1 Small Change Days 22-25
Day 22: Love Your Body
We are all different shapes and sizes and I think you will all agree we will never be 100% happy with our bodies!
We should learn to love the way we are, if you’re prone to carrying fat on your tummy you might never get a six pack but the girl with a six pack might be working hard at getting your curves!
If you are not happy, whatever your shape or size there will be things you can change that will have an impact.This said I always encourage each of my clients, friends, family and followers to love what they already have!
In celebration of our bodies comment below what you like/ love about yourself with the #improudtolovemy
I’m going to start this off.... #improudtolovemy
Square Shoulders (seriously I love how small they make my waist seem) hahaha!
Day 23- Hydrate
The body is nearly two thirds water so hydration is vital for our bodies and performance. If you don't drink enough water you could suffer from headaches and fatigue so it’s important particularly when exercising, breastfeeding, and when you are not getting enough sleep to stay hydrated.
You need between 6-8 glasses of water a day, that's the equivalent to 2 litres, you may also feel like you need more when exercising and if feeding, just be careful not to drink too much because this can be harmful.
Most drinks can be classed as your water intake, even tea, coffee, juice and drinks, although water itself does not contain caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sugar or acid so it’s definitely your best bet.
Alcohol can dehydrate you as it increases the amount of water you lose in urine. A full cup of tea or coffee is also not counted because of the effects the caffeine can have on dehydration.
Day 24- Stretch
Flexibility is really important to your health and wellbeing.
The hormone relaxin is released during pregnancy to do exactly as it says - to relax. It relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis and widens the cervix but this can also effect other joints so it’s really important to stretch the muscles that get tight but also avoid overstretching.
Should I stretch?
Yes, before and after exercise you should stretch but due to relaxin and other pregnancy hormones joint laxity can be effected, therefore it is important not to over stretch as over stretched muscles and ligaments can cause joints to become less stable, weak and therefore more prone to injury. The effects of relaxin can last up to 5 months in a post natal woman.
For Safe and effective Exercise Prescription and advice check out our Memberships HERE.
Day 25: Always Be Prepared
So, I’m getting ready for a baby show this weekend and im preparing to leave the boys for a couple of nights!
Being prepared is something I am constantly working on, prepping for a show, prepping for the kids school, days out, holidays, prepping food, training, clients, the house for when I go to work...there is a whole load of preparing so I live my life by a lot of lists. I make daily ones, weekly and monthly ones...I even have 3 monthly ones but I guess its like setting goals right?
Then there is being prepared for the kids to kick off, having peppa pig downloaded on my phone, having snacks within close reach and always having a bribe in the back of my mind!
So right now I’m prepping for the boys to be without me for the next few days and a competiton so I’m making my job way easier by stocking up on some nice ready meals, worrying about cleaning the house on Monday and basically living off store cupboard foods. I have set my schedule for training, prepped which gym I will use and will make sure I prep some foods to take with me to make life easier (protein bars and some easy recipes you can find in the Community).
One major prep we all did or will do is get the hospital bag ready! I personally used a list from the Baby Centre which was awesome and then added a few bits, the BIG knickers from Primark (still got them and love them now), the ear plugs incase your baby sleeps but the ward is noisy, and then there was the banana bread. I remember at 3 am tucking into my favourite banana bread my sister baked me and reading take a break while Jesse smugly slept. When I had Wilder she did the same and I enjoyed it so so much, it’s packed with energy and it’s so tasty! Check out her recipe HERE. The best bit is you can bake it then freeze it and when just as your waters break pop it on the side and in 3 hours you will be enjoying a slice with a cuppa (because that’s how easy and awesome labour is!).