Pro-Sports

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When you’re a Mum, time is of the essence.  Finding time to work out is tough -- even for a 20 minute workout (it takes me at least 10 minutes to get Gareth off the breast after he falls asleep which doesn’t leave much time for me to workout before he wakes up from a nap -- we don’t call him Mr half an hour for no reason).  This is why Tabata workouts are a great workout to try.  Each session is only four minutes long!  That’s got to be the world’s fastest workout ever.  Tabata workouts are also terrific because you can do them all in the comfort of your own home without any special equipment.  This is one workout you should be able to complete while the kids are asleep without being interrupted.

What’s involved in a Tabata workout?

Check out the youtube video below for an example of a Tabata workout:

Here’s another good one:

There are lots of other Tabata workouts available on youtube to keep you busy.

You can use this interval timer to keep track of your workout.  You can download it for offline use, or you can use it online.

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It has often been said that if you want to return to you pre-pregnant shape more rapidly, you should breastfeed your baby for as long as possible after delivery.  I concur – when you breastfeed, your body is required to make milk for your baby and this requires energy and resources which is taken from your body:

• breastfeeding utilise extra calories a day (as many as swimming 30 laps or riding uphill for an hour)
• the production of milk draws fats from the waist and hip stores where they were deposited to help protect the womb and baby during pregnancy

However, I should add that I have also heard mothers who complain that they breastfed their babies but were not able to return to their pre-pregnant shape.  What’s the story there?

During pregnancy, the recommended weight gain is somewhere between 12-18kgs.  This figure varies depending on whether you are normal weight, under-weight or overweight to begin with.  If you’re under-weight, you can expect to put on more weight.  If you’re overweight, then the recommendation is to put on less weight.  If you are normal weight and you exceed this recommendation, then you can expect to find it harder to lose the weight post-partum.

I think it is also important to keep in mind that although breastfeeding increases your body’s energy requirements – thereby allowing you to consume more – there is still a limit to what you can eat.  You can’t expect to eat whatever you want and lose weight because the breastfeeding will do the job.  To lose weight, an energy deficit is required.  That means the amount of energy going into your body from food should be less than the amount of energy being utilised by your body.  If you’re going to indulge indiscriminately on ice cream, chocolates and whatever junk food tickles your fancy, then no amount of breastfeeding is going to help you return to your pre-pregnancy weight.

I probably should add that while you are breastfeeding, you shouldn’t be attempting to diet either because your body really does need the energy to produce milk for your baby.  What you should be aiming for is moderation.  A healthy diet where the bulk of your calories consumed are from foods with high nutritional value is what you should be targeting.  Of course the occasional treat isn’t going to hurt you either – just as long as your idea of “occasional” is realistic.

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It’s been a while since my last post.  As you might have guessed it is because I haven’t been working out.  Unless you count looking after a toddler and a baby – which I reckon can be pretty grueling in itself.  For instance, the other day I carried both Gavin and Gareth up three flights of stairs.  Gavin’s been feeling rather neglected lately so I’ve had to turn into Super Mum (literally) to accommodate his feelings.  These days Gavin wants to be a baby again and that means being carried around.  So, with Gareth was in the carrier, I piggy-back Gavin for short spurts.  I was out of breath and my legs were burning by the time I got to the top.

Has it been working for me?  Definitely.  I haven’t been tracking my weight loss since I stopped officially exercising.  I could have sworn some of my clothes felt looser so I tried on a couple of pairs of my old pants and they fit!  Hooray!

When I stepped on the scales, I discovered I’m now 2kgs over my post-Gavin weight and 4kgs over my pre-Gavin weight.  My abdominal muscle separation is down to 1 finger width which means I’m now clear to take on the full range of abdominal exercises again.  The skin over the belly is still looking like I just had lipo-suction but according to the doctor that will improve with exercise.

What’s today’s weight loss tip?  Sleep.  If you want to lose weight, make sure you get enough sleep.  When you’re a Mum, getting enough sleep can be quite a challenge.  And though it might seem that lack of sleep should make anyone lose weight because you’re burning up more energy, there is a counter effect of being up over-time.  Apparently lack of sleep has the following negative effects on your weight:

• increases the hormone that signals hunger and reduce the hormone that suppresses appetite.
• increases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol which stimulates the body to make fat.
• disrupts the normal release of human growth hormone which is essential for breaking down fat.

So if you want to lose weight, you should sleep more, not less.

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