Motivating mum Ash Petroff has had amazing success losing baby weight from following the Lose baby Weight healthy eating plans and 28 day challenges
Today she is sharing her top 12 things she has learnt so far on her journey and you can see Ash’s latest update here
The Mind Has All The Power
When I first begun my journey in July I thought that with healthy eating, exercise, water and the results would show instantly. I thought that I would just force my body to do the work and that was it. But I was so wrong……. I forgot about the most important part, the power player, the leader THE MIND. The one behind all the negative and positive thoughts that enable the actions that we choose.
The great thing is just like our body we can train our minds…. When you wake up every morning before you get out of bed, think of three things that you can now do, that you couldn’t do before starting your journey. By focusing your thoughts on what you can now achieve it will push out the “I can’t thoughts” Next stare at your reflection and tell yourself out loud 3 things that you love about yourself physically, by doing this every morning it will slowly push out your negative thoughts and replace them with positives, and teach you to love yourself instead hating what you don’t like. Start using your most important body part THE MIND in your journey, you’d be surprised how far it will take you
There Is No Comparison
In my 4.5 month journey I’ve come to realise, that every single mum is completely different in every way!!! While we may weigh the same…. We all have different shapes, fitness levels….. journeys. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to not compare ourselves to anyone. If you are the same height and weight as someone and wondering why you look different it’s because YOU ARE YOU and they are them! You will never be them and they will never be you. We all carry weight differently, we all lose weight differently…. We all are DIFFERENT, which makes us all unique in our own special way
Self Doubt
One of the hardest things about our journey is our self-doubt. It’s not something that goes away overnight, in a week or months. I still have days where I doubt myself .I doubt my decisions, doubt my looks, and doubt my progress. I have no magic cure to ease the doubt, I don’t think anyone does if they did this journey of losing weight and getting fit and healthy would be easy right? What I have learnt tho through all the times of doubt is……..For every thought of doubt I have I battle it with a positive thought. It doesn’t get rid of the doubt but it does challenge it, and I never back down from a challenge. So remember that no matter who you are…. Motivating Mum, mum just starting out, mum maintaining her weight, mum half way there…….. we ALL have self-doubt….. Challenge it and fight it till the very end xxxxxx
Support
My partner works away every week, we only see him for 1.5 days a week. And even when he’s home, he’s busy getting his work truck ready to go away again. When he is home he is very supportive of my new healthy lifestyle. But where do I turn for support when he isn’t around?
I rely on the Private Facebook Support Group; I don’t think I would have come this far without the support from you incredible ladies- so THANK YOU!
I’ve made friends within this group that I feel like I’ve known for years. There’s nothing but kind words, no judgment, no negative comments, nothing but understanding because we are all going through the same experience. Through the good days and bad days we are all here to support each other.
Eating Healthy is QUICK & EASY
Before beginning my new lifestyle change in July, I always thought that takeaway was the quick and easy option. Even tho I would have to get in my car and drive 25min there and 25min back, it seemed quick because I didn’t have to physically make the food myself. But after starting the Lose Baby Weight program, after preparing my own meals it soon dawned on me that it would take roughly 30min all together to prep and cook!!! Sometimes even less!!!! It then occurred to me that I wasn’t loving the “quick and easy takeaway” option I was loving the “I’m lazy and would rather someone else make me dinner” option.
Don’t opt for the “lazy take away option”, go for the “healthy, prepared myself take away option”
It’s Not Going To Be Easy Sometimes
The working mum, stay at home mum, teething children, siblings fighting, unsupportive partner, sick, tired, Aunt Flo…… These are just some excuses we have all used at one time or another. When we use these excuses we are only depriving ourselves of what we want to achieve. Another day, week or month set back from where we want to be. Happy, healthy and fit.
There is nowhere written that this was ever going to be easy, it takes a lot of effort and determination. Because in the end the only person that can change old habits into new habits is OURSELVES. We have to replace old habits with new! We have to make the decision to work out! We have to decide what we put in our mouth!
People often ask me how I do it with three young boys and a partner that works away every week…… And it’s simple……. No excuses. And no it wasn’t easy to change at the beginning because I had an excuse for everything, but the further you push yourself the easier it gets.
Push yourself beyond the limits you think you have (except if you are really sick) because that’s the old you limits. The new you, you are creating is a lot stronger than you think!
