Motivating Mum of 3 Cassandra shares her goals and top tips for November with Lose Baby Weight.
I am SUPER excited to be staying on as a Motivating Mum for November.
It was a huge honour to be a MM throughout October & I cannot wait for the next month ahead. I hope to inspire & encourage you, help you & be there for any questions you may have!
You can click on the two links below to read my stories. One is all about my journey, the other is my Motivating Mum blog post for Oct.
I was asked to write a little bit about my goals for November, tips on how I am going to keep motivated or any useful tips that help with planning ahead or fitting in exercise. So here it goes…
My goal for November
- Focus on not only my short term health, but to think about my long term health also
- To fit into a size 10! {At least by Christmas for this one}
- To be a good role model to my 3 girls & to not only eat new things myself, but encourage them to
- To feel good within myself
- Gain more confidence {That has been a huge change the past two months, I have noticed how much more confidence I hold already ~ so I want to keep building on that}
- Buy new clothes! {When I hit my next 5kg loss, SHOPPING SPREE it is}!
- Be happy! Be healthy!
- Work towards my goal of 70-75kgs! {I am currently around 85kgs}
- This month I would LOVE to shed 5kgs!
- Take control.
- Make time for myself ~ how am I doing this? It means setting my alarm for 6:15/6:30am to get up! I am hoping to be able to go for a walk most mornings. Living with my back injury means sleeping is very hard & little.. It would be easy to lay in bed, tired & feeling sorry for myself. BUT! It does me no good at all. It actually does me a WORLD of good to get up & get OUT the door. That is the toughest part for all of us. Once you start, you’ll be glad you did! My back responds to encouraging movement.
- Lastly. To stay focussed & to stay dedicated.
YOU CAN DO IT!
I have this list written on my fridge so it is always there to remind me of my direction.
Alongside it, I also have photos! They are the BEST reminder. Starting photos/progress photos ANYTHING that will spark something in you.
My tips for staying motivated & for planning ahead
Gosh, I have a lot… where do I begin?
- Don’t buy things “just for the kids” For years I did that & it was almost like my excuse to myself to have just a small handful of chips, or a few biscuits etc. If you don’t want to eat it yourself, don’t let your kids. My biggest goal in the challenges is encouraging new things for my girls too.
- Set goals. Big or small. But set something to work towards. For me, this month I am aiming to lose 5kgs. But I also have a BIG goal, which is between 10-15kgs! I would LOVE to get down to 70, but know it is not at all possible to achieve that in 1month. So try to be realistic & go easy on yourself.
- Other goals can be to fit into a certain dress for a specific event coming up?
- Take PHOTOS ladies! Each week or at least fortnight. They are the BIGGEST motivator. I would say, from my personal experience, that has been one of the biggest eye openers when you are feeling like a failure or like you’re just NOT getting anywhere.. Especially when your weight plateaus. I have been “Stuck” around 85 for a whole month now, but I am NOT giving up!
- Measure!!!!!!! Waist, hips & thighs.
- SO important. The scales may not move much or even at all, but your body WILL change. As I said with the photos, your weight can plateau & that is very easy to become down about {guilty of that}. But CMs will shift. Sometimes a lot more than kgs.
- PLAN! PLAN! PLAN! ~ my biggest fall down in the past is not being prepared. I am a photographer which means working around meal/snack times & through weddings it is a whole day out working, so for whatever the case be. Work or a family outing etc. Plan the day before. Packing good snacks is a very easy place to start. If you know you’re going out for dinner, I eat an apple on the way & drink more water so I am not SCOFFING my face with the free bread & then ordering something I’ll regret. Also, check out the menu online before you go. That way you know what sort of calories you’ll be eating ~ and can avoid reading the menu while you’re there.
- Make YOU time. This is so important. To put yourself first sometimes, even 1hr a day can seem impossible or have you feeling guilty. In fact, it is SO crucial to your health & wellbeing to give yourself a break, to not just be mum all the time, but to be just YOU, the awesome YOU that you are!! Work out when the best time is for you & stick it out. It takes 2wks to build a habit & it will then seem normal & a part of your everyday life.
- For me, it means getting up early & I won’t lie, some days it is SUPER hard to get up. But I know if it’s been a rough night, the next day I’ll be spontaneous & walk with the girls or do some DVD etc.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you slip up, move on. What’s done is done, and making yourself feel guilty about it helps in no way at all. So, instead, make your next choice one that makes you feel better. Bounce back up on your feet & step forward. You will make yourself stronger for that.
A couple more…. That also include fitting in exercise…
- Use random moments of time to fit in incidental exercise. The kids are napping, pop in the DVD or do some squats while you hang washing {some ladies have been doing a killer job at this one}.
- At the same time, it’s ok that some days things just DO NOT go to plan.
- You’re a mum & your kids do need you. And that too is ok.
- I know my girls, when grumpy, LOVE loud music. So pop on some tunes & dance around crazy with the kids! You can even incorporate some of the workout moves you know, the kids LOVE to copy new & weird (to them) things. You’ll be amazed at some extra calories gone & steps you take!
- The Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD is fabulous for not only planned workout times, but for spontaneous shorter time periods. It is sectioned into 10&15 minute sessions, so if throughout the day, you manage say 2 or 3 of those sessions, then that is AWESOME & it all adds up!
- Lastly, KILLER MUSIC!!!!!
- The key to running or going for a walk, or working your butt off to burn some calories is MUSIC! It has a magical way of encouraging your body to M.O.V.E! I know the difference of trying to walk with nothing & then walking with my headphones in. Obviously harder when walking with the pram, so what I do, is just have one headphone in, & not too loud. But it is still there to be heard.
- I am more than happy to share my list if anyone wants it.
My playlist currently consists of Running Trax ~ I have just bought 10-11 songs off itunes {they are $1.69-$2 each & 11 songs does my 5km walk each day perfectly}!
Try things out & see what works best for you!
We are all different, unique & most importantly WORTH IT!
I hope to be inspiring throughout this next month, & I hope to help you overcome some bumps in the road, if I can.
Being in this together, makes it seem a whole lot easier!
I am always open for questions & for sharing my experiences. Don’t ever hesitate to ask!
I am always active on the FB support group, make sure you join us if you haven’t already.
There is the most AMAZING group of ladies I’ve ever {not officially} met!
Thanks so much for having me as a Motivating Mum for November & together let’s SMASH OUT THIS CHALLENGE!!!!
Cassie xx
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