Biz's Body Composition check in

Congratulations goes to Biz on the results of her latest Body Composition Scan check out her results below:


                    Body Weight  Body Fat %       Lean Body Mass    Fat Mass     

10th March   66.8kg              31.9%                   43.3kg              21.3kg
28th April      64.6kg               29%                    43.6kg              18.7kg  

Goal             61kgish              28%            maintain or increase  decrease     


So we can see an overall 'weight' loss of 2.2kg but what we are really interested in and excited about is that Biz has managed to lose all of that weight in Body Fat and not only maintained but slightly increased her muscle mass.  By doing this Biz is speeding up her metabolism making it easier for her body to burn fat in the future.  If she had lost muscle as well as fat she would be slowing her metabolism.  It is the resistance training that Biz is doing that is ensuring she is maintaining and building that important muscle mass which requires more energy to maintain itself and in turn raises her metabolism.  This shows us how important it is that we put resistance exercise into our training regime in order to gain the best results and not only that but to build our strength as mothers given we are continually lifting and carrying things (and small people) around.  And don't forget that small people get heavier and STILL demand to be carried around.  You owe it to yourself to ensure you are fit and strong enough to manage the demands of being a mother and avoid as much injury and discomfort as possible.

We may also look at adjusting Biz's goals given she is already at 29% Body Fat and her goal was 28%


Biz is looking fantastic and is putting her all into our group exercise sessions along with doing her own training outside.  Her husband, Manel, is about to go away again for 12 weeks for work leaving her home with two children so her biggest challenge over the next couple of months is going to be how to maintain her exercise routine whilst juggling the demanding role of 'single mother' for a while.  I have no doubt that with the right plan in place she will get through this time with flying colours, continue to see results and work towards her goals.

I will be sitting down with both Biz and Alison next week to review their progress and look at where we are going from here - stay tuned for the advice they gain on how to continue to move forwards and work towards their goals.

Baby, house and….marriage

The heading I used last week was ‘what a week’ and I feel like could use that every week, because as a lot of you know life with a small baby can be tiring. What would I do without my exercise to keep me sane, an hour to myself and the benefit of getting fit. Training twice a week is a challenge but as I said yesterday at the group, if only I could take back all of the bad food I ate during my pregnancy.

I am slowly modifying my diet and interestingly enough I have stopped craving sugar like I used to. The key to it all is being organised and making sure I have adequate food supplies as it’s when I am tired that I am more inclined to eat the wrong foods. Drinking plenty of water too is important as I worked out that a lot of the times I am actually dehydrated or tired, rather than hungry.

So what does the week ahead have in store for me? Well trying to fit in more exercise such a walks of a session at the gym. This is proving difficult as I am now starting to pack for our big move in June to our new home. I am going to try and exercise with Scott and the baby so that it is also time for us. And again, like I said last week I need to finalise my goals so it makes this journey more achievable with a purposeful outcome.

Once we move home I am also going to finally get wedding plans in order so I will have another huge milestone to work towards…..but I’ll save that for another day as the thought of a wedding makes me break out into a sweat

Trading Addictions!

So it's been just over a week since last writing and in that time I've had to deal with the hardest of temptations for me - too much chocolate in the house to ignore. Need I say more? The easter bunny came and while I know he left the smallest chocolate bunnies available, they still had to be eaten and I couldn't possibly let Jack eat them all..that'd just be bad parenting, not to mention just plain painful to have him on such a long-lasting chocolate high! I have to admit, I sort of gave in, and have been slowly (well, slowly for me) snacking through the chocolate. I just seem to have very little self control when it comes to chocolate and the more I try and avoid it, the more my mind obsesses over it, thinking more and more about what's still left in the cupboard and it doesn't stop until there's none left. Well it's gone now, so I now have a much better chance of getting on with things. Jen made a good suggestion a while back, which was to never buy bad food to keep in house, but if you really really want it, then you have to go out and make a big effort to go and find it. If it's 9pm and I'm lying on the couch watching television, it's a far greater hassle to get out into the car and drive to the nearest shop for ice cream than to walk to the freezer in the kitchen. So that's the plan now that there are no more bunnies or eggs in the house.

After training last Thursday I had a quick chat with Jen about ways to help keep me on track. She recommended getting back to writing a food diary for a few weeks, and making notes of what training I'm doing in terms of time spent, distances travelled, laps swum etc. So I've just completed a week of the food diary and it's amazing to see what goes into my mouth...and to see what I would add in if I wasn't paying attention or having to write it all down! What I've found most obvious is that I definitely crave sugar, I angst for something sweet after dinner, and that I desperately need suggestions for healthy snacks, particularly protein snacks. Ideas are most welcome please.

Last week I made a mention of kilograms lost, which I actually feel a bit funny about. I guess the thing that bothers me is that I haven't had scales in the house or paid too much attention to my weight for a good 10 years or so as I've felt under control, in reasonable shape and I hate obsessing over kilograms. I just don't believe it's healthy to obsess over your body too much, unless of course there are serious health issues. The reason I got into training with Jen was for my state of mind, to get back to feeling physically strong and energised, and to bring exercise back to being a regular and normal part of my life, not just to lose kilos - that would come as a result and as a bonus of doing the work. So in terms of my state of mind, physical strength and energy, I feel a thousand times better and more resilient emotionally. I have finally started running again after years, without feeling like my hips joints are going to break apart or like my back is aching for me to stop. All the specific strengthening exercises in BBB training are helping amazingly and it's so exciting to know I have the capability to be fit and strong again.