Love Your New Body
One thing I think that was hard for me to adjust to was how much my body changed after having three children. Hips become wider, the dreaded “over hang”, stretch marks, cellulite, breast that resemble deflated balloons. Putting on 50kg in my first pregnancy was extremely hard to like the reflection I saw looking back at me. I often thought how could my partner love my new body when I didn’t even love myself. Losing 18.5kg has definitely given my self-confidence back, and while I know that my body will never go back to being the same I’m ok with that. I was 20 just before I got pregnant, I’m now 28…… I no longer have that body of a 20yo……. I now have the body of a 28yo, the body of a mother who’s had three children, my breast aren’t perfect (not until I get a breast augmentation) I will always have stretch marks, my hips will always be wider, my stomach won’t be as toned as I like………. And I’m ok with that. Each part that has changed tells it’s own story. I’m starting to love my new body and so should you! Self-confidence is the key even if you aren’t societies definition of “sexy”. Sexy radiates from within, we all have it, love your new body for what it now…… Not what it once was
Mums Can Come First
As a mum we are often the last ones to put ourselves first. We are always looking after our children, husbands, pets, the household…. Life in general. This was exactly me when I had children starting 6yrs ago. I was so busy with looking after everyone else that I never made time for myself. And in saying that…… This was my “ah ha” moment when I first started my LBW journey in July. I knew that I had to start looking after myself as well as everybody else, because the only person that would change me was ME. It’s not selfish to want to be the best version of you, it’s not selfish to take 30min to exercise, it’s not selfish to take some time to relax, it’s not selfish to want to set a healthy example for you children. Being a mother doesn’t make us not worthy of deserving to be happy, we are the matriarch of the family, we make everything run smoothly …… We deserve this and no one , not even ourselves has the right to make us feel guilty for taking that time to look after ourselves.THE CLEANING CAN WAIT, THE KIDS WILL BE OK, YOUR PARTNER IS A BIG BOY, TAKE A DEEP BREATH and focus on yourselves a little bit more… Because you ARE WORTH IT AND DESERVE IT
We Are Human
Being a motivating mum I often feel like because I’m encouraging and motivating other mums, that I have to be on 100%. No mistakes, perfect all the time, being super mum….. But that’s not the case at all. I’m not perfect, I’m no super mum, I question myself and actions. Some days my house is a mess, loads of washing aren’t done, I get in a funk of a mood, I eat something I’m not meant to. But guess what…….. IT’S OK, WE ARE HUMAN. We are not perfect all the time. We have bad days with the good days. We have days where we might not eat the best, exercise the best or even at all. It’s how you handle it now that counts. When you make a bad food choice, there’s no point in dwelling on it, get up get moving and work it off. It’s ok if your body needs a rest from exercising. Stop setting the bar for yourself as perfection, set the bar to be the best version of you, to be better than where you were. Remind yourself of what you can NOW do, that you couldn’t do before!!! Be kind to yourself because any change big or small is a good change . We all struggle to get to your goals and we should all be honest about that, it’s not being negative it’s being real.
How You Feel On The Inside
Five months ago all I was concerned about was losing weight. Because I thought that, losing weight was the key to being happy. It’s so much more than that……
It’s not just losing weight, it’s not just the number on the scales, and it’s not just the compliments you receive….. It’s the feeling you start to notice from within.
The feeling of accomplishment when you can do more squats than the previous day, the feeling you get when you no longer have to wear “the suck in underwear”, the feeling of knowing that not everyone is thinking you’re the “fat girl”, the feeling of being fit and healthy. Don’t spend half your journey like me thinking it’s all about the kg you lose, even tho that’s a huge accomplishment!! FOCUS on the happy feelings within because they are what’s important. That’s what determines who you are, not the number on the scales. You all have beautiful and confident souls whether you’ve lost small or large amounts of weight. Beauty comes from within……. So start working on losing the sad from within so the happy can shine
You
YOU have the power, YOU have to put in the effort, YOU are in control, YOU make the changes, YOU benefit from it all, It’s all about you!!!! Lose Baby Weight will give you the recipes, the smoothies, the exercises, the helpful tips and advice, the support, but it’s all up to YOU to put in the work to get results.
YOU can do this! YOU are stronger than you think, YOU will become fitter and stronger, YOU will love the results. If you want your life back you can take it back. Stay focused on what you want and you will get there!!
ITS ALL BECAUSE OF LOSE BABY WEIGHT!!!!!
Plain and simple I wouldn’t have lost the weight without Lose Baby Weight. They provided me with knowledge of good healthy foods, and that healthy doesn’t mean boring. Smoothies are my breakfast option and they aren’t chalky or tasteless like other brands, they are full of flavour and the options are endless!!!!! I’m a control freak and like to plan out my meals and keep organised, the challenges keep me focused, are budget friendly for my family of five. Lose Baby Weight have taught me to love exercise, because I love the feeling of being a fit mummy for my three boys. The Lose Baby Weight &Healthy Mummy SUPPORT group has been amazing for me. I had social anxiety I never really talked to many people that I was friends with. But opening up in this group and receiving support has helped me more than you’ll ever know. I know that if I had never started Lose Baby Weight I would still be a lazy, borderline obese mum would are nothing but fried food and drink coke. I will never go back to that unhappy person! I want to live a happy healthy and long life especially for my children’s sake. I’ll never stop singing the praises of Lose Baby Weight, because they didn’t just make me lose 19kg in 5months, they made me the best possible version of myself and I wake up and can truly say “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been”
Ash Petroff
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