Please help me get my body back!

[Lizlette]

Background is that I used to be very into dance and walked everywhere but life got in the way. Then when I was pregnant with my 18month old, I had SPD from 12 weeks and could barely walk let alone dance, so lost all of my fitness.

After DD was born, I had PND, so was on anti depressants, and ate far too much chocolate and cake to help cope with PND and breastfeeding. Have managed to get off the tablets recently, but am over a stone heavier than I was when I got married 4 years ago, and about 1.5 stone over where I'd be in an ideal world. I'm only 5 foot 2, so the extra weight is pretty obvious.

Toning isn't too much of an issue, I can feel that I've got pretty decent muscle tone under the flab, it's cardio that I'm struggling with. I can manage the 25 minute (each way)walk to and from work 3 times a week, but my pelvis/hips are still weak so I struggle with 'impact' cardio, like running or dance classes.

Is there a low impact, hip safe, exercise that can help melt away the flab? Tackling the sugar addiction will obviously help, but that's a separate issue!

Thanks for any suggestions

Are you OK to swim?

Hi Garlic

I can swim, but its so embarrassingly slow that I'm not sure it does me much good!

I would start with yoga or Pilates. If you were a dancer then these will be great to get your core strength and flexibility up and improve your posture. You'll feel a million times better with good posture.
I would then add weights 2 times per week and a brisk walk if possible.
You do not need cardio to get your body back!

Strength training on top of the walking. Building your muscle base will rev up your metabolism and burn more calories when at rest whilst giving the added boon if giving you a better shape. Pilates/yoga or body weight core exercises - see fitness blender .com for example for various workouts. And then the other 80percent of effort has to go into eating clean - reduce refined carbs and cut out the sugar etc. up the water, cut down the booze. Swim slow? If u enjoy it, it doesn't matter! Try one length slow, one fast as you can, or half a length fast as you can. Rest for 30 secs and start again. You can only get faster and fitter. Just keep building slowly slowly. It's not a race and if you want the results enough you'll achieve them by hook or by crook. Cycling? Whatever you do do something that you can make a viably sustainable part of your routine such that it isn't even a question as to whether you want to do it or not, you just accept that it is on your days agenda and get on with it without thinking it through. If I thought about whether I want to go swimming or running on a cold winters morning or stay in longer in the morning for a lazy start coffee you can bet id choose the latter but I just keep the kit in the car, drive to the pool and actually only contemplate the activity during the workout itself! Good luck, you'll be great. I was in your shoes a couple of years back and now I'm typing three stone lighter and a shed load fitter - all of which came slowly but surely and I feel so much brighter and better for it. Go girl you can do it.

Heh, well slow swimming would suggest there is definite room for improvement It's great that you're taking care of your SPD; I'm sure you're aware that it can affect you for life and the risk is greatly increased by overdoing the exercise. When you think about your entire pelvic region having to knit back together, it's clearly not likely to welcome being bashed around, subjected to sudden movements and so on.

I was going to suggest Pilates as well, but didn't because I really don't know how well it fits with SPD. Instinctively, I feel it should but I'd want to hear an actual expert say so (not some fitness trainer with a certificate.) Yoga I am not so sure about, unless it was a programme specifically developed for women with your injuries. Swimming, obv, is good because it takes all the weight off your joints yet provides a full-body workout.

Good luck, anyway :)

When it comes to losing the fat, ditching the sugar is going to take you a lot further than cardio is likely to right now, so I would prioritise that and regularly do whatever exercise you enjoy and are able to do, with the focus on improving your fitness but most of all enjoying it (rather than on the goal of weight loss). Resistance training is always good so do whatever you can with this too, there are plenty of body weight exercises that will make a difference - push ups, planks, side planks, tricep dips, squats and lunges (according to your ability) all good.

Cycling is extremely low impact but packs a cardiovascular punch. When I had spd it was the only way I could get about.

Wow, so many responses. Thanks guys.

going to go and do a fitness blender video and see how that goes. I'm trying to remind myself that my body has been through quite a lot in the last couple of years, so it's not going to be in tip top condition, but it is frustrating that I know I don't need to look like this, and it's going to take a while to get back to 'me'

please that is amazing, proves that it can be done if I put my mind to it.

Now if I can just lose the taste for chocolate, then I'll be sorted!

Rather than trying to lose the taste and depriving yourself completely, try switching to dark choc instead - build up the strength if 70%+ tastes too bitter at first, you won't need to eat so much, it has much less sugar and lots of health benefits .

You are right about going easy on yourself, don't rush, work with your body rather than against it and the changes will come-maybe more slowly than if you rush and push hard, but it will be a more enjoyable journey and a more sustainable result if you are kind!