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As my wife and I dropped of our son for his first day of school the other day, I was pleased to see all of the children playing well together, and seemingly adapting to their new environment and to their new situation much easier than the anxious Mums!!

For weeks now my wife has been worrying about wither or not we had chosen the right school, got his uniform on time, if his pack lunch would be ok, would he fit in, would his teacher be ok and so the list goes on. Not surprising like most task of Mother Hood all of these worries takes a huge toll on the body. At least now though my wife has time on her hands (at least for a few weeks until our next child is due!!).

The world around us would not be the same place where it not for the kind, gentle nurturing of Mothers around the Globe, in fact I shudder to think what kind of state the world would be in if child raising was left exclusively to Men. Not that man are incapable of being good parents, we just have a different approach, and one that doesn’t necessarily teach children the complexities of human interaction, good communication and self less serving that Mothers seem to do so well. In fact I would not be who I am today where it not for my dear, gentle and kind Mother who raised me to be a free thinker, as well as develop my own personality and other unique attributes.

It is then with an outsider’s view that I acknowledge the demands of Motherhood, for we can only truly know something when we have experienced it ourselves. I can tell you however that during their early years as mothers, women have certain structural changes to their bodies and also to their own sense of self, after giving so much they are often left drained and exhausted. It’s a bit like not having time to stop for petrol, eventually you run out.

I came into personal training about the same time my son was born, and immediately started running exercise groups in parks with mother and their babies, throughout my career I have worked with many more Mothers, and I have found that by exercising and taking time to do something for themselves, they develop more confidence in their own abilities and if they have suffered from back pain or any other problems these are also helped with targeted movement based exercise. The end result is a Mother who goes back to her family renewed and full of energy, ready to go back hard into being a Mother again!.

Here then are some of my top 3 tips for Mummies everywhere

Exercise gently at first

Getting some fresh air whilst out walking is always the most sensible option, this also allows you to relax as you take in nature and will also burn sufficient calories to elicit a fat loss response if done frequently enough.  Alongside this a targeted exercise program with a well qualified and experienced personal trainer is a good way to restore good posture, and help get back into pre-baby shape.

Research shows that exercise also helps beat depression, this may at first sound counterintuitive as when you feel drained the last thing you feel like doing is exercise. But the sooner you can start doing some movement the quicker you can start getting more energy.

Take some you time

This should probably be advice that applies to everyone, but Mothers especially need some time to themselves now and then (are you listening partners!). Doing so will help restore a little of your own identity which is often lost to being a full time Mother with very little adult intellect going on. It’s hard to stay sane when your main companion is responsive to words mostly like “hello little flopsy bunny!” Alone time could just be a cup of tea in bed with one of those gossip magazine you all seem to love so much, or it could be time to read a book in a trendy coffee bar by yourself.

On top of alone time it is also imperative to get couple time, so as not to lose that spark, and to keep the relationship alive, and also where you can sometime with your long lost friends, who perhaps can’t stand the thought of having children and have since lost contact with you!

Supplement

Your body has undergone changes that have taken and used up a lot of your nutrients in order to sustain another life. This leaves you deficient in many things, particularly Omega 3 which increases the chances of post natal depression. There are a huge number of supplements on offer but I usually take time to go through with people which are the most appropriate to them and which one they are willing to commit to.

My minimum recommendation would be a high quality fish oil, and perhaps also a good quality green vegetable powder. Try the following links

http://www.enhancinglifesjourney.co.uk/online-shop.html

http://www.enhancinglifesjourney.co.uk/online-shop.html

So now Mothers everywhere have some time on their hands, I hope you have found this information useful, please contact me if you have any questions.