Losing “baby weight” post pregnancy is a hot-topic among new mothers, some feeling pressure to shed the baby kilos soon after giving birth, while others put it to the back of their mind until they’re “finished” having children.
For many, the battle against the new bulge is a huge adjustment, and at times their mental health is the thing that suffers the most.
Raising a baby means that your own health tends to come secondary to the needs of the new addition to your family, sometimes ridding mothers of time to work-out and prepare healthy meals for themselves.
Here are some tips if you want to get your health back on track, without sacrificing quality time with your little one:
Avoid emotional eating
Often when mother’s start emotional eating, their physical health also suffers. This can become a disheartening and saddening path to go down, potentially causing your personal self-worth and esteem to crumble. Mothers familiar with this kind of mindset will first need to recognise that their habits are becoming detrimental to both theirs and their family’s way of life, and then take action in an effort to stave off circumstances becoming any worse.
Find a healthy routine
If you’re feeling down in the dumps about your weight, it should be clear to you by now that something needs to change. Taking the first leap will be the hardest, but force yourself to stay consistent. Consider setting time aside early in the morning for you to exercise, before your baby and the rest of the family awakes. This might mean getting up at 4.30am for a 5am fitness class, but this will pay off in the long-run if you stick to it. The early morning class also forces you to take time out of your day to focus on nothing but your own health.
Mindful eating
Do some research into intermittent fasting or other eating routines you think could work for your busy schedule, and make sure to nourish your body with healthy, nutritious food. By paying close attention to consuming fulfilling, satiating meals, this will aid in staving off cravings for processed junk food and keep the snacking at bay. A key part of this approach is to eat around the same times each day, and making sure your meals leave you feeling satisfied.
Get a workout buddy
By getting active with a friend, you create a certain sense of accountability. If new mums are lacking motivation, they could consider teaming up with someone and agree to not let each other skip workouts. This is a significantly different to attending a regular gym, where there is no accountability and no one helping to keep you on track.
Change your mind set
Keep in mind that you are more than a mother, and recognise that it is things like working out or taking time for your personal hobbies that will keep your personal identity alive and well. Set yourself up for life-long health by retaining things close to your heart that are separate to your child.