How Karisma Kapoor lost ALL her pregnancy weight!

In her book, My Yummy Mummy Guide, Karisma Kapoor talks about the joys of being pregnant and her struggle to lose the 24 kg she'd put on.

Being pregnant is a tricky affair, especially if you're someone who's always in the limelight. Mother-of-two, Karisma Kapoor talks about the joys of her pregnancy while offering tips to expectant mothers.

The book also explores in great detail the process of losing all the pregnancy weight.

In the pages to follow, we excerpt the chapter titled about her boot camp routine in which Kapoor writes about her workout regimen.

Boot camp must begin when regular exercise fails.

If you haven't seen a tangible change in your weight and figure after a few weeks, despite sticking to your exercise and diet regimens, you need to start on boot camp.

Remember, you cannot start it from the very beginning; that will work against you because if your body gets used to such hard-core exercising, it may be difficult to maintain the pace later.

If you don't have access to a gym or a personal trainer, do your boot camp at home but be regular.

You can't do it for three days and give up. You have to go hard core for 6 days a week for at least a month, without fail.

Purchase a copy of My Yummy Mummy Guide from Rediff Books!

Click NEXT and find out just how Karisma Kapoor lost all the weight she'd put on.

Excerpted with permission of Penguin Books India from the book My Yummy Mummy Guide by Karisma Kapoor with Madhuri Banerjee. Shobhaa De Books Rs 399

With Weights: Session 1

You will need a pair of weights that you're comfortable with, say 4 kg dumb-bells, and a skipping rope. To warm up, stand straight and just move your head, 10 times from left to right and 10 times up and down. Jog on the spot 200 times.

Touch your toes 20 times with your legs hip-width apart. Rotate your shoulders 20 times, 10 times in either direction. The main workout will be 100 skips, followed
by a 30-second break, followed by 12 repetitions for 1 set of weight exercises.

Do this on alternate days, using Sunday as a break for your body.

Chest/Bench Press

Lie on a ball, bench or floor with abs contracted. Begin with weights straight up over chest, elbows slightly bent. Bend elbows and lower arms until elbows are just below shoulder level. Contract chest and push arms up but don't allow weights to touch at the top.

Begin in a push-up position on the floor, hands spread wider than shoulders. Rest your legs at the knees on the floor or on a ball for added intensity. Bend elbows and lower into a push-up, elbows at 90 degrees to the floor and abs in tight. Don't let your body sag in the middle. Push back to start and repeat.

Holding a bar or weights in front of your thighs, bend knees and tilt torso forward to about 45 degrees, abs in tight. Take the weights out, following the line of the thighs, then squeeze the back to draw the weights in towards the belly button. Avoid this exercise if you have back problems.

Lie face down with hands either behind the back or lightly cradling the head. Lift upper body off the ground a few inches, keeping head and neck in alignment. For a challenge, lift feet off the ground keeping legs straight (knees don't have to be together), hold for 2–4 counts, lower and repeat.

Sit or stand with weights in hands, elbows bent and weights next to shoulders. Straighten elbows and push weights overhead, palms facing each other and slightly in front of the head. Lower arms and repeat.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, abs in, and torso upright, with medium weights resting in front of thighs. Lift arms to shoulder level, elbows slightly bent and palms facing the floor. Lower and repeat.

Kneel or sit in a chair and prop right arm on the inside of right leg, weight in hand and palm facing out. Contract the bicep to pull the weight towards the shoulder (without touching the shoulder). Lower and repeat.

Bend torso forward until you're at 45 degrees or parallel to the floor, elbows bent next to ribcage. Contract triceps to straighten elbows, bringing weights up slightly above hips. Keep the abs tight and raise torso if this hurts your lower back or hamstrings.

Sit on a step or chair with hands next to thighs. Balance on your arms, moving your back to the front of the step/chair with legs straight (harder)
or bent (easier). Bend elbows and lower body a few inches, keeping the shoulders down and the elbows parallel at 90 degrees. Push back up and
repeat.

With Weights: Session 2

You must do your lower body workout three times a week, using Sunday as a break by getting a body massage! Do a set of jumping jacks 100 times, followed by a 30-second break, then lower-body repetitions of 12 for 1 set (40 minutes).

