The body you want...

[Noriszan]

Being an ex athlete, I never had any issues with being in shape or feeling good in my skin. Then I had kids... 😀

I would love to know, when it comes to having the body you want, what is the biggest challenge you've been struggling with?

Scraping my arse off the sofa aka motivation. Building the habit is the hardest thing.

The next biggest thing has been injury. I'm a runner and am a martyr to my ITB. I'm undergoing yet another round of physio for it. I know I need to cross train to strengthen the areas of weakness and prevent further/continued ITB issues but again, it's the habit/motivation thing when you are a normal busy working parent with the usual constraints on your time.

Or have I missed the point and are you talking about targeting specific body parts?

The biggest challenge is as NomDePlumeReloaded said...actually getting off the sofa. Its also finding something I enjoy doing.

Despite being very very active as a child/teenager I absolutely loath doing exercise now.

My body is completely wrecked form too much sport and everything hurts almost to the point of tears and everything causes injuries. I have Ehlers Danlos too which makes everything even harder.

From a shape point of view its bingo wings and the usual 'mummy tummy'. They both appeared during pregnancy and despite breastfeeding all my children for 12 -18 months each none of it went.

No, no, just in general...

Motivation is such a huge thing! I have phases when I am totally driven and want to exercise / eat well but then it quickly fades away.

I totally agree with you, building a habit is key! Right now I am doing a Robin Sharma quest, apparently it takes 66 days to create a routine... Ouch! 😀

@OdinsLoveChild I think I had 6 packs until I was 34. But after my second was born, I learned a new expression: muffin top. 😬 Back then I thought it was funny. Not any more... 😂
Soooo frustrating!

In which form do you have Ehlers Danlos? Loose joints? Stretchy skin?

Perseverance for me. I wasn't super fit and toned pre baby but I took my pretty decent (hindsight) body for granted a bit. Now it doesn't change as fast as I'd like and I start to wonder what the point is.

I work within the health and fitness industry as well as studying sport for my bachelors so it is basically my life..the hardest part for me is giving myself substantial enough breaks from workout regimes to re-focus myself physically and mentally...also I love a glass of wine in the evenings 😝😉

robinsongyal, how do you manage working out with your kid(s)?

theflickyones, oh yeah, taken that body for granted... I know what you are talking about!

What do you think would help you more: healthy eating or working out?

@Noriszan apparently 80% in the kitchen, 20% in the gym. I work out at 6am four days a week, it is a habit now which makes it easier. This means I can be done and home again at 7am when everyone is getting up to start the day.

I am an exercise junkie, but also a dreadful snacker and you cannot out-train a bad diet

My thighs are endlessly large. Twas always thus.

Accepting the ageing process. I'm now 43. Even when I got a six pack, the effect was kind of ruined by the crepey skin on top.

However, I am increasingly focusing away from the aesthetics (the scales have fallen from my eyes in terms of what a lot of patriarchal bs it all is really) and appreciating that my physical capabilities are way above most people my age or even those 20 years younger, and that I should be proud of those and continue to grow and develop them, rather than wasting time critiquing my cellulite.

My dad is a bit of an inspiration in that sense. He is 70 and super-fit and active despite being wrinkly, bald and a bit creaky in the joints. My mates used to refer to him as "buff daddy" even when he was in his sixties

Time. I'm a lp and work part time. Most weeks I can manage 2 classes and a parkrun. It's just about maintaining my fitness into my forties.

The second they're secondary age and I can leave then at home safely (four years to go) I'll be back to five classes a week, yoga, Hiit, pump, dance and a combat. Bit of everything.

I didn't even have a good body before DC! Diastasis recti and lots more tummy fat were not great! Sleep deprivation and DH working long hours, then returning to work, made it hard to exercise. I did the odd DVD or online workout, then Mutu (for diastasis recti/postnatal health), which was great.

Finding "time slots" was key.

Now DC are primary age I can do several classes a week at local leisure centre or online - body pump/combat, aerobics, yoga, and walk lots too. Feel strong and well.

Diet has been poor (I binge eat) and weight is affected by that, so am starting to work on that now.

I hadn't previously done group classes but love them now - think it's to do with parenting/WoH/domestics/adult life sometimes feeling like a treadmill making it hard to motivate myself if jogging or in the gym. I would give up or go slow. With classes you just turn up and do as you're told, with the boost of others all doing the same, much less self motivation required!

I think accepting the fact that I probably won't get the body I want! Before children I was a size 6-8 - now only a size 8-10 which would be great if it wasn't a bit wobbly too! I have embarked in a diet, some exercise etc but in reality I'm now 45 and it's harder and I have less time to focus on me with two small children and a job! I'm sure I can improve the body I have but I'm pretty sure it won't be the ideal!

Noriszan sorry I forgot I had posted on here.

I have super bendy and dislocating joints and I have vascular EDS too which has got worse as I had my children. It's a crap condition that's hugely underfunded on the research. Some of my children have it too. I get more sense out of a brick wall than the school regarding my youngest DS but that's a different thread About the only exercise I can do is swimming but I cant swim enough to get the body shape I would like...and I get a funny green colour to my hair too