I was sitting listening to a webinar on body image and it made me reflect on my past and how I use to treat my body. I have come a long way since my insecure years in high school/university. But what changed?

I have struggled with weight my whole life, I have always been small and on the low end of healthy….entering into unhealthy. I have been blessed with a fast metabolism but this does not mean I was happy. Every woman struggles with their body…prodding, poking and criticizing every second they get. Why can't I look like that supermodel, this is what I really want to look like. But is it really? Why do you want to look that way? Will it give you happiness? Will it make people love you more?

So what right do I have to tell you it isn't all about weight loss if I have never been over weight!

What I’m really trying to tell you is that mindset is the key to happiness. As soon as I shifted my mindset to loving my body for what it is I began to feel happy, content and even satisfied with who I am. I think I put too much energy into how I looked so I could have friends, love and achieve more. But my body wasn't the issue (even though I though it was for many years). It was all in my head, it was all about how I saw at myself.

Change your mindset, change your life.

So you just had a baby and you're thinking RIGHT, now its time to get my post baby body back. Well don’t waste the first weeks focusing on how to get your body back, you may never have the same body but that is OK! Life shouldn't revolve around losing weight if it’s just about getting smaller, that was a tough lesson I had to learn. No matter how small I got…nothing changed. I was still insecure, I still hated my body, I still struggled with liking myself. So why do you REALLY want to get smaller??

Lets shift the focus to why you should eat healthy and workout. Have a real conversation with yourself about what your motivation is, but try to stay away from visual body goals.

You want more energy
You want to be able to run after your toddler without feeling out of breath
You want to glow from the inside out
You want to prevent diseases that run in the family.
You want to show a good example for your children.
You want to FEEL GREAT!!

You created a life from NOTHING….thats amazing! Your body is capable of doing amazing things, you have to start loving it for what it can do. If you start to listen to your body and feed it what it really needs (both exercise and food) the weight loss will be a side effect. Mindfulness, moderation (although that word sucks lol) intuition, treat your body right. But eat that cookie too, its ok. Eat food because it nourishes the body, exercise because it gives you strength.

Have an even keel approach not a quick one time fix, slow and steady really does win the race.

Learning to look at yourself differently can be hard, but take small steps to make positive changes both physically and mentally. If it means unfollowing all the #fitmoms with their midriffs showing DO IT! Whatever makes you feel good about yourself. You are perfect, you grew a human from scratch!!

Happy workouts mamas!

So the Christmas season is in FULL effect! Meals out with friends, co-workers, family visits and gatherings here there and everywhere. As a stay at home mom I’m managing to combat most of this but there really are temptations EVERYWHERE!! Extra chocolate and candies at the grocery store, cute packaging luring you in to the chocolate shop you never usually entertain entering….have you guessed chocolate is my pitfall yet? And then there is the cheeky glass of wine because hey, its Christmas right?

Thats all and well if you can handle it all in moderation….but what if you struggle with moderation? THATS OK don’t be hard on your self, it is only a short period of time. The key take home point is that you CAN have a treat, don’t punish yourself. I am a FULL believer of the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of the time eat healthy, exercise and look after your body. 20 percent of the time indulge in what you like, don’t think about exercise and have a break.

Top 5 Healthy Tips for surviving this holiday season

Snack well - Pick a few go to snacks that you can keep on hand, easy to grab snacks can really save you. They will prevent a hunger crash by keeping your blood sugar stable therefore preventing the sudden splurge. My favourite snacks are low sugar protein bars, ready chopped vegetable sticks, nuts and sharp cheddar.
Get enough sleep - As a mom this can be a challenge, your kids get sick, you're up late wrapping gifts or you just can turn off your brain at night. Sleep is VITAL for functioning at optimal level. When you don’t get enough sleep your body is working at a fight/flight level. This means your adrenal glands are in overdrive and your hormones end up on an emotional roller coaster…..leading to an eating roller coaster. Turn off all technology in the bedroom, use some relaxing essential oils like lavender, take a bath….whatever helps you wind down.
Don’t starve yourself - When you know there is a party that night, make sure you eat a balanced breakfast and lunch (as you should be doing every day). If you are a calorie counter and want to ‘save’ up your points…..DON”T!! This will lead to bad decisions during the party. The best thing to do is focus on moderation at the party, eat what you want but have a SMALL quantity. Limiting yourself only leads to bad decisions.
Be mindful - This is all about listening to your body and what it NEEDS not what your brain tells you it wants. Take time when you are eating, chew your food well and enjoy what you are eating. Now this is a big one, as parties are all about socializing and holding conversations. Just check in with your plate and your belly every now and then….do you really need to go back for seconds? Do you really need to order a dessert? If you want to enjoy a dinner out, utilize the ‘take-out’ bag.
Limit alcohol - This is a tricky one, I know I enjoy a nice glass of wine. But one or two is enough. There is no need to go over board and finish the whole bottle. The easiest way to handle this is to be the designated driver. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE! Or you can dilute your wine with sparkling water so that it lasts longer. Same goes for any drink, have a larger glass with less alcohol and more ‘healthy’ mix.

Happy holidays mamas, enjoy this season with your family and friends. Tis the season to be jolly just don’t let your belly get roly-poly ;)