Weights Dead Lift

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. With shoulders back and back slightly arched, tip from the hips to lower the weight towards the floor (according to your flexibility) and slowly raise the back up, squeezing glutes, weight in the heels.

Stand with feet spread wider than shoulders, barbell resting on the meaty part of the shoulders. Bend knees and, keeping chest up, lower into a squat. Keep abs in and knees behind toes. Push through the heels to raise back up and repeat.

With barbell or dumb-bells, stand with feet wide apart, toes out. With knees in line with toes, lower into a squat. Knees should be behind toes. Push through heels and lift yourself back up.

Using barbell or dumb-bells (or no weight) stand with feet apart, toes forward. Slowly lower into lunge position, keeping body erect and abs in, knees at 90 degrees to the floor. Push through the front heel, squeeze butt and slowly lift up to starting position (without locking knees). Repeat for one set and switch legs.

Using ankle weight (or no weight), balance on hands and knees, abs in and back flat. Straighten one leg and slowly lift yourself up, squeezing the glutes. Lower back down allowing toes to barely touch the floor. Repeat and then switch legs.

Using ankle weight (or no weight) lie on the floor, abs in. Slowly lift one leg up until it is at 90 degrees to the floor. Lower back to starting position without relaxing.

Using exercise ball/chair, place heels or calves on ball and slowly lift butt up, tightening the abs. Roll ball towards butt, squeezing the hamstrings and keeping abs tight, back flat.

Lie on your side, one foot bent in front. Tighten abs and slowly lift the other leg as high as you can, keeping the leg straight, foot slightly flexed. Use ankle weights for added resistance.

Lie on your side, hips stacked, knees slightly bent. Lift top leg, squeezing the glutes, then lower back without completely relaxing. Use ankle weights for added resistance.

Depending on your body's stamina and flexibility, you should be able to move from skipping or jumping jacks to weights without a break for 30 minutes and then to 45–50 minutes. Gradually you should have about 1500 skips and 2 sets of weight sessions. You will feel exhausted by the end of a session. Give your body time to recover. Get a deep tissue massage to open up the muscles and let them heal.

Boot Camp Blunders

Don't just work out extra repetitions on one body part, while neglecting the others. It doesn't become smaller that way. Your cardio routine will make it smaller and your weight training will tone it.

Don't jeopardize your knees. Avoid locking your knees when you're lifting a weight, and don't allow your knees to shoot out past your toes in the squat, lunge, or leg press. If you feel knee pain during an exercise, stop immediately. Try another exercise and return to the one that gave you trouble after you've been training for a few weeks. Alternatively, perform a simpler version of the exercise, restricting the distance you move the weight.

Don't perform more than 15 repetitions. Some people, afraid of developing bulky legs, use extremely light weights and perform 40 repetitions. You're not going to build up much strength this way, and you'll probably fall asleep in the middle of a set! You will also increase risk of injury from too much repetitive stress on your joints. If you feel that the weights are too light, use a higher weight set.

Drink water! Hydrate yourself well during workouts. After the workout, have a nimbu-paani with a little rock salt and sugar.

Give yourself 10 minutes to relax. After every workout, lie on the floor for 10 minutes, facing up and breathing normally. Take deep breaths to bring your heart back to normal. Don't start working on something else or immediately rush out the door or hop into the shower. Once your heart rate is normal, you can resume other activities.

Without Weights (Yoga)

Do not try yoga without a certified instructor. When I first started doing yoga, I was extremely stiff and couldn't even bend over to touch my toes. I was horrified. I had lost weight, I was in the correct BMI range, and I was feeling fit as a fiddle. I just needed to lose those few extra kilos that would take me from fit to fabulous!

But when I started doing asanas, I realized my body was not as supple as I thought it was. Gradually, with a little bit of extra stretching every day, I was able to do a headstand without help. Yoga might take time to deliver results but it can transform your life. Today, I don't go to the gym or on walks. I only do yoga every morning. I can do it even on vacation in a hotel room and feel good for the rest of the day.

Purchase a copy of My Yummy Mummy Guide from Rediff Books!