I went to see my neighbor's 1-month-old baby recently and was amazed at how terrific the new mom looked. Except for the fact that she couldn't quite get the top button of her jeans fastened, she looked almost as if she'd never been pregnant.

When I asked her how she'd managed to "shrink" so fast, she said she thought it might have something to do with the fact that she worked out so faithfully before and during her pregnancy. And, she added, she was very much looking forward to starting her workouts again as soon as her doctor gave her clearance.

What my neighbor didn't realize is that there are a few exercises that she could have started as soon as the day after she gave birth. Perhaps they aren't exercises in the strictest sense of the word, but they will start the initial process of tightening up a few important muscles. After that, with a doctor's "OK," a fit, knowledgeable new mother can often start exercising earlier than she realizes.

Grace De Simone, a mother of two and director of group fitness programs for Plus One Fitness, says a woman who was in shape before and during her pregnancy can, with her doctor's approval, return to her exercise program three weeks after vaginal birth and six weeks after Cesarean birth.

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