Lying on your back, on any comfortable surface, keep one leg bent with your foot on floor while other leg is flat on ground. Bring knee of leg that is flat toward you by bending it and then proceed to lift that same foot off ground and toward ceiling. Then bring it back down by retracing moves in reverse.

Your second leg exercise is known as “the square”. Starting in same position as first leg exercise, lift straight leg off ground by about a foot or so. Then slowly draw a square in air with your big toe. Keep square small at first. With time, as you get stronger, you can increase size of square.

You should be able to start a walking program several weeks, if not sooner, after you give birth. There is usually no good reason (unless you had a complicated pregnancy) to wait six weeks after birth to start a consistent walking program. Of course, you should discuss this with your doctor before getting started.

At six weeks post delivery you can start to push your fitness program to a higher level by incorporating cardiovascular work, such as light jogging, and some strength training with a combination of body weight exercises and dumbbell exercises. Also, remember to include stretching exercises for optimal flexibility.

The point of this article is to help you understand that most doctors are conservative when it comes to answering a new mom’s questions about exercise. It is easy for doctor to “play it safe”, and advise you to wait six weeks before starting your fitness program. However, if you show your doctor exact exercises that you wish to do, she will most likely realize that you have done your homework and should give you green light regarding start of your “new mom” exercise program.

And about first question you asked your self, “Will I be a good mother?” Exercising after you give birth will automatically make you a better mother for two significant reasons:

1) You will be setting a priceless example for your baby that is highly likely to rub off on him and have a powerful impact on how he chooses to live his life.

2) You will be stronger, healthier and more energetic. These are three valuable elements for any new mother.

New mom and former physical fitness coordinator for US NAVY, Jeri-Jo Gennusa, advises, “Avoid using your new baby as an excuse for not exercising. Allow your baby to help motivate you to take better care of yourself by following a simple and progressive post-pregnancy fitness program.”

* Take vitamin E Studies indicate that vitamin E may have a positive impact on lowering cholesterol when taken in fairly large quantities - up to 800 IU per day. This is more than you can get from your diet alone. Larger amounts do not seem to cause any harm. Further studies showed that even amounts of just 25 IU per day helps in preventing LDL from sticking to blood vessel walls. That amount is only slightly higher than recommended daily amount (RDA) of 12 to 15 IU. It’s interesting to note that even that small amount has an impact on preventing that hardening of arteries.

* Take Calcium One study indicates that when 56 people took a calcium carbonate supplement, their total cholesterol went down 4 percent and their HDL increased 4 percent. That was taking a dosage of 400 milligrams of calcium three times a day with no harmful effects reported. That does refer to calcium carbonate.

* Take Vitamin C It is number one immune system booster and also drives up HDL. A study of people who took more than 60 milligrams of vitamin C per day (60 milligrams is RDA) had highest HDL levels.

* Fill up on fiber As little as three grams per day of fiber from oat bran or oatmeal can be effective. There are other sources of fiber as well such as barley, beans, peas and many other vegetables. Pectin, which is found in fruits like apples and prunes, reduces cholesterol even better than oat bran, as does psyllium which is fiber you find in many breakfast cereals and bulk laxatives.

* Quit smoking Smoking promotes development of atherosclerosis. Tobacco smoke is actually more damaging to heart than lungs. Smokers have a higher chance of having a heart attack (three times greater than nonsmokers) and a greater risk of dying of attack (twenty one times greater than nonsmokers.) Even if you have smoked for years, stopping now can still immediately help combat development of atherosclerosis.

* Reduce sugar intake Many people don’t realize that sugar affects cholesterol and definitely affects triglycerides. Sugar stimulates insulin production, which in turn increases triglycerides. Men in particular, seem to be sensitive to this effect from sugar. The mineral chromium which helps to stabilize blood sugar, can also raise level of HDL. 100 mcg of chromium three times daily can help to improve your cholesterol levels.

* Exercise regularly There is positive evidence that exercise can lower LDL cholesterol and boost HDL cholesterol. Both aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling and cross country skiing and strength training like lifting weights or using weight machines all promote improvement of cholesterol levels.

* Eliminate caffeine We Americans definitely have a love affair with our coffee! People who drink large amounts of caffeine (more than 6 cups a day) are far more prone to elevated cholesterol. That connection does not hold for tea drinkers. Limit your coffee intake to no more than one cup a day and eliminate caffeinated sodas entirely.