Losing weight after having a baby

Exercise.

You knew this section was coming, so there’s no avoiding it I’m afraid!

We all know the excellent benefits of regular exercise, but before you all go running and screaming for the nearest doughnut shop, stop and take a breath.

Exercise doesn’t mean hours of punishing workouts at the gym, unless you actually like going to the gym that is! What I’m talking about here is taking a step back in time again to our cavemen ancestors. What sort of exercise do you think the average cave man did every day? Well unless they were good at catching and riding on the back of a passing mammoth or two, they pretty much walked everywhere.

In our time-pressured world of work and deadlines, it would be unreasonable of me to suggest that you walked absolutely everywhere. But what about trying to park at the back of the car park, or getting off the bus a couple of stops early so you can have a brisk walk for 15 or 20 minutes before work. Take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators. Walk from the train station instead of taking a taxi. Go out for a walk during your lunch break. More calories burned = more weight loss. Get the idea?

Even at home you can increase your exercise levels. Does the garden need a good weeding? Does that hedge need a trim? Get out your deck brush and sweep up a sweat! Push the cleaner around the house that bit harder and faster, take longer strides, and really push out and pull back with those arms and shoulders, not forgetting to swap sides to get an even workout. Clean and polish those bathroom tiles with big arm circles and apply plenty of pressure until you can see your reflection. All these activities will help burn the fat.