Achievable and sustainable health and fitness for mums is my passion. But you might not know the story behind how this became my focus. So today, I thought I’d share my own health and fitness journey, and what I learned along the way.
Nothing happens overnight
I was always a very active and slim woman. I had never had any serious health issues. So at first, I didn’t even recognise that something wasn’t quite right.
It wasn’t after my first child – even though I gained 30kg during pregnancy, I didn’t spot the warning signs. But after having my second child, something finally clicked.
I realised that I needed to lose weight, because I was no longer fitting into my clothes.
But I also had hit a wall of overwhelm. I knew the benefits of nutrition and exercise. I knew what to do to lose the weight.
But I didn’t even know how to take the first step. I was SO busy between the two kids and running a household. Looking back, there’s a good chance I had undiagnosed post-natal depression.
So I took a baby step approach with a goal of making one change at a time. I started with exercise because for me, that is my knowledge zone and then focused on nutrition, stress reduction, sleep (well as much as you can with two young children) and slowly, I started fitting back into my clothes.
My biggest wins
Once I started prioritising my health and making these baby steps, I also started to actually enjoy moving my body! It was fun to go and play chasey with the kids. So I kept looking for more and more ways to move my body that felt good.
Eventually, this led to running not one, but 2 half marathons! I had never run more than 5km in my life (and that was a stretch!) but I was loving the freedom and mind-space that running gave me!
The biggest ah-ha for me was how exercise makes me feel, and how essential it is for my mental wellbeing. If I don’t exercise regularly, I turn into Cranky Nikki, with my temper snapping at the drop of a hat! Moving my body is key for balancing my mood.
Fitness and wellness are an ongoing journey
The problem with before and after shots is that they don’t talk about what happens next. Life doesn’t stop happening just because you change your approach to your health.
It’s taken me nearly 3 years to get to this point. I’m still not at my ideal weight and fitness. But I am still moving forward and finding ways to make it work no matter what obstacles come my way.
For me, it’s more important to have an approach to wellness that is sustainable for the long-term and supports my mental health than it is to look a certain way. So I’ll still have my cake and eat it, I’ll still have my days that I don’t exercise and I absolutely still will go out for breaky or coffee with my family or friends.
The reason I became a PT for mums is because I know what it’s like to be stuck. It’s my job to help you move through the overwhelm and towards your health and fitness goals.
If this story sounds familiar, I’m here to support you. Come join me on our journey to wellbeing by joining the free Mum-Me Fit Time community group on Facebook. You will find like minded mums and lots of opportunities for support, inspiration and advice.
