Postpartum fitness: Results

October is almost up. Which means we’ve come to the end of our postpartum, fitness journey with personal trainer Amy Ferriss. It’s results time! Time to reflect back on how far we’ve come in such a short space of time. They say a good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning. And Amy has definitely helped to re-ignite my love for fitness and lift my spirits.

Looking Back

I’m now, exactly 16 weeks postpartum. My nerves and anxiety have calmed. As a family we’re now fully immersed into our new routine. But, sometimes the monotony of routine can breed complacency. Which for me is an absolute killer, mentally. This has been the greatest benefit to having the support of Amy to hand as and when I need her. That extra push to inspire me each day and to just check in on how I’m really doing.

When Amy and I first sat down to chat about our collaboration we talked about what I wanted to achieve out of our month together. I had just made my mum-me pledge to myself and explained that I’d suffered from a severe bout of anxiety due to LP being really poorly in her first weeks. We discussed how this plus no sleep due to looking after two under twos twenty-four/ seven, meant I needed to work out conscientiously.

What I’ve Learnt

Diet

For me calories are an aid, a tool to help you know how much fuel you need to burn. The greatest help for me was to document what I ate each day, honestly. This allowed me to understand what my usual calorie intake was and I just worked from there to tweak my diet and slowly reduce my calories in areas of over kill. It was through monitoring what I ate that Amy was able to offer lower calorie alternatives and suggestions that would sustain me and keep me satisfied with what I was eating. Never starve yourself! Remember in order to burn energy, you need fuel/energy to burn.

Ultimately we are all different and therefore need to diet/eat differently. I had to make sure that whatever I ate supported the fact that I exclusively breastfeed Penelope. And that a huge drop in calories could affect my milk supply. When contemplating a new diet always seek qualified advice first.

Exercise

Do what you can. I made sure that I did some form of physical activity every day, but remained realistic. Yoga helped me a lot to stay mindful and to help strengthen my core, which as a new mum is vital. The biggest problem I had was staying motivated with limited resources. However, Amy’s regular updates and check ins with how I was doing meant that she was able to identify and solve any issues I had. Amy tailored various routines to fit my lifestyle and my limitations i.e. only able to exercise on the go or during nap times.

Results

When I first started seeing G (Yiannis) I was 9.5 stone, at 5 foot 7 I was really happy with my weight and physique. After falling pregnant for the first time in 2015 I gained half a stone and although that pregnancy failed by the time I had T in 2016 I had gone up to 13 stone. Before falling pregnant with LP I had managed to get myself down to 10.5stone. However, by the time she was born I was back up to around 12.5 stone. By the time I started working with Amy I was around 11 stone 12. So, hows it gone?

Week 1

Focus: Establishing where I needed to place my energy

Starting weight: 11 stone 12 (Dress size 16)

Finishing weight: 11 stone 10

Week 2

Focus: Cutting basic calories, making ‘me’ time

Starting weight: 11 stone 10

Finishing weight: 11 stone 4

Week 3

Focus: Upping my exercise and maintaining a busier routine

Starting weight:11 stone 4

Finishing weight: 11 stone 2

Week 4

Focus: Getting ready to go it alone

Starting weight: 11 stone 2

Finishing weight: 11 stone (Dress size 12)

Maintaining my health and fitness after having two wee babes, (almost back to back) is an ongoing process for me. Amy has given me the tools I need to now go it alone, successfully and educated enough to continue on the path I’m currently on.

If like me you need a little support to kick off your fitness journey why not try a PT session. To chat with Amy simply head over to her fitness hub and quote BOOBERRIT to receive 5% off your chosen fitness package.

Good luck!

Berrit x

 

 

 

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