WEIGHT LOSS AFTER YOU'VE HAD YOUR BABY

How to lose your post baby weight effectively AND safely (so you can be the hottest mother on the planet)

PART ONE AND TWO

  Note to readers out there. Post baby weight in this article, doesn't just refer to immediate post natal because unluckily,  some women carry this 'burden' weight for years along often carried with a reduced self esteem , and i believe every women should feel good about herself as this reflects positively on every other aspect of her life and her family.

Make sure that,  if you are going to hire a professional to help you, best case scenario- Hire a PRO that has been through the same situation themselves and they are up to date with the latest scientific information regarding pre and post natal exercise. Your chosen professional should be  able to articulate their knowledge in a way that you understand 

Quite simply, to achieve all health and fitness goals; you must first consider the 6 pillars of health and fitness in order to really understand this. That is; MOVEMENT, NUTRITION, HYDRATION, SLEEP, ENERGY AND ; STRESS LEVEL

My 10 tips to lose your post baby bump safety and effectively: 

1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND; Its important to recognise that every person on this living earth is different. We all have different recovery rates and this is further enhanced both during and after pregnancy. It is important to know your body. You will feel when its the right time to do something about your baby weight. I am a PT and Group Fitness

Instructor and exercised all the way up until the end of my pregnancy, yet I wasn't ready to get into a more rigid training routine until at least 6 weeks after I had my little girl. This came as a shock to many of my colleagues and gym members. Many people would presume also,  that it was easy for me to get fitter, another total misconception. It was actually really really tough both mentally and physically for me, because I had been so fit previously! For the high level of fitness that i once had to all come crashing down on me, was disastrous for my self perception. I felt like I had to start again from the ground up, dragging my butt through the sand- not a pretty sight. No surprise that my initial post pregnancy fitness, put me in my place very quickly. For the first time in my life , I knew I couldn't be the energiser bunny at the front of the group ex room shouting orders and going nuts on weights, I had to start slowly and i would have to take frequent breaks in order to get through the duration of my training session. So the point is, if you had your baby two weeks ago and you are simply exhausted and have had no sleep, then don't feel bad that you can't get back on the training wagon immediately or even weeks after.  You and your bub will more than likely benefit more from having the rest than you will getting up and doing 100 plyometric lunges OTS. Get into something when it feels right. Don't take years to make the decision either, as much as exercising too early after birth can be detriment to yours and baby's health so is making your baby the excuse as to why you are not yet fitter, for your child 6 years after birth.   Get yourself feeling better about yourself by exercising, this will reap amazing effects for your entire network of family and friends.

2. START SLOWLY- AND MAKE-SURE YOU START…. Just getting up and going for a walk can make you feel better. Even if it's a

short walk. the endorphins will release, imagine what these happy hormones are doing for your baby? My advice is to start SLOWLY. Having stitches in awkward places and losing blood, means you have to take your time. Try to do the less intense exercises first. Book yourself in with a reputable physiotherapist and learn how to activate your pelvic floor. Remember that, all physical tasks add up at the end of the day, meaning that every time you make an effort to move or to carry, will allow you to build strength and some basic fitness. Its not always about the hour training session that you've been planning to do all week, it's about everything else you do in your day - what i call the 'accumulation factor' . I found using my imagination, you could even make the simplest of tasks such as shopping into quite fun, strength building exercises. I would start with carrying one shopping bag, then two, three, then four, then a few weeks later, when i was ready for more I began using the baby sling and carrying my daughter whilst carrying the four shopping bags. So if you're sitting around wondering and complaining to yourself WHY you are not losing the ba

by weight, consider your whole daily activity level from the moment you wake up to the moment you sleep. Are you doing enough? So make sure you begin any routine SLOWLY but make sure you start something as it will do wonders for your self esteem.

3. BREAST FEEDING

 Breastfeeding has been shown to be optimal for your baby, boosting immunity and providing a number of other important health benefits. Nursing exclusively lets you add about an extra 300 calories a day to your eating regime (you can add slightly more calories if you have a really big eater or twins). Remember this vital factor that 'Not all calories are created equally', so make sure you are eating nutrient dense foods, rather than putting junk in your trunk and your breast milk.I was lucky that i could breast feed, but not all women are as lucky!  So if you cannot breast feed for what ever reason then try not to let yourself get down about it. You can only do the best you can do. Right? Extra care over nutrient choices and hydration can be very useful strategies for women who cannot breast feed.

