One of the most amazing things about expanding your menu and including a whole variety of new foods in your diet is the different kind of cuisines you soon become exposed to. Weight loss doesn’t have to mean boring, and there’s no reason why food still shouldn’t be something you enjoy.

One of the fantastic benefits of having kids is that it brings us back to some of the stuff we enjoyed when we were little ourselves – like skipping rope. Watch kids in the schoolyard jumping in and out of ropes and you can clearly see a few of the best things about skipping rope: it’s fun, easy to learn and works up a sweat.

WHY SKIP?

In fact, skipping is a great weightloss tool. We often see it in boxing movies like Million Dollar Baby when the novice is starting to get extremely fit, lose weight and improve their game. Skipping is a sure fire way to get you super fit in little time (just make sure you are 100% fully recovered post birth and have your Dr’s clearance as well as have had a non complicated birth)

With less impact than jogging (provided you don’t jump too high off the ground in your excitement!), fast skipping burns over a third more calories. Great for time poor mums sneaking in a session while the little one is down or if you want to pick up your workout and up your challenge.

Our skipping workout below will work your arms, legs and core, build coordination, improve your strength and agility and improve cardiovascular fitness. Try doing intervals of the various exercises, alternating faster and bigger movements with just jumping side to side in step touch or figure eights with your arms to improve even faster.

By Natalie Cocks and Melinda Murnane

We went to school together 10+ years ago and both had our third babies (boys) within a week of each other in September 2012.

Both of us struggled to lose our pregnancy weight we had gained amidst the business of caring for our young children.  Together we decided to give the Lose Baby Weight plans and the 28 day diet & exercise plan a go!!

Nat’s story:

During the pregnancy of my third child I gained 25kg.  I lost the initial 10kg through his birth, fluid etc but 7wks after his birth I found that the weight wasn’t budging at all, I still had at least 15kg I wanted to lose (plus ideally another 5kg to get close to pre-children weight). 

Each week on the Lose Baby Weight plans we bring you an offer or promotion and this week, we are excited to be bringing you a free skipping rope when you spend over $72 – excluding postage.

Skipping is an amazingly effective way to burn calories and tone up, so we thought it would be a great free gift to bring to you to help you in your exercise and fitness.

Just make sure that you are 100% fully recovered post pregnancy before doing any type of skipping or jumping and have had your Dr’s approval – which could be a few months or more post birth.

Hi Lose Baby Weight,  I just wanted to say thank you and write in my little weight loss success story for 2012 after being on the Lose Baby Weight Plans.

This year with the help of Lose Baby Weight I have lost a total of 8.2kg, and while I have a long way to go until I reach my goal weight, this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt that a weight loss goal is perhaps not only achievable, but also maintainable long term.

After giving birth to our babies, most of us go through mild physical changes that could possibly alter our back posture which might create nagging pains in our back.

The severity and duration of postpartum backache varies for each of us and some of us might even experience it for almost up to a year after giving birth.

Before we move on to the 5 ways that can help reduce postpartum backache, let’s have a look at what causes it.

When we carry our baby (or babies if you’ve got twins) for 9 months, the extra weight means that our back muscles work harder to support our body which also affects the stress on joints.

Studies have shown that the hormonal changes that we experience after delivery can also loosen the joints and ligaments that attach the pelvic bones to the spine which causes aching even with the slightest movement.

Being a new mum is definitely a rewarding experience that can never be replaced with anything else in the world. However, stress from tasks that require lifting our babies or pushing prams around can also add pressure to your spine, and a bad back will also put a halt to your post pregnancy weight loss and exercise plan.

After giving birth to your long awaited bundle, the chances of you thinking about exercise for at least the first few weeks are slim to none!

But once the fog starts to clear a little, there’s a good chance you might want to strap on your sneakers again and start to get back into some regular exercise.

Weight loss, especially healthy, sustained weight loss, is more like a marathon than a sprint. It takes time, patience and a whole lot of effort to get to that finish line. Think about it this way; it may have taken many months, even years to put that weight on, so it’s only reasonable to expect that it will take some time to wave it farewell for good.

Stir fry’s would have to be one of the best lunch or dinner options when you’re losing weight or trying to eat healthily. Not only are they super quick and easy to prepare but the fresh and colourful ingredients are packed full of nutrients. Fitting in a variety of different veggies can be a challenging part of a new, healthier diet. We are encouraged to eat a minimum of five servings of veggies per day, but many of us struggle to eat two, let alone five! A stir fry is an easy way to up your greens (and oranges, reds and yellows) with minimum effort.

Hi everyone at Lose Baby Weight,

I made this absolutely delicious healthy mummy smoothie this morning with the fruit I had left in the fridge and it was delicious so i thought I would send in the recipe.

Fruity tutti smoothie: