If you read Part One of this series, then you know that losing all those pounds that I packed on was not easy. But when my babies were about six months old, it started slowly (very slowly) to drop off. And now here we are, over a year from when they were born, and I'm almost at my pre-pregnancy weight. In Part One, I shared a few of my tips for losing that weight. Here are a few more...
4. Challenge yourself.
For the first few months after being pregnant and delivering a baby, your body needs time to heal and recover. When you consider all that was asked of your body over the past nine months, that's certainly not a hard concept to understand. After your doctor gives you the green light for exercise, you should start slow and keep the exercises gentle (e.g., walking and lifting light weights). With that being said, that's not where you need to stay until your baby turns five. In order to really see results, you have to challenge yourself. It's really one of the key tenets of exercise. Keep in mind that challenging yourself at two months post-partum is not going to look the same as two years post-partum. As you challenge yourself, your fitness level increases, and as your fitness level increases, you must challenge yourself a little more in order to keep making progress. You can't be content to do the same workout day in and day out. If you do, you will plateau - get stuck in a rut.
I should also say that challenging yourself does not necessarily mean just going faster or adding more weight. "Challenges" can come in many forms and can include mental challenges, as well as physical challenges. It can consist of trying new forms of exercise. Maybe trying rock climbing or a yoga class is what your body - and your mind - needs. Varying the order in which you do exercises can also pose a new challenge. Throwing in new exercises into your routine on a regular basis is also a great way to keep your body moving in the right direction. The idea is to continually keep your body guessing as to what exercises you will be doing next, so don't be afraid to really mix it up.
Here are a few ways you can challenge yourself to take your workouts to the next level: Do HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts once or twice per week. This is done by doing a very high intensity level of any particular exercise for a designated amount of time (usually one minute or less), followed by an equal amount of time of low to moderate intensity exercise. If you have the intensity level right, you should only be able to do this type of exercise for 20 to 30 minutes total (otherwise, you're not really at the intensity level needed for this to qualify as HIIT or you're taking breaks that are too long). If you do strength training, don't do the same weights routine for more than four weeks in a row. Change it up at least every four weeks. Do at least one yoga or Pilates session per week. Take your workout outside when you can. Step outside your comfort zone and do something that makes you uncomfortable every now and then (Zumba, anyone?).
The idea is never to get too comfortable with your exercise routine. It should always be evolving to really get the most benefit from it.
5. Workout with friends.
Back when I was childless and I had to workout early each morning before work, I used to be a loner at the gym (when I wasn't teaching a class). I wouldn't really talk to anyone. I would stay intently focused on whatever exercise I was doing, and I would get a little annoyed when someone tried to speak with me during my gym time. Then I became a mom, and I realized the enormous social benefits that the gym offered. For some moms, that precious time at the gym is the only adult interaction they have all day. Whether it's sharing tips on how to get baby to sleep through the night between sets of push ups or laughing about the funny thing your three year old said while doing intervals on the elliptical or encouraging one another in our struggles as moms while holding a plank, meeting pals for a workout is a great way to get that much needed adult time while also fitting in exercise.
That's not the only benefit to workout out with friends. Now I workout with a group of other moms on a regular basis (well, whoever can make it to the gym that day!), and a few of us are a little (or maybe a lot...) competitive. It's amazing the difference that that extra person working out beside you can do for motivation. There are days where, if I had been alone, I would have stopped sooner, but since I knew that my friend did a certain number of reps, there was no way that I was stopping before I did that number too! And on those days when you think you should just stay home, it's those gym friends that provide the extra motivation to just get you there...because sometimes just getting to the gym is the hardest part.
If you haven't tried working out with others, give it a try. You might be surprised at what you are able to accomplish because of it.
6. Cut yourself some slack.
Yes, you should challenge yourself, but some days, you just won't be able to. You're juggling a new baby, other family obligations, possibly a career, and who knows what else. It would be completely unrealistic to expect that you will wake up each morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for the best workout of your life. Go ahead and accept that you will have some set backs. It's par for the course, especially during this season of life. Accept it, and then don't let it weigh you down. If you fit in a fantastic workout today, great, but if not, don't fret about it - and especially don't let it interfere with your ability to have a great workout tomorrow. Face each day anew, regardless of what happened yesterday or last week.
7. Don't forget to eat.
This could be an entire post all by itself. So many people make the mistake that if they're trying to lose weight, they cut their calories to a very unhealthy level, but what they don't realize is that they are actually undermining their weight loss goals by cutting calories so drastically. It always helps me to think of my metabolism (how fast you use calories) as a fire. The more you feed the fire, the more it will burn. When you starve the fire by not feeding it, it starts to fizzle out. You don't want a fire that looks like last night's dying campfire. You want a raging forest fire. The best way to get that raging metabolism? Weight training (since muscle requires more calories than fat)...and eating on a regular basis. You should be eating something every 3-4 hours during the day.
I recommend that you first determine a healthy daily caloric intake in order to meet your weight loss goals. A great calculator can be found here. This calculator takes into consideration your current height and weight, your goals, and your activity level. When you're using this, remember that it's rarely a good idea to try to lose more than a pound or two per week. Once you determine the number of calories that are appropriate, divide this number by 6 (the number of meals and snacks you should be aiming for each day). The result is the number of calories you should eat at each meal/snack. For instance, if my recommended caloric intake was 1,800 calories per day, I should plan to eat 300 calories in each meal. And remember that the calories should be composed of healthy proteins, carbs and fats - not jelly beans.
I know some of you don't believe me - you think that if you eat six meals a day, you'll be packing the pounds on, but try this. I promise that it will go a long way to make sure that you're not spinning your wheels in your weight loss efforts.
Stay tuned for my last few tips on keeping you well on your way to reaching your goals!
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