4. WHEN THE PLAN DOESN'T GO TO PLAN. Remember babies and children are unpredictable at the best of times, if you cannot make the planned gym session because baby is sick,  or just grizzly then rather than beating yourself up about it, think about what else you could do to work around it. Making SMART decisions is vital to your rate of success. I would use the pockets of time in my chaos to do even 10 minutes worth of exercise- push ups, squats, lunges. all those things you can do in (MMM) minimal space, with minimal equipment in minimal time. When it all hits the fan, remember there are solutions and there are excuses, be aware of which one you are choosing and how your choices will help you to achieve your goals.

5. EATING RIGHT FOR YOUR BABY AND TO LOSE THE BUMP. It's imperative that you make SMART food choices. What's the best possible nutrition that you could provide for yourself and your baby? Are you drinking enough water?. Plenty of fruit veggies, high quality protein, low GI carbohydrates are essential for optimal health and wellness for you and your bub. Im sure you will agree that It's not just about improving aesthetics on on the outside but also being healthy on the inside- promoting your own longevity! If you have no idea about nutrition why not invest in yourself and book yourself in with an expert nutritionist so you can hit the ground running? Also many hospitals offer free post natal nutritional workshops, its always worth enquiring as you never know the information you may learn from these seminars. And..its free!

6. MEASURE WHERE YOU ARE: One of the best ways to track your progress towards getting your body back, is to complete some form of measurements. This doesn't mean just relying on the dreaded scales.  In fact scales can be really demoralising at the best of times, because if you are training it's likely that you will be building lean muscle and reducing body fat often the scales will not reflect this. A fitness professional will be able to help you measure your skin folds (body fat) and measure your centimetres around your waist hips and thighs. Another great tool is very simple, effective and costs nothing. It involves getting the camera on you this time instead of bub! Why not  take a close up shot of yourself- one from the front, one from the back and the side. After 4 to 6 weeks repeat the process to see how far you've progressed. This can serve as a very effective motivational tool, encouraging you to continue on your health and fitness journey.

7. TRACK YOUR ACTIVITIES, NUTRITION, HYDRATION AND; ENERGY LEVELS: This tip is invaluable, because it enables you to see what specific areas are helping you to progress and which might be hindering your progress- essentially then enabling you to create winning strategies which will boost your progress towards your health and fitness goals. If you would like to get your hands on some FREE tracking sheets then please feel free to contact me bodywizeaustralia@gmail.com

8. AVOID PICKING AT YOUR KIDS DINNERS: Mindless snacking could be the detriment to your  your success- yet is so common as we are just so tired that half of the time we don't even realise we are doing such a thing. Apply some SMART planning - if you are getting hungry but you are in too much of a hurry, have some nutrient dense snacks available such as sliced carrot and dips, any piece of fruit or vegetables or a handful of enzyme released nuts. 

9. HANG OUT WITH THE POSITIVE MUMS AND FRIENDS/FAMILY THAT SHARE SIMILAR VALUES AND ARE SUPPORTIVE OF YOU. Ever heard of the phrase you are the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with? If your quest is to achieve better health and fitness, yet the other mums, in your mums group don't seem to give a damn- you can only imagine what that will do to your efforts to improve your self esteem. It is so important to hang out with a supportive network especially if you are a new mum. This will help you to boost your confidence and elevate any unnecessary stress and tension from negative people. You could even organise an training session with some of the other mums or a walk together with your bubs- this is fun as you can have a good chat during your training session as well as keeping one another accountable for keeping up with your fitness. 

10. ACKNOWLEDGE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME. Every body experiences a different journey right from the moment of conception,  to the times where you are tearing you hair out with the 'terrible twos and threes'. It is important to acknowledge your own journey, and really focus on how far you have progress rather than dwell on what you haven't done or achieved yet. 

Are you interested to know more? Contact me for more information on bodywizeaustralia@gmail.com or check out my webpage for details on classes in Sydney, Australia www.bodywizpersonaltraining.com