postpartum moms known as diastasis recti (abdominal separation).

Here are my top 5 favorite moves to flatten the abs, strengthen the core, reduce the pooch, and start feeling great again.

**NOTE: Please check with your doctor before doing ANY of these moves postpartum/post surgery, as every woman's body heals at a different pace.