The Truth: Claim your body back after having a baby

“ Having a two year old is a bit like having a blender without the lid! “ …Jerry Seinfield.

Ain’t that the truth! A bit like our blender-brain expectations on wanting our bodies to return to how it “used to be” before having children. The mind boggles. As women, the pressure we put ourselves under to ‘bounce back” is extraordinary. Never mind that our mind, body & soul have just gone through one of natures most immense transformations ever possible. Given there are 4.3 babies born every second, we are too quick to disregard the enormous impact it has on our whole being. We simply return to our normal lives and just get on with it. Yet all of us will be changed forever by having a baby - spiritually, mentally and of course, physically.

Let's look at ‘Olympic Mothers’ for a minute. For these elite athletes claiming their body back is not about looking a certain way after birth or getting back one's six pack, it’s about regaining strength, stamina, power, clarity and agility. That's what it's all about. Getting back to their healthiest self. Here's the thing, your body is yours to define and I love to help women by providing the best information, inspiration and motivation possible to help them regain whatever it is that is important to them in optimising their health & wellbeing. Know this, you can claim your body back, but as a ‘new normal’ perhaps.

Claiming your mind & body back is not about going back to who you were or what you looked like before having a baby, lets face it, it's about getting your uterus back in shape and maybe ready for another baby (should you choose to have one); it's about getting your strength back so you can keep up with an increasingly busy family; it's about doing things to help you get your sleep back so you can get much needed rest; it's about regaining abdominal strength to help with back pain and posture; it's about reaching and maintaining whatever is important to you as a new mum, so that you can feel your very best. For some women that's losing baby weight, for some it's having strong arms or legs, for some it's about regaining pelvic floor strength to help with incontinence, and for some it's getting back to the Olympics. That's what getting your body back means to me... helping women get to wherever they want to go, or maintain a lifestyle that feels best to them long term.

Having a child is a hugely life-changing moment. Claiming our body back can have very different meanings at different times in our life. Ultimately, we should start with believing in ourselves, love our new stretch marks or scars, practice more self-love & gratitude and know that we can 'get back' to where we want to be through balance, quality nutrition, rest, exercise, mindset and fun!

So yes, to all of the seasoned, new and soon-to-be mothers reading this you can indeed claim your body back, but take it easy, it will come in time. Enjoy the moment! Always remember, at the end of the day your bod is yours to define.

What do you think? Comment below!