In my last 9 and a half years of working with moms, I have heard many of the same frustrations over and over. One of the most common goes something like this:
“I eat pretty well and exercise regularly, but the scale has just been stuck. It seems no matter what I do, it doesn’t budge. It makes it really hard to stay motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
I agree 100%. It is not easy to motivate yourself to workout if you are certain it’s not going to change anything. It’s not motivating to cook clean and healthy meals if they aren’t going to get you closer to your goal of looking more fit. So, something has got to give – or you will be back in the land or Twinkies and cosmos in a heartbeat. Ok, maybe not Twinkies, but perhaps cupcakes??
One of the primary reasons I created our best selling program, SuperMom Workouts, was to address this frustration. I knew moms needed a program that offered REAL results – the ones they had been looking for for years – in a matter of minutes per day. And the great thing is – these results come from changing just three things. That’s it. Read on – I’m going to share these three tips with you and then I’m GIVING AWAY 3 copies of my SuperMoms Workout Program. Would you like a copy?
3 Things That Prevent Weight Loss for Moms (and how to change them):
1. The WRONG Strength Training:
Yes, there is a right way and a wrong way to strength train. Most women are scared of getting bulky, so they follow the old “light weight, high reps” rule. I don’t know who invented this “rule”, but they have really done us women a disservice. In fact, women who follow this advice typically don’t see any change in their bodies after months and months of gym time.
Additionally, many women are scared of hurting themselves with weights. Add to that, many women just don’t know what to do with weights. Unless you’ve worked with a trainer, there is really no way for you to know the best way to utilze your time in the weight room.
The first thing I tell moms is to lift heavier. This can be scary at first. But, if you pick up your kids, who likely weigh anywhere from 10-50 pounds, you are completely wasting your time on workouts that use 5 pound dumbbells. You don’t stop picking up your child when he/she reaches 15 pounds, do you? So why would you limit your weight lifting in that way. Similarly, lifting your child hasn’t made you bulky has it? Think of how many times a day you pick up your child or bags of groceries. These weigh more than the dumbbells most moms use – and I’m guessing carrying your child around has NOT made you bulky yet?
It’s easy to limit yourself to the light weights in the gym because they seem safe. But they will not get you results.
All that said, it is important to be safe when strength training. If it is totally new to you, I recommend following a program that gives very specific instructions (like the videos in our SuperMom Workouts) or hiring a trainer.
As you build muscle and increase your weights from week-to-week and month-to-month you will build lean muscle (not bulky muscle) that will help increase your metabolic rate (and the rate at which you burn fat!) This will make a tremendous difference in re-shaping your body. In fact, this will change your body much more than any cardio ever could. I even tell my SuperMoms to take some of the cardio OUT of their workouts in order to have more time to focus on strength training. It is your body shaper! In fact, you can even gain weight and get SMALLER when you lift heavier, as seen in the right hand photo.
2. The WRONG Cardio
Just like there is a right way and wrong way to use strength training, there is a right way and wrong way to use cardio for weight loss. Most women think more time dedicated to cardio will give them more weight loss. This is completely untrue. In fact, more time spent on cardio often just keeps your body right where it’s at. None of my SuperMoms lose weight by adding more time to their cardio workouts. Actually, many of them DECREASE their cardio time. In SuperMom Workouts, our cardio interval sessions are about 20 minutes. If you’re doing the right kind of cardio, that is plenty. In fact, if you’re doing the right kind of cardio (well planned cardio intervals), you probably couldn’t do much more than 20 minutes.
Medicine Ball Burpees = AWESOME Cardio!
The best kind of cardio intervals are ones that utilizes weight (body weight and/or added weights) to get your heart rate up. With this kind of cardio you are actually getting some strength training in your cardio session. Yes, this can count for TWO kinds of workouts. Killing two birds with one stone = AWESOME for busy moms!
If you want some workouts that show you exactly how to do this, be sure to download our free ebook in the upper righthand column here, “The Top 5 Myths of Female Fat Loss”. I give you multiple free workouts in here that will show you how to do this!
3. Not Eating the Right Carbs at the Right Time:
This last tip is the most important thing you can do do use your diet to change your body. Carbs are good. Let me repeat that, CARBS ARE GOOD. But, you have to use them strategically for FUEL if you want to change your body. Carbs are primarily found in grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. Obviously, some of these things are awesome for your body. But we typically get our carbs from mostly un-awesome sources – like processed grains. When I say processed grains I’m talking about white bread and pasta, of course, but I’m ALSO talking about many (most) whole wheat products. Yup, the whole wheat/whole grain revolution that many companies are pushing on you is keeping you from losing weight. Whole wheat and “whole grain” products are often just as processed as the white stuff. Just because something is brown does not make it good for you. We have been very misled.
"Whole Grains" does NOT mean healthy!
My most successful weight loss clients do not eat grains in the evening. They get their evening carbs from vegetables. Usually dinner consists of a source of protein and a few servings of vegetables (perhaps a salad with unlimited veggies and a small yam or some winter squash.) In addition to helping with weight loss, this major dietary change makes a huge difference in belly fat. In fact, my SuperMoms who follow our Hormone Syncing Diet (which tells you exactly when and how to eat carb) lose more inches off their belly than anywhere else in their body.
If you can dial in these three things, you will completely change your body. I promise you. If fact, I’ve done it myself. I used to be quite overweight, a good 40 pounds heavier than I am now. Countless moms have done it with me. In fact here’s an email I just got this week from one of my SuperMoms, Cassandra:
“I’ve lost about 11 lbs and I have gained a lot of muscle. I am getting stronger; I started using 20 lb weights in my supermoms workouts this week. I work out 6 days a week, I am happier (most of the time…having a 4 year old and a 2 year can, of course, be really stressful and downright discouraging at times but overall I’m managing things a lot better than I did before I started to really take care of myself) and I love that I am setting a good example for my kids. My 4 year does parts of my workouts with me every morning. I have a lot less belly fat I’m down from a size 10 to a solid size 6. I had to basically buy a whole new wardrobe and I can fit into the size 6 bridesmaids dress I got for my little sister’s wedding in August…I got to return the size 8!!!”
If you are looking for more information about how to incorprate these changes into your life, you can download our free ebooks in the upper right hand corner.
However, if you are ready to get started on a clear, step-by-step weight loss plan, like our SuperMoms Program, leave a comment below and let us know why you should get one of three FREE copies of SuperMoms workouts. We will be giving away three programs to moms who are ready to commit to changing their bodies. It could be you – and, like these moms below, you could be standing in completely different skin in just 5 weeks.
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