Black women cut back an average of 9 percent, the study found. The researchers did not specify why women exercised less after giving birth. But Susan Mediterraneo of Ramsey, a new mother and a pediatrician in Clifton, said there are any number of reasons, in addition to the obvious one of having to care for an infant. Once you break your routine, it's hard to get back into it. But we all know how important it is to get back into it.
Money is also a factor.
There are financial priorities. A gym is a luxury. Nevertheless, new moms often find ways to keep up at least a minimal fitness routine. Marla Sachs of Franklin Lakes said the first time she joined a gym was when she was pregnant with her third baby. Pregnancy slowed Sachs in her exercise classes.