Why I've brought this up is due to the fact that on the scales I've remained the same for the last 2 or 3 weeks and it's annoyed me - annoyed me that I haven't lost more weight and annoyed me that I'm checking my weight so frequently (weekly) after years of not doing so. SO, rather than obsessing over scales and getting drastic about eating and exercising, I've focused on the goals that I have achieved, as well as the fact that scales don't paint the whole picture. I'm due to have another body composition scan next week, so that'll tell me a bit more about what's going on physically. The most important thing for me is how I feel, which is great, so I'm happy. I'm getting addicted to exercise and it no longer seems like a chore, but rather, a reward after a day of looking after the kids & doing house work....a reward that I'm taking as often as possible!!

What a week it has been.....

Well a lot has happened since we last met. Firstly I met with Jenny to discuss goal setting and how to improve my diet . Was it ironic that we met the day before the easter long weekend with the temptation of easter eggs and hot cross buns around the corner? I walked away with some great ideas from Jenny and realised that it wasn’t about dramatic changes. Some things I have implemented include portion control, aided by the purchase of digital kitchen scales, eating more snacks during the day to avoid over eating and writing down everything I eat so I can see where I am going wrong. I now sip on herbal teas instead of hot chocolates, make my own hommus dip and have substituted muesli with oats.

And what was my greatest achievement this week? Well Scott & I finally bought a home after years of looking. The day we were in the middle of negotiations I had booked in for my training session with Jenny. Yes there was that temptation to cancel but I was so proud that I didn’t. Moments before the session started I was on the phone making huge decisions with Scott that would affect our family. I then switched off my phone, trained as hard as I could and then after my hour got back to it. The exercise put me in good sted for the crazy afternoon we had finalising the house. Really there is no excuse not to exercise.

Next on my journey is to set my goals so that I have clear, achievable outcomes to work towards. At the same time I still have changes to make to my diet which I am looking forward to. Someone tell me why is white bread so evil? And finally I have to increase my exercise regime so that on the days I am not exercising with Jenny I am doing something else, and this is the part I am struggling with the most.

Finally, it has been great meeting people during the week who have told me they have read my blog, thanks!

Meet Alison and join her on her Body Beyond Baby journey

I would like to introduce you to Alison.  I have watched Alison progress whilst taking part in my Body Beyond Baby group exercise sessions over the last couple of months and asked her if she would like to share her journey with you on our blog, wonderfully she agreed and I'm very excited about the inspiration she will share with you.  Here is a little about Alison:

In many ways I feel like the happiest woman on the planet, I have an amazing partner Scott and a happy and healthy baby girl, Zara. Life is looking up with so much to look forward to with the three of us. However, a lot of this is clouded by the state I have let myself get into. Let me take it back a bit.

In my pre baby days I had finally gotten into a pattern of regular exercise. I was training twice a week with a group after work in the city. I had lost the most weight I had ever lost, and kept it off.

Then I fell pregnant which was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I stopped the group training and tried to keep up exercise on my own which wasn’t easy, but I tried. I had a dream pregnancy and just loved watching my stomach grow, but along with it my rigid exercise and diet regime slowly slipped away. At the time it was what I did and don’t like to beat myself up about it too much.

Towards the end of my pregnancy I had really ballooned out, and by 7 months colleagues were asking if I was due the following week. Once I gave birth to Zara I assumed the weight would just drop off, however I soon realised that this wasn’t the case. I went home from hospital and still felt like I had a balloon in my stomach.

I gave myself the first month or two to settle in to the shock of having a new baby, and I am glad I did. When I did begin some exercise it included post-natal pilates as well as walks, though all along though I knew it wasn’t enough. Two months after giving birth to Zara a lady in the street asked me when my baby was due, I burst into tears and new that the time had come to increase my exercise regime.

I was waiting for the moment that my determination would take over, that same determination I had pre-baby when I would run and enjoy it. Thank goodness I found that when began training with Jenny. Initially I attended one session a week and was thrilled to be able to get out and work up a sweat.

I then decided to take the plunge and train twice a week, which I really enjoy. It takes discipline and means I can’t socialise as much but I am so determined to get back into shape. I don’t like aiming to get my ‘pre baby body’ back as it has a connotation that my pregnancy was a bad thing. Instead I see this journey as an opportunity to become the fittest I have ever been.

This time a few highlights...

It's now been a week since Manel came home and it seems my brain has switched off after going at double pace for 3 weeks. I have felt a little like you do on your first week of a holiday....like sleeping continuously after finally being allowed to stop. A month or so ago Jen and I set a goal for me to step up to doing 4 exercise sessions per week once Manel got back, and while I thought it'd be impossible to squeeze that much in, I have managed to do it without really thinking about it... and it's definitely been necessary this week given it's easter and there's inevitably a bit of extra chocolate eaten!

While writing my woe is me entry last week, I failed to mention a few highlights - those being that I got back to my pre-baby weight on the scales (65kgs) after getting up to 80kgs by the time Alex was ready to be born, and the other highlight being that I tried on my old jeans and they fit!! Having said that, I'm not about to go out in public in them yet as I've got used to the loose, comfy jeans, and the not-so-low waist bands....you know, the extra stretchy bit of material that all pregnancy clothes have at the waist! Anyway, despite the fact that I've got back to where I started, I wasn't particularly fit or toned, so I'm not about to stop training or eating healthily. According to the body composition scan my ideal weight is meant to be between 60.7 and 61.5kgs (specific hey!) so I'll keep going and see what happens. Aside from the changing size/weight/fat percentage benefits of exercising, it's actually helping me to stay happy, more positive, and as a result, a better mother and wife.