Acceptance

I've always been the first one to point out my flaws and discount compliments much to the disgust of my family and friends.

With a healthy appetite for food {good and bad} and wine, combined with a love of exercise and sport, my weight has remained steady for years. Before getting pregnant I was looking and feeling super fit and could almost say I was happy with my body. I suppose teaching and participating in multiple classes at the gym each week helped my mind and body get to that place.

I'm not really sure how much weight I put on in my pregnancy but would estimate it to be around 15 kilograms. I could be dreaming but I really think I was starting to develop a bit of a six-pack!

I was not one of those people that loved being pregnant but I didn't have anything to complain about either. I wasn't sick and I think my belly was just fine. Ned was born a couple of weeks after that last photo. 

I got back into the gym as soon as I could {eight weeks to be exact} and the weight naturally fell off over time. I wasn't too concerned about getting back in to shape within a certain time frame and nearly eighteen months on, I'm feeling good. These images were taken last week {without my permission I must add!} which surprisingly have me in a pretty good place about my body.  I'm not perfect but who is? There is cellulite, there is a mummy tummy and there are love handles.

But, I live an enjoyable life mostly free from restriction. And I have a beautiful, happy baby boy to show for it.

I don't know about you but the talk of 'when is the next one coming?' has me feeling a little selfish. I've just got my life, my sleep and my body back. Why would I want to do it all again?!

Linking up with Jess for IBOT {I blog on Tuesdays}

Trainee Mama Loves: Group Fitness

This post is in collaboration with Rexona

I'm one of those {what some people might call weird} people who LOVES going to the gym. It's been a part of me for quite a few years now and just is a part of my routine. In fact, I turned my love of {specifically} group fitness into a paid hobby as a Les Mills Pump group fitness instructor. For many years I attended a selection of classes at my local uni gym and formed a bit of a friendship with the group fitness manager who, for some reason, recognised my potential/strength/personality/who knows what and, after two years, convinced me to spend something like $1000 to study and train to become a pump {a weights class choreographed to music} instructor. Wowza, that was a long sentence kind of reminiscent of trainee daddy's uni assignments, before I got my editor on. Anyway, if you're trying to get into a bit of exercise and haven't tried group exercise, maybe you should give classes a go. Group exercise is great if you're competitive {which I totally am}, only takes up between 30 minutes to an hour and is a fabulous way of meeting new people or even better, making new friends {as well an excuse to buy cute workout gear and sneakers/trainers/joggers.}

If you're going to be getting into exercise you will need a good deodorant. Quite some time ago that lovely lady who convinced me to train to become a pump instructor mentioned some sort of revolutionary deodorant that she put on after her shower at night which kept her smelling beautiful and fresh all day even after doing a couple of classes. In her words, "yeah, apparently it reacts with your body while you sleep. It says 48 hours but I use it every night. I think it works. I haven't had anyone tell me I stink!!" 

That deodorant? Rexona Clinical Protection. As someone who quite often forgets to give the underarms a bit of attention {both with the razor and the nice-smelling-to-prevent-the-bad-smelling-stuff} this deo is your friend. Okay, it is a fair bit more expensive than your regular whatever-is-on-special-at-the-supermarket deodorant (around $12) but definitely worth it. As someone who often wakes up a bit wiffy, I'm excited to report that it works. I put the deodorant on after my shower on Friday night and was still smelling clean and fresh Saturday night {even after teaching a class Saturday morning and showering without reappling. I checked and so did miss Katy Potaty and we both concluded that this shiz works. 

Rexona Clinical for Women is now my go-to deodorant for sure. Give it a go if you're looking for a product that works.

{Although I am being paid for this post, I pride myself on being 100% honest on this blog so all views and opinions are my own}