Friday, September 7, 2012

FAB Mum Emma Savage - starting fit and staying fit

FAB mum Emma Savage and I did our Ready Steady Mums programmes together when we had our first sons. She's the one in the trailer saying "Ready Steady Mums is going to get me back into my non-maternity bikini in 6 weeks time!"..... and it did!

Now Emma is expecting her second - she's due next week in fact :)

Here is Emma's story.

Emma: I sailed through my first pregnancy – I was a regular at the gym and was doing weight classes and spinning up until I was over 7 months pregnant and my bump was touching the handlebars! I was also swimming and walking miles up to the day I had him.

I was pretty relaxed going into labour which initially progressed really well (I was using the Hypnobirthing method in the birthing pool), but William was apparently too big to push out naturally so I ended up being dragged down to the delivery suite and after waiting about 3 hours for a theatre (being told not to push when all I wanted to do was push!!) William finally came into the world with the help of a large pair of Forceps and lots of muscle power!  Unfortunately I suffered a third degree tear in the process.

After that I had a big exercise challenge. My fitness goal - I wanted to get back into shape and into a slinky bridesmaids dress and bikini for my brother's wedding in Italy when William was 9 months old!

I was just wondering how to get started when I met Katy and she told me about the launch of her new service Ready Steady Mums. I started meeting up with her and a group of local mums for exercise sessions by the river and in the park when William was about 6 weeks old.  This was great fun – I met some lovely new mums who have become firm friends and I got back into exercising again.

My new pregnancy is going well, and I am due next week (watch this space...). However I am definitely noticing the difference in not being as fit as in my first pregnancy – with running my own business and having a  toddler in tow, I don’t seem to get the time to go to the gym and exercise as often now (and it’s always easy to make an excuse not too).  As a result of this I definitely seem to have more aches and pains, and get noticeably more out of breath climbing the stairs this time around!
I love the fact that Ready Steady Mums has bought out a pregnancy DVD – even though I don’t get time to go to the gym as much now I do try to do this DVD at home during William's nap time. It is great that it is broken down into different sessions so you can either do them individually or all at once if you are feeling up to it.

Now I cant wait to have our new baby so I can really focus on getting fit again and getting back to normal!  I am sure that Ready Steady Mums will be key in helping me achieve this goal once again!!

Awww Emma you're such an amazing Ambassador for Ready Steady Mums. Thank you! Now tell us....

Q: What was the hardest thing about getting back into shape as a new mum?

Getting started again!  Once I started I instantly felt better – I had more energy, started eating healthier and the weight just started falling off – Ready Steady Mums gave me the motivation I needed.

Q: What are the practical barriers to getting in shape as a mum?

It is always easy to put off exercising when you are a mum – especially after a bad nights sleep/grumpy baby etc!

Q: What's your favourite thing about doing Ready Steady Mums?

It's fantastic to meet up with a local group of mums every week and meet new people. I feel confident as my on-line trainer advises me on the level of exercise I can do. Everyone is at different levels so you never feel pressurised to do more than you should, but at the same time it is really motivational.  And it is great being able to exercise in a baby friendly environment without worrying about childcare/crèches etc.  And we normally go for a coffee afterwards which is nice too!

Q: What's the best thing about being back in fabulous shape?

I think it helps you to feel normal again, confident and healthy.  It helps you realise you are not just a mum – you are important too!

Q: What do your nearest and dearest do to support you?

My husband is very supportive of my Ready Steady Mums programme – he can see that I am definitely happier when I have an exercise plan.

Q: What advice would you give other new mums about getting active in pregnancy and beyond?

Join your local RSM, or set one up – that will give you all the motivation you need to get back in shape – and you will meet lots of new mums!

1 comment:

  1. You have a highly enlightening post here. The interview was great since Emma shared her personal experiences as well as thoughts on keeping one's body fit during and after pregnancy.

    ReplyDelete