How to get a yummy tummy

Post-Prince George, Kate’s stomach is as flat as ever. But mortal midriffs needn’t despair. Phoebe Luckhurst explains how to get that Middy middle

Collectively, we covet the glossy hair, her safe-but-stylish wardrobe and that blinding smile. Now there’s another reason to feel inadequate: the Duchess of Cambridge has regained her flat-as-a-pancake stomach as fast as you can say mummy tummy. Photos of her at her first solo public engagement following the birth of Prince George confirm that her abs are firmly back and making headlines.

Detractors, be damned. For all we rejoiced in Kate’s seeming normalcy when she appeared before the world’s press the day after her son’s birth, we all know our princess would sharply have lost her lustre if she’d been pictured in splattered sweats and an old Marlborough hockey top. The question on everyone’s lips is not should she have snapped back, but how did she do it?

Unfortunately, the answer seems to be: start laying the groundwork early. Kate has undeniably got good genes — her mother Carole is slim, despite having had three children. But it’s nurture as well as nature. Kate’s a lifelong sportswoman: she played netball, tennis and hockey at Marlborough, and was a keen swimmer at prep school. However, there are ways to help your mortal midriff approach K Middy proportions (namely, toned and lean).

Mantra number one: there is no such thing as too much Pilates. During her pregnancy, Kate reportedly attended classes three times a week. She favoured the exclusive Hurlingham Sports and Social Club — a private members’ club set in 42 acres of riverside grounds in Fulham. Apparently, the Duchess also took up yoga; both exercises strengthen the body’s core muscles and increase flexibility, making it easier to snap back into shape after pregnancy. Kate has reportedly stuck with the Pilates.

“Kate has a typical Pilates tummy where the appearance is flat and toned,” confirms Pilates teacher Paola di Lanzo, who has worked at elite London gyms including Grace, KX, Equinox and Harbour Club.

“Most Pilates exercises are initiated and controlled through the core allowing these muscles to be constantly worked throughout the session. Just three months after she’s given birth and Kate looks fabulous.”

Model Miranda Kerr also credited Pilates for slimming her down after the birth of her son Flynn. She was back on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk just six months after his birth.

“Not only does Pilates work the core and abdominals,” says di Lanzo, “but it can also be an effective training method for toning, strengthening and correcting posture and reducing lower back pain — very important after having a baby (and indeed during pregnancy) as the pregnancy hormones soften your muscles and ligaments and the weight of the baby changes your posture.”

Leighton Girling, a Fitness First trainer who has trained hundreds of pre- and post-natal clients, confirms that “a combination of Pilates, movement training and correcting posture exercises will help to get the body functioning properly, before progressing onto regaining strength and fitness”.

Mantra number two: the right jeans are worth more than their weight in high-tech denim. Last week at her Olympic Park event, Kate was wearing a £145 pair of J Brand skinnies. Cult favourite J Brand is leading the trend for jeans with in-built slimming technology.

While there’s no faking that flat stomach, the correct choice of jeans — in Kate’s favourite dark indigo wash — helps create an overall slender silhouette.

Mantra number three: make sure someone else does the cooking. New mums don’t have time to whip up and choke down a kale juice. While Kate has never been one for faddy diets (although she reportedly craved Duchy Originals lavender shortbread during her pregnancy), a new biography of the Duchess of Cambridge written by Vanity Fair journalist Katie Nicholl reports that in the weeks after the birth, Carole Middleton blended fruit smoothies and cooked healthy meals for Kate, who snacked on muesli bars.

Set the 6am alarm and roll out the yoga mat: you’ll need to break a sweat to keep up with Mrs Cambridge.

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