"But that baby's barely a week old, and his mum is already back on a magazine cover in a bikini. How?" Wait, stop. Let's clear one thing up right away: your body is beautiful. Full stop. Why? Because it carried a child - maybe even more than one. "Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good. But this beautiful body of mine would still look even better without all this jiggle." Okay, okay, fine. Here are five back-in-shape tips - but only if you promise to fall back in love with yourself.
- Everything's been "on hold" for nine months - so don't expect your body to bounce right back to how it was. In fact, it needs to recover first. "So I have to wait another six weeks?" Well, at least before you're swinging that kettlebell around. Start with a nice walk with the pram instead, and build up gradually.
- "Eating? Shouldn't I be cutting back a bit?" You'd think so, but no. You've just been through a demanding birth, your body has been through a lot, and you might be breastfeeding on top of that. In short: having a baby takes a huge amount of energy. Now, you could reach for a few bars of chocolate, but that's not the smartest move. Fruit, vegetables, protein, and fibre - those are the building blocks for getting strong again. Plus, many women are low on vitamin D after giving birth. So catch some sunshine where you can, too.
- Discover gently what your body can handle. Start with something low-key, like cycling or swimming: lower injury risk, but seriously effective. Feels good? Then build things up step by step.
- Time to properly warm those muscles up. Are the three T's (tummy, thighs, tush) bothering you? Start with two sets of ten squats: feet hip-width apart, gently draw in your stomach, and stand tall. Bend your knees while pushing your hips back, keep your upper body straight, and make sure your knees don't go past your toes. Next, the plank: lie face down, prop yourself up on your elbows and forearms, and push your body up slightly until you're hovering in a straight line just above the floor. Hold it for a minute? Nice - keep practising, and before you know it you'll be planking for four minutes straight. Finally, glute bridges: lie on your back, feet planted firmly with heels close to your bottom, arms by your sides. Push your hips up - feet, arms, and shoulders stay on the floor, and your hips do the work. Slowly lower back down and repeat ten times.
- And now the most important tip of all: keep listening to your body. Don't throw everything at it at once - take the time to rebuild your strength and fitness. Mostly just want to relax in the sun with your baby in the pram? Then do that! Take your time, and above all, don't forget to enjoy it. You brought a wonderful little being into the world - how amazing is that?