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Five tips, because that is what all the magazines do.
And because it only looks good on camera when you count on one hand.
But I will throw in something else here at the beginning. Not a tip, but actual advice!
If you don´t know your way around working out or healthy eating, go talk to a professional. Get a medical check, book a PT, or even trust an experienced friend. But please have someone that knows his stuff help you with how excercises are actually done.
Do not, by any means, just do online videos if you have never worked out before. And, no matter how fit and toned that person looks, don´t take workout advice from someone online that isn´t a certified PT (or yoga/pilates/whatever instructor).
Yes, not even from me! But as I just give you tips and don´t show any workout to copy. go ahead and watch the video anyway. On You Tube and in HD!
https://youtu.be/n1VZkydqkj8
Short and sweet, here are my 5 tips written down:
Get the all clear BEFORE you start
This is especially important for new mums, but also true for everyone else that hasn´t worked out in a long time. Go get checked for either general health problems or, as a new mum, for diastasis recti and pelvic floor problems. Your obstetrician or midwife can tell you more and please, please listen to them and start slowly with building core strength and healing before you start lifting weights in a desperate attempt to “bounce back”. That will save you trouble in the long run! I talk more about the changes your body goes through in pregnacy in this video, if you want to learn more.
Working out is not just at the gym
The best way to get excercise is leading an active lifestyle. Go by bike instead of going by car, take the stairs, not the elevator, just take every opportunity you can to get moving. Especially as a mum the possibilities are endless. From pushing the pram outside to playing catch or wild dance parties in the living room, kids are constantly on the move. All you need to do is get involved.
And for the office workers: I take all my phone calls standing up and walking around. Looks ridiculous, but otherwise I´d just be sitting at my desk for 8 hours straight! (I track my activity using a FitBit)
Get the kids involved
None of the above is a replacement for an actual, dedicated workout. And I get that, after a full day of work, the last thing you want to do when the kids are tucked away in bed and the house cleaned is a workout.
I feel the same way.
Which is why I work out with my kids, straight after I got home and spent a little time with them.
My kids love joining in, jumping around with me, climbing all over me while I try to maintain balance in downward facing dog… And if they don´t want to participate, fine. I work out in the living room, on a yoga mat, surrounded by their toys and more often than not listening to the latest children songs while they play. That way I am there and accessible and still get my workout in.
Make it short, but make it count
Leg day, isolated muscle groups, hours of cardio… I used to do that, and I loved the results. But that was before I had kids. Now going to the gym for one hour means that I miss out on even more time with my little ones, and I am not willing to do that. But still I want to keep moving.
So I switched to HIIT. There are a ton of You Tube channels offering a variety of workouts, and the ones that I like the most are TheBodyCoach, FitnessBlender and, for everyone just starting and especially for new mums, Bikini Body Mommy.
They are short, 30 minutes at max, they are free, and I just play them on my iPad wherever I want to workout. Do that five times a week and you will see results.
No, you won´t look like someone that spends hours at the gym and works with weights. But you will look toned and you will get fit, and that is what counts for me.
Intermittent Fasting
I have said it numerous times before: I don´t believe in diets and in restricting myself from having different food groups. Eating should be fun, and I have a big sweet tooth. So in order to maintan a balance between calorie consumption and calories burned, I have adapted Intermittent Fasting.
I did a whole video on the medical background and the different ways to do it here, if you want to learn more, but in a nutshell it helps with fat loss, weight loss and it lowers the risk of diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
With healthy eating habits in general and Intermittent Fasting I managed to loose 20 kg over the course of 14 months after having my son.
