Workout Tips For Mum

Keeping up with the daily demands of the kids and the family household can be a lot to handle and can get overwhelming. I know, because I've been down that road myself. So here are my workout tips for you mums outs there.......

*MAKE SURE YOU GET CHECKED - Be sure that during your post natal phase, around 6 weeks after giving birth, you get properly checked by your doctor or gynie to see if you suffer from any abdominal tear which is called Diastatis Recti and can happen after giving birth. If this does happen to do, you must be extra careful to avoid crunches, planks or certain core work. You will need to focus on specific training to help heal the tear before moving forward. ( IF this is the case for you, you can speak to our Woman's Specialist Francesca in a consultation for the help you need to move forward from this). If you are given the all clear, then try to set a little time aside once a week to get some movement and exercise in, even if it's just for 10 mins. Begin moving the body from now for faster results before it settles in the post partum body phase.

*IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT - Do not think your workout has to be done in the perfect gym wear or in the perfect expensive gym. The easiest and some of the best workouts you can do right now is in your pijamas, right from your own living room. During my post natal phase that is exactly how I did my training. During the toddler phase, that is exactly where I did my workouts from.

*IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE LONG - forget about going out for a 10km run if you can't handle the pressure, or else a 60 mins fat blasting cardio class if you feel you cannot keep up or are too out of breath after just 15 mins in. Our bodies have gone through a lot already and to top it all off we are handling the daily load of motherhood too. Give your body the time it needs to adapt and build up to a certain high level. More does not necessarily mean better, it can actually make matters worse for your results as you can either cause an injury, or remain in fat storing mode since your increasing your stress hormone cortisol to a high level, or you end up giving up because you think you just can't handle all this. At the best of times just a 10-15 mins workout can do the trick!

*YOUR BODY WEIGHT IS YOUR BEST TOOL - If you have some gym equipment lying around to use, that's fine but if you don't that's perfectly ok too! Don't think that you need to splurge on lots of fancy gym equipment to exercise and train. Our own body weight is

one of the best tools we can use to exercise. It helps give us strength to handle our own weight, it gives us better mobility and flexibility, it is our own fat burning machine and it gives us that toned look we want.

*BE CAREFUL WHO YOU FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM - I don't know about you but I tend to connect better and follow the mums that make me feel normal and better about myself. They show the true realistic parts of life and being a mum. The messy house, the messy hair and no make up look or the stresses we can face during the day. The 'picture perfect' Instagram accounts do not cut it for me, as it can make us tend to compare our lives to them, which can make us feel more down. Make sure to connect with those who motivate you and inspire you!

*BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR GOALS - I meet mothers who tell me they want to lose 20 kg! Setting a goal too big and too high can crush our momentum during a bad day. If we make our expectations too high and not be realistic, then it can just lead to more stress, pressure and a crash and burn! Our lives do not revolve around ourselves anymore, our lives revolve around our kids. So set small mini targets or goals that way taking small steps will keep you motivated, on track and help you to reach your final end goal. So example, I want to eat a breakfast daily with my child in the morning, I want to aim to drink 2 litres of water a day, I want to wake up an extra 10 mins earlier in the morning to get some movement in, I want to schedule a 30 mins workout in just twice a week. Once we accomplish these small changes, we can keep adapting and increasing at our own pace to get the results we want without overwhelming ourselves.

* BE PATIENT - Just as it took 9 months to grow your baby and develop, it will also take time for your body to adapt and change again so BE KIND to yourself and respect your body and the process.

I have a number of ways that I support mums just like you. My FREE exercise workout library offers a number of quick 5-10 min exercise videos you can follow with full body moves to target the whole body and save time. Find them here! We also offer a number of services online and in studio for mums who want more individual attention. Check them out here!