By Alicia Jovceski from Vision Personal Training
Has regular exercise taken a backseat during the colder months? Join the club! The time has come to get out from underneath the covers and onto the beach. I mean, we all know that wobbly bits reign supreme and are a sign of our mama FIERCENESS, but if you do want to tighten and firm just for the hell of it, these six lifestyle changes will make all the difference:
1. Want to work out? Make it the first thing you do in your day
I’ve got a two-year-old and one of the key things I’ve learned is that you just have to get up and get your workout done before anyone else is awake. As soon as the rest of the family is up, the focus goes on them, and there goes the time in your day. Having a newborn shouldn’t stop you either. When my daughter was only a few weeks old, I would breastfeed at 4am, then go for a walk. It’s all about having that time for yourself early in the morning so you’re set up for the rest of the day.
2. Replenish your cupboards and focus on easy healthy meals
Be organised, make sure your kitchen is stocked with quality food so you can prepare a nutritious dinner and not get caught out with having nothing in the fridge and opt for a quick-fix highly processed snack. When it comes to cooking, a hearty baked dinner that can be thrown straight into the oven is fool-proof. Another great option is a chicken pesto potato salad – you literally throw the pesto ingredients into a blender, boil the potatoes and cook it with chicken. So simple!
3. Press play in your living room
There are so many ways you can implement a regular fitness routine in the confinement of your own home. There is an extensive offering of cardio dvds, apps, and online workouts (just a Google search away!) available for you to do at home. When I had to stay home and look after bub, a cardio-dvd inspired gym sesh became my new go-to.
4. Focus on whole body movements
When trying to get in shape for summer, people sometimes make the mistake of focusing on small isolated exercises (such as bicep curls to tone your arms), or complicated movements. At Vision, we individualise programs which are targeted at achieving each person’s results. Our philosophy is focused on simple big movements that, when done at the right pace and speed, get really great results. A good example of movements that activate multiple muscles at once, are squats and burpees – these exercises save you time, are easier to do and burn the most fat!
5. Eat yourself fit
When looking at getting back in shape, we forget to recognise that 70 per cent of a healthy mind and body is what you eat. So even though exercise is important to your psychology and mind frame, you can’t out train a bad diet. Always make sure that you’re being conscious of your food choices, otherwise all the exercise in the world won’t change anything.
6. Make it fun
For someone starting out in their health and fitness journey, my first piece of advice is to see a personal trainer – a professional who can teach you how to do the workouts properly. My simple advice is don’t do the exercises you hate doing. Do things that you enjoy, because you will do them. You’ll do them for longer and you’ll do them forever. So what if you prefer dancing in your living room over a spin class? Forget about what everyone else is doing and stick to what is right for you!
If you’re looking for a supportive community full of helpful advice about creating a healthy lifestyle for you and your family, find your closest Vision Personal Training Studio here: visionpt.com.au
You might also like MOTHERHOOD: How to survive a mama ‘off’ day, MAMA MIND: How to pratice self care more often and MAMA SOUL: How to Wake Up Inspired.
MD®
