Trying to motivate yourself to get off the couch and get those dusty running shoes out after 9 months of growing a child in your belly? As a mom of three I know what its like to try and psych yourself up after that 6 week post-partum appointment when the Doc gives you the go-ahead to get back into the gym. The number on the scale, however, can be the one factor that causes you to sleep in and/or eat the fries and shake your prenatal habits got you used to. That baby weight can be discouraging but you've gotta start somewhere, and once you jump back into the game you will be more motivated to start eating better too!

 With my first child I gained a whopping 58 pounds! I thought that extra weight would "fall right off" with nursing like many people promised it would. So as a new nursing mom I blindly delighted in taking the advise to eat whatever I wanted and expected to watch the pounds melt away...but they didn't! To my shock and frustration I discovered that I actually had to TRY to loose the weight I had so easily packed on during my pregnancy. After my son was about a year old I decided I had enough and I wanted my body back! I think everyone needs to get to that place where you are ready to DO WHAT IT TAKES to make the change in your life that will produce the results you are after. Sometimes all it takes is one success story to motivate you and make you believe that you are NOT the exception, and that you can do it too! I lost 38 pounds in a few short months with a drastic change in the amount of calories and kind of foods I was eating, as well a real commitment to get to the gym and find a workout I enjoyed and that I could stick to. It also helps to have an accountability partner! Don't try to go it alone. A best buddy to say, "You're gonna hate yourself for that In N Out burger!" will keep you focussed on your goal. 

So my advise to those stuck in the baby weight blues is...get up, strap that baby to your back, go for a walk and eat a protein rich chicken salad! Try that out for starters and I promise tomorrow you'll be a little more motivated to get back in the grove of tightening your body back up and shedding the result of indulgent eating for months on end. YOU CAN DO THIS! If I can do it so can you!

If you need any advise on putting together an at home workout for moms who don't have a gym membership, let me know, I'd love to help!

Happy Trainging!

Jaime N Riley CPT