Getting that pre-baby body back

Your body can feel out of control after having a baby - a scary thing for the unsuspecting.

During pregnancy you've had time to adjust to the expanding waistline. After the baby is born, all of a sudden the tummy's empty and your breasts swell to the size of watermelons.

Then over the next few months your body changes shape again. There's fat sticking where you'd rather it wouldn't, veins popping, hair falling out, skin wrinkling and maybe breasts shrinking, and some of your bones don't seem to be where they were previously.

But don't panic and don't give up on getting your pre-baby body back!

Did you know:

• Skin relies on elastic properties to regain shape, so gaining, and losing weight more slowly during and after pregnancy helps prevent damage and helps you to return to shape.
  
• Skin is also more likely to sag if you lose your weight quickly without exercise. If you lose fat under the skin without maintaining or increasing muscle tissue, the skin can wrinkle or sag with nothing to fill it out.
  
• Exercise increases your circulation, and so increases the blood flow and hydration to the skin.

So look to no one but yourself in setting goals. Don't compare your body with your sister's, your friend's, or a celebrity 'Yummy Mummy'. Although all Mums essentially have a similar experience in pregnancy, we all have our own stories, we're all effected differently, and there's a huge range of normal.

After all, you don't see the complete effects of motherhood on other women's bodies - only on your own.

Post baby fitness wish list

The key to success when starting any new health and fitness program involves setting realistic goals, what's important to you? And why is it so important?

In a recent survey, I asked Mums what was at the top of their post baby wish list. 

Here's the top 7 - what's important to you?

1. To lose weight and the 'baby fat'
2. To 'tone-up' ie. strengthen my muscles
3. To achieve a shape closer to pre-pregnancy than that of a fertility statue
4. To flatten my tummy, so I don't still look pregnant a year later - ie. I need to rehabilitate abdominal muscles, which will also relieve back pain
5. To fit into sizes and style of clothes I used to or want to wear
6. To increase energy - (this means getting fitter and increasing metabolism)
7. To relax, feel and look better as a Mum - take some time out for me!

To support you in getting started, click here for some tips on walking for fat loss.

Making the first steps towards a life less ordinary

"We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released." - Jean Houston

There's a lot to be said about setting goals and then turning them into reality to make you feel good about yourself, what you've achieved, and knowing what more you could do.

There were so many families in Commonwealth Park this morning, for instance, who either ran or walked their first 5km or 10km as part of the Canberra Times fun run. Many hadn't walked or ran that distance before but over the weeks and months leading up to it were out training - a little bit harder or further every week - so they could reach their goal of finishing the event strongly.

And what they probably also found out along the way is that exercise can be a powerful drug - and unlike so many other drugs - the side effects are positive. The endorphin rush you might experience at the finish line after a fun run, climbing a mountain at sunrise, hiking through a nature park, pumping weights, whatever your drug of choice happens to be - creates a real buzz.

It's not enough to say: 'I really want to lose weight, get fitter, be stronger'.  Try thinking of the bigger picture to make your health a way of life.  Choose an extraordinary goal - like climbing a mountain, going white-water rafting in Spain, running a marathon or half marathon, organising a trek for charity - something that's close to your heart, so that you can bounce out of bed, eat healthier food, and look forward to releasing the powerful drug of exercise - every day.

If you really want to achieve your goals, you need to make them specific and write them down.

Sure, depending on where you are in life, recognise that your extraordinary goal may not happen for awhile - especially if you have very young children, or a really demanding job - or both! Even so, you still need to plan ahead to make them happen.

You have to take ownership of your goals, and most importantly, you need 100% support from your family and friends. You're more likely to work through setbacks and less likely to give up when your goals are extraordinary and you have your own cheer squad behind you!

And my extraordinary goal?  To run the New York City Marathon in November to celebrate my 40th birthday. Yay!