Watch: The Postpartum Workout That Got Dr Andrea Lim Back In Shape & How It Works

Words by Jessica Liew

February 01, 2018

The Peak Fitness cofounder and fitness devotee reveals chest and core workouts that jazzed up her pregnancy routine, which toned and strengthened her for mummy duties.

As our regular wellness contributor, it's no secret that Dr Andrea Lim is our go-to authority and paragon of health. You’ll first notice the glow emanating from her toned physique, followed by a cool-as-cucumber demeanour. First impressions aside, her medical approach and passion for fitness led her to set up the Peak Fitness, which she manages concurrently with her family business, KL Sogo.

Above Dr Andrea swears by planks to engage even the tiniest muscles.

On top of 2 businesses, Dr Andrea goes home to another job: As mother to her firstborn, Isabelle Zara. Despite the responsibilities, Dr Andrea makes it a point to carve time for regular workouts and exercises, which she's honed since discovering dancing at the age of 4. With regards to myths about working out during pregnancy, Dr Andrea admitted that hers hasn't changed much from her pre-pregnancy routine.

"You can do whatever your body is accustomed to doing before pregnancy. But if it becomes too physically uncomfortable, listen to your body" Dr Andrea assured us. "For myself, I continued indoor cycling, weight-lifting and kickboxing."

Above "It's important to exercise to build strength in your pectoral muscles." -- Dr Andrea

To illustrate her smooth transition, Dr Andrea shared about how she hiked up Penang Hill 12 days after delivery, and in 3 weeks' time she was back in the weightlifting room. A couple of months found her hiking up Mt Fuji. As she summed it up: "It's a lot easy to bounce back from pregnancy if you didn't have a break in a first place, and really, there's no need to, as well."

There are, however, body-part-specific workouts for new mums to pay attention to, such as the core and chest. "Pregnant women tend to lose a lot of core strength, so planks and boxing are incredibly good for engaging even the tiniest core muscles," she explained.

Dr Andrea also emphasised working the chest area, postpartum. "We put on a lot of weight there, so it's important to exercise to build strength in your pectoral muscles, with the help of dumbbells and bench presses."

Here's a rundown of Dr Andrea's postpartum exercise guide to kickstart post-pregnancy fitness or to spice up your fitness routine:

1. CORE:

Simple planks
Side planks
Swiss Ball planks

2. CHEST:

Bench press
Incline bench press
Incline dumbell flys

3. ALL-IN-1, 30 MINUTE PROGRAM
The Signature Peak Performance combining muscular, endurance, strength, cardio and flexibility. Find out more here.