Whether you were a regular gym goer before your life started revolving around a little person, or had never stepped foot in one in your life, leading a healthy, active lifestyle is so important for you to feel happy, confident and full of energy for you and your family.
Often the hardest step is the first, so we've put together some tips on how to get back into a health and fitness routine.Form a habit
When starting anything new, the most important thing is habit formation. Start small - put aside just 5 or 10 minutes a day to perform a quick bodyweight circuit or go for a walk anything that gets you moving and feels comfortable. If you're motivated by visual cues then why not print off a calender, stick it on the fridge or somewhere visible and give yourself a cross on every day you do something active. Once the crosses start building up you won't want to break the chain!
Know that good things take time
In a world where we rarely have to wait for anything, it can come as a shock to the system when we realise that when it comes to health and fitness, results don't just happen overnight. Keep your eye on the prize, but make sure you enjoying the journey - choose activities you truly enjoy, workout with friends and don't focus on just the calorie burn alone. You're much more likely to be successful this way.
Find a flexible fitness solution
Whilst it may have been ok to travel 20 minutes to a gym before, your priorities have changed now so you need to find a more flexible solution. Lots of gyms have creches and some classes even accomodate babies and children. As mentioned above, forming a habit and doing something you enjoy are hugely important to maintaining a sustainable routine, so sometimes you need to mix it up to keep you interested.
We're going to throw in a cheeky plug here - at Move, it's our job to make getting active as easy as possible which is why we partner with thousands of different classes, gyms and venues across the UK, so you'll always find something convenient. We also offer a "pause" to any of our memberships. After all, we understand that sometimes life gets busy, but you'll never want to quit on a healthy happy life!
Do it today
Too often new mums think they need to get fit or lose weight before they hit the gym or a fitness class. Whilst the gym can feel like an intimidating place, the truth is there's plenty of new people joining the gym everyday and nobody in there will probably even notice you - they are all too busy doing their own thing! Pick a quiet time (avoid the early evening if possible) for your first session or class and build up from there. If you're going to a class, arrive early to have a quick chat to the instructor and explain that you're returning to exercise. If you really are feeling anxious why not ask a friend or your other half to join you for your first session?
