Today I want to tell you a story about one of my clients, a mother of two boys with two c-sections succeeds in her fitness and health goals.
From Her Facebook Post: “So I’ve now officially lost 50 pounds since Sam’s birth, 20 of which (along with 8 inches!) have come off since October (2010) under the expert tutelage of my friend, the arse-buster Sumi Singh. Thanks girl!”
I can’t remember the first time we met- it was either a local playgroup, a playground, the gym locker room, or in my BodyPump class. I knew she was very athletic, enjoyed the outdoors, and worked full time, but I also knew she liked a little wine, had a kickin’ sweet tooth, loved her carbs, and enjoyed her scrapple.
Nothing wrong with that, but when she came to me after baby#2, ready to shed the post-baby weight after her second c-section, I wasn’t sure what to expect. She was breastfeeding, had to figure out work demands and daycare pickup times, and had family frequently in town visiting. She was short on time, and not sleeping well.
How on earth was I supposed to tell her she needed to clean up her eating (eat more veggies!) and make exercise a priority somehow when she was barely able to keep her eyes open?
Simple. I knew if she were anything like me (busy mom athlete), she would want a simple, non-judgmental opinion. Just the facts, how do I get there, what’s it going to take? When we first took her measurements and before photos (not posted for her privacy), we both recognized there was work to do.
And she wasn’t going to get there by being complacent, by sleeping on it, and by not dedicating some amount of time in her already compressed schedule. She HAD to clean up her diet, and she HAD to find the time to gradually ease into an exercise program over time. I also asked her to find that inner motivation, the real reason WHY she wanted to shed the weight, to set a goal deadline. She did that and more
She’s now the leanest she’s ever been, at a weight she hasn’t seen since high school- and all this after 2 c-sections.
How did she do it?
1) Resolved to clean up her diet. The day after we met to talk nutrition, she ran out and bought a food scale. She began paying attention to proper portion sizes, maintained an honest food log which we reviewed weekly, started eating more vegetables, and buying healthier fat sources, like fish oils.
In addition, she enjoys shopping for whole foods, organic meats, fruits, and vegetables, and genuinely enjoys educating others understand about the importance of good nutrition when they ask her “how did you do it?”
2) Made it a priority to dedicate a fixed time in her daily schedule to physical exercise. It’s on her mental calendar to get to the gym at least four times a week and meet weekly with me, her personal trainer.
3) Train with weights and train hard. Despite the giant sleep deprivation experiment which is her life right now, here’s a quote that describes how she attacks her work outs:
“Is there a name for that strut back to the locker room at the end of an intense workout when you’ve got a rockin song on your iPod and you’re so pumped you could just punch someone in the face? There should be.”
Need I say more? If you train hard, you know that feeling.
The best thing about her is that she accomplished ALL of this the healthiest, and most practical way. Gradually, and slowly building upon exercise, sensible eating practices, and working it into her busy life. Importantly, she recognized that she had to take some time to herself to spend it on her own body project.
If a working mother of 2 boys can do it, you can too.
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