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The new year is upon us, and this means that it is the perfect opportunity to renew your body, renew your health and renew your energy as a new mommy. Imagine that you could take back your body, energy and health this year, even with the craziness of a new baby, lack of sleep or unruly toddlers running your life. I know it doesn’t sound possible, but you can in a few simple and easy steps! The new year is the TIME to make time (just a little each day) for yourself.
Welcome to your (Re) New plan for your body, health and energy after babies.
Let’s go over exactly what this means. First, you are going to re-focus and renew your health this year by working through some focus points, goals and guidelines. Before you begin, you need to be ready to accept changes, accept discomfort (which always means you are growing!) and embrace the positive results that will come if you stay on track! Ready to start? Let’s go!
(Re) New Your Body:
Your body needs some attention if you have one or many babies. If you haven’t taken time to heal your body in any way after babies, now is the time to do it! Even if it has been years since you last had a baby, your abs and pelvic floor need some special attention. I highly recommend committing 15 minutes 3-days a week this year to your abs and pelvic floor. This may sound like not much, but committing and sticking to it week after week starts to feel like a lot. Consistency is more important than the length of time. In order to feel renewed after having babies, we need to focus on the muscles most affected by having babies, the abs and pelvic floor.
There are a few ways you can do this. First, you can find some videos on YouTube during your 15 minutes. This is the “free” way to go. I have a specialized Ab Rehab and Pelvic Floor program, as a part of The Postpartum Cure that I created to help mamas find their abs, flatten their tummies and fix incontinence after the baby. There are a few programs out there, video tutorials and books on how to do this as well. Whatever you choose, your body will be so happy, and ultimately feel greatly renewed with this special attention.
In addition to rehabilitating your abs and pelvic floor, you can also commit to working out 15 minutes 3 times a week, or walking 4 miles 3 times a week. Walking at least 4 miles is amazing for your body, and nervous system and reduces stress. If that isn’t feasible in terms of where you live, or how much time you have with your little ones, then 15-minute HIIT workouts are great too. These workouts burn fewer calories overall but encourage muscle maintenance and growth while keeping your metabolism high. Make time for yourself. The Postpartum Cure has great 15-minute workouts, or adding walks in is FREE!!
(Re) New Your Health:
Your diet is the KEY to your health. This year, you need to renew your diet by committing to following guidelines, rather than restrictions. By following a healthy, whole-food diet that focuses on lean meats, poultry, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts and beans, you will be golden! Add a bit of quinoa and oats to that, and you have a diet full of lots of nutrients to keep your body functioning optimally. As I continue to study nutrition (and finish my Precision Nutrition certification) I learn more and more about the importance of food and how it works in our bodies. Food is so much more than just calories and energy. Our bodies adapt to our food and nutrient intake and work to create the best environment they can. Sometimes we make life hard for our bodies because we don’t put food in that helps our body, but rather stresses our bodies out and cause more problems. Food is supposed to help our bodies function, our brains work and give our muscles and organs the nutrients they need. Here are the simple steps to renewing your diet this year:
- Eliminate processed foods
- Include protein and either fruits or veggies at every snack and meal
- Eliminate juice, soda or sugary drinks and focus on water
- Eat protein (eggs, meat, poultry, fish), veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, quinoa and oatmeal.
If you can focus on those four points, you will have amazing health. This needs to be 80% of your diet. Having a cookie, or chocolate, or a few crackers each day isn’t a big deal because your body is going to be buzzing and happy with all the nutrients you are giving it!
The major bonus?? You naturally will FEEL MORE FULL ON fewer CALORIES!
That’s right. When you fill-up on lean protein and fiber, your tummy can only handle so much at once, and because these foods are healthy, they are fewer calories than packaged foods. This means that extra weight will naturally fall off if you can focus on eating your new diet.
If you are a breastfeeding mama, struggling with sugar cravings and eating healthy, I highly recommend grabbing a high-quality protein shake you can drink every morning, or once a day. I’ve found that protein shakes are super helpful because they taste sweet, and satisfy those sugar cravings, while also providing lots of nutrients. It is really important to get a high-quality,lactation-boosting protein powder to keep your milk supply up as you transition to a healthier diet. Protein smoothies can be made one-handed, which is really helpful with a new baby that doesn’t want to be put down – ever. I know for me, the witching hour was really hard. I couldn’t eat dinner without a baby crying bloody murder (my middle one was the worst). So, a yummy smoothie with lots of good ingredients was a really helpful option.
Conquer Breastfeeding Cravings With This Sugar Detox
(Re) New Your Energy:
By renewing your body and diet, energy becomes an amazing bi-product that is so awesome. Your blood sugar is going to balance out, so you won’t have as many blood sugar crashes to deal with, your brain will also get off the processed chemicals! Believe it or not, the chemicals in processed food affect the way our brains work. When we free up our bodies from having to break down foreign objects or fake foods, we gather more energy for day-to-day living! Hormones also balance out as weight drops off, leaving fewer mood swings and “off” days. The exercise starts to build strength and increase our energy, so we can play and enjoy life more with our kids. This is REALLY important for your quality of life. Eating well and moving well is the secret sauce to gaining more energy and vitality, so there isn’t a lot you have to focus on to achieve more energy. Here are some small tips to gain more energy as you make changes and switch to less-processed foods:
- Eat protein at every snack and meal
- Do NOT eat until you are stuffed! This leads to feeling tired and full
- Stay hydrated to steer clear of headaches
- Take a multi-B vitamin supplement. As you switch over to healthier foods, there can be some withdrawals and tiredness. A vitamin B complex can give you a boost while you switch over.
Your energy will naturally be renewed this year, and you will be finding yourself able to accomplish and achieve more as you eat healthier and move more. And that is really all you have to do this year to completely renew your health!
If you need recipes, a meal plan, grocery lists and workouts, and are currently breastfeeding, my program comes in an easy-to-use app that makes it super simple to follow and achieve faster results!
If you haven’t yet, check out all our courses, programs, challenges, & recipe book